Chapter 1633: A Boomerang

"Absurd!" A constant smile played on her lips after she returned to Lake Pavilion. "I'm now convinced that He Xiao's goal truly aligns with ours!"

Even if King Yao was unaware of her covert plans, a food shortage and the Imperial Nectar event could both incite chaos. At this critical juncture, one couldn't afford to be stingy with money or grain, nor could one rashly dismiss workers!

The sudden appearance of tens of thousands of able-bodied laborers in Tianshui City—without work, income, or food—posed a terrifying hidden danger!

He Xiao was shrewd as a devil; how could he not comprehend the gravity of the situation?

Yet, at this precise moment, the Tianshui East Expansion project was halted, and workers were dismissed. Qingyang couldn't help but suspect that He Xiao intended to throw Tianshui City into even greater chaos, adding fuel to the fire on the night of the Imperial Nectar.

If Qingyang were King Yao, she would surely have overruled all objections, even if it meant drawing from military stores to provide grain, and ordered the Tianshui project to continue. After all, the Imperial Nectar was only a few days away.

Stopping work because of the Imperial Nectar would have been understandable and excusable; anyone could comprehend that.

In her view, every extra day of work counted, but in King Yao's eyes, every extra day of savings counted.

That old scoundrel wasn't too foolish, but too greedy! The national treasury was already overflowing with wealth, yet he begrudged the farm laborers a few days of free rice.

Blinded by greed!

"I've actually been wrestling with someone like him for over half a year?" Qingyang scoffed at herself. "I truly am getting old."

Yuan Xuan quickly responded, "Without the power of the entire nation behind him, King Yao would be no match for you."

Qingyang snorted, "Right, any news on Wu Xianlong?"

Yuan Xuan: "I was just about to report. He's been dealt with, and the repercussions shouldn't spread further—at least not implicating... important figures."

Most officials involved in their plan had only received instructions from their superiors or were simply coerced, unaware of what the powerful figures at the top intended, or even what kind of trouble they were being drawn into.

Qingyang's scheme was too secretive; how could there be many true insiders?

This also made it convenient for them to control information sources: wherever a leak occurred, that level would be entirely cut off.

"General Bai?"

"General Bai is well."

Qingyang took a shallow breath. "King Yao has grown suspicious. It's possible our plan will have to be accelerated."

This was a reluctant measure. If King Yao grew suspicious, how could he not realize that the night of the Imperial Nectar presented the best opportunity? If everyone were to aim for that same day, Qingyang would gain no advantage.

Man proposes, God disposes; she never dared claim her plans were foolproof. No matter how well-devised a plan, it had to adapt to the changing times and circumstances.

Subsequently, over twenty more officials were taken from their offices by the Court Censors and Palace Guards, detained, and interrogated.

Half of them never returned to their posts.

The granary and all its stored grain were gone. To quell the panic and stabilize grain prices, King Yao urgently ordered the swift transfer of grain from other surrounding granaries to ensure supplies for Tianshui City.

At the same time, the Yao Court launched a comprehensive survey of national grain reserves.

Logically, this order was flawless—a timely and appropriate measure. Without a renewed survey, how could they truly ascertain their reserves?

However, no sooner had this order been issued than it seemed to cast a spell: within just two days, five public granaries across the nation suddenly caught fire one after another, burning completely, just like the first granary, leaving no evidence behind.

The entire nation was shocked.

Immediately thereafter, three officials in Tianshui City hanged themselves overnight, denying the Yao Royal Court the chance to arrest and interrogate them.

In Mangzhou, two provincial officials' homes mysteriously caught fire, and not a single family member, old or young, escaped.

When people died, many matters were simply put to rest.

Even the most obtuse person sensed that something was amiss.

The notables of Tianshui City sought He Lingchuan for tea, sighing with emotion as they discussed the matter. How much grain had truly remained in these granaries? No one knew anymore.

Gu Xuan sighed, "Impressive, so many granaries burned down one after another!"

Jing Yuanxun sneered, "Initially, the one who set fire to the granary might have been—"

Gu Xuan shushed him, muffling the name, but Jing Yuanxun continued his statement nonetheless:

"—but the later ones might not have been."

Who made King Yao decide to open the granaries and conduct a thorough inventory?

He Lingchuan knew what he was implying: the first granary might have been set ablaze by someone Qingyang hired, but the subsequent four warehouses were a different matter.

This was King Yao's second major mistake:

He misjudged the situation.

Even the best policies must be introduced at the right time.

He failed to grasp the concept of "timing."

Consequently, public discussions continued to reach the palace.

Since Qingyang ceased her denunciations as regent, officials had not felt so insecure for a long time.

But this time, the investigation was initiated by the monarch himself.

And while King Yao strictly ordered the investigation, prices in Yao continued to skyrocket.

With so many granaries burning one after another, could there truly be any grain left? The populace was uneasy, and fear gripped the hearts of the people.

These days, the Court Censors were dispatched everywhere, conducting both interrogations and investigations, overcoming numerous obstacles. They also sent others to verify grain quantities, barely managing to ascertain the true inventory of the public granaries:

Of the original seven granaries in and around Tianshui City, two had burned down, leaving five. Three of these five contained only twenty percent of their capacity, while two had sixty percent remaining!

Furthermore, these percentages included shriveled, moldy, and pest-damaged diseased grain and leftover wheat.

Granaries in Mangzhou, Zhuo'an, and other areas held less than forty percent of their inventory.

Other smaller regions had even lower amounts.

The granaries surveyed in Tianshui City and its surroundings averaged only thirty percent of their remaining grain!

These reports reached He Lingchuan through various channels, and he sighed deeply, "How formidable, how precise."

Jingzi didn't understand: "Who are you talking about?"

"Qingyang, of course." He Lingchuan's mind was perfectly clear. "In truth, whether it was me or Qingyang's faction, the total amount of grain purchased was ultimately limited. If the Yao state's granaries had been well-stocked to begin with, this level of threat would have been negligible."

The Yao state was a leading power on the Shanjin Plain, supported by the strength of the entire plain, and had enjoyed successive years of abundant harvests. By rights, its ability to withstand risks should have been formidable; how could it be shaken by a mere few factions?

"Alas, the Yao state's grain reserves already had significant issues, riddled with corruption and mismanagement. These vast deficiencies could be concealed by accounting tricks in normal times, but once trouble arose—for instance, someone secretly causing disruption or siphoning off grain—the full extent of their vulnerability would be immediately exposed!"

Some people then had no choice but to follow Qingyang's example and burn down granaries to balance their books!

"This is what's called 'sowing the seeds of disaster!'" Jingzi began to use scholarly phrases. "Also known as 'reaping what you sow.'"

"Qingyang truly lives up to her reputation as the former Imperial Preceptor of Beijia; she knows precisely where to strike!" Qingyang must have witnessed all sorts of strange phenomena and chaos in Beijia already, hadn't she?

There's nothing new under the sun; her extensive experience remained effective when applied to the Yao state.

"The great fire at the granary must have been the prelude to her actions!"

The officials apprehended by the Yao Court for interrogation were evasive and offered a pile of names, but if one were to investigate them one by one, most would lead to dead ends, impossible to pursue further.

Of the few leads that could be pursued, the Court Censors dug deeper and discovered they were officials who had purchased properties at Lake Pavilion!

When these officials were summoned for interrogation, each one cried out against the injustice, asserting their innocence and claiming they had been framed by villains!

After reading these reports, King Yao grew increasingly enraged. He slammed the table and stood up abruptly, then felt a wave of dizziness.

The old palace attendant, Qiu Long, quickly stepped forward to support him: "My King, your health is paramount. Please rest for the night."

"Rest for what!" King Yao pushed him away. "If I rest any longer, the last bit of grain in the granaries will be emptied by these parasites!"

A bunch of useless wretches!

"Continue the investigation! I refuse to believe nothing will be found!"

"Yes," Qiu Long responded softly. The King was in a fit of rage, and naturally, somewhat impulsive, but everyone knew that these matters wouldn't stand up to scrutiny.

Investigating corruption was like a boomerang; it would eventually come back to hit one's own people.

Why were officials so intimidated when Qingyang wielded her "denunciation stick" a while ago? Because none of them were clean.

Now, this involved money and the national treasury; investigating one lead could uncover a hundred problems!

Qiu Long knew that King Yao wasn't actually angry about the lack of leads, but rather concerned that the revealed network of connections was so tangled and pervasive that the Yao Royal Court wouldn't be able to apprehend the true masterminds!

Could an ordinary force possess the power to wildly speculate on grain across the entire nation?

After gulping down several mouthfuls of warm water, King Yao slowly regained his composure.

"The absolute priority is to recover the grain first." He quickly clarified his thoughts. "That much grain couldn't have vanished into thin air; it must still be within the country, hidden somewhere."

Investigating corruption and even apprehending the masterminds could wait until autumn for reckoning, but the immediate problem of grain supply had to be resolved now.

"By the way, have all officials who had contact with Qingyang in the past few months been investigated?"

"Each has been verified, but the investigation only went as high as Bao Wei"—the deceased Deputy Minister of War. "The arrested City Patrol Commander, Tu Huan, just confessed that he received an order from the Ministry of War to replace the night patrol outside the East Palace Gate! This order was issued by Bao Wei."

"The East Palace Gate?" King Yao uttered three "good"s in succession. "Such audacity! Did they truly intend to rebel?"

"Your Majesty..."

King Yao cut off Qiu Long's next words and pondered for a long moment. The anger slowly subsided from his face, replaced by a grim expression.

"Pass on the order: I will move back to reside by Jade Spring Palace."

It was winter now, and Jade Spring Palace would be freezing cold. Qiu Long was slightly surprised but didn't show it on his face. "Yes, Your Majesty. When do you plan to move back?"

King Yao stated decisively, "Today."

Perhaps because the old pear tree was no longer there, Jade Spring Palace felt even colder this winter. King Yao had initially found it unbearable, so why would he move back now?

However, Qiu Long knew he shouldn't even ask:

"Yes, I will arrange for Frost Immortal Hall to be reopened immediately."

King Yao's former imperial study, adjacent to Jade Sound Palace, was called Frost Immortal Hall. This time, however, King Yao wasn't merely returning to work there; he intended to live there directly.

The charcoal fires, food, and utensils there could not be neglected in the slightest, and not a single piece of office material could be missing. All those mountainous piles of memorials and charts had to be moved in!

After two or three hours of bustling activity by the palace attendants, Frost Immortal Hall finally reopened.

The first thing King Yao did upon moving back into his imperial study was to pick up his brush to write, while also instructing Qiu Long: "Find the Azure Swan Imperial Seal for me and bring a ceremonial banner."