Contract Prince

Chapter 114 is troublesome.

When this master Zhang spoke, his eyes were very calm, and he didn't look like he was lying.

Zhang Changqing's answer was actually very tasteless, and Gu Yunjing didn't analyze any effective clues from it.She waved her hand and said, "Master Zhang, go down and do your work first."

After Zhang Changqing resigned, Gu Yunjing said to Deng Kuan again: "Master Deng, let's go and have a look in the warehouse. The rest of the people should stay outside and guard."

After the "bang" sound of unlocking the lock, Deng Kuan and Gu Yunjing walked slowly into the warehouse.

The outside of the warehouse is magnificently built, but unexpectedly, there is not a lot of money inside.Many large black wooden boxes that have been opened are empty, and one can immediately feel a sense of vicissitudes and loneliness when walking into them.

The household treasury is the lifeblood of the imperial court, and it is responsible for the national disaster relief allocation.Gu Yunjing never expected that the national treasury would be so empty, and the prosperity of the Xiao Kingdom is just a vain appearance.Looking at these empty boxes, she felt so much sadness in her heart.

Gu Yunjing pointed to the empty box and said, "Why was this box opened?"

Deng Kuan sighed: "After discovering that Ku Yin was missing, the guilty minister came to check it himself. I wondered if the person who counted it made a mistake, so I opened all the boxes and checked it carefully. I faced After checking the account books several times, it was discovered that Ku Yin was really lost."

"After that, I rushed into the palace to report the matter to His Majesty, before I had time to cover these empty boxes."

Gu Yunjing frowned slightly: "I heard. Over the years, various romantic places have paid a lot of taxes to the imperial court, and the taxes in many areas are gradually increasing. Why is the national treasury so empty?"

"My son-in-law doesn't know something." Deng Kuan's face was full of helplessness, "Your Majesty spends a lot of money from the treasury every year, and the money is not used for the right way. Most of it is used to build palaces and alchemy rooms." , Your Majesty also allocates money from the treasury every time he tours the south."

"According to His Majesty's way of spending, no matter how substantial the treasury is, it will be exhausted."

Xiao Guan has been building a lot in recent years, and Gu Yunjing has also heard about it.The money of the household department should have been used for the people and the court, not for the extravagance of the monarch.

Gu Yunjing said: "The ancients said that the people are the most important, the society is second, and the monarch is the least. In this dynasty, it is exactly the opposite."

Although Deng Kuan was a loyal minister, he was not too used to what the emperor did.But after all, there are differences between monarchs and ministers. How can the emperor's will be prevented by a small minister of the household department?

After listening to the son-in-law's words, Deng Kuan sighed with emotion: "The king is like this, what can I do?"

"Sir Deng, don't worry about emotion, the investigation is the most important thing." Gu Yunjing looked at the dusty ground, and said: "Which box was the lost banknote originally placed in?"

The money in the household department is divided into silver bills and silver bills. Silver bills are placed in the box on the left hand side of the entrance, while silver bills are placed in the box on the right hand side.Deng Kuan pointed and said, "The last box on the right."

Gu Yunjing said: "The person who stole the treasury silver is really careful. The distance between the last box and the first box is very large. Most people follow the principle of proximity, and open the first box to extract enough money from it. After receiving the banknote, I basically won’t open other boxes.”

"Therefore, the thieves target the last chest, which can reduce the possibility of the lost library silver being discovered."

According to common sense, when the people from the Ministry of Accounts came to withdraw the treasury silver, they all followed the principle of proximity. Why did Zhang Changqing withdraw the treasury silver from the last box?

Gu Yunjing asked suspiciously: "Master Zhang, why didn't he pick up the bank notes from the first box, but chose to pick up the bank notes from the last box?"

Deng Kuan said: "There are ten boxes for banknotes, the first nine boxes are all empty, and all the banknotes have been spent. Therefore, Master Zhang will open the last box at a distance."

There is God's will in the dark, maybe it is really a coincidence.If it weren't for this reason, I'm afraid the case of Ku Yin's disappearance would not have been discovered all at once.

Gu Yunjing analyzed: "The door of the warehouse is intact, and the lock is also intact. Lord Deng, let me ask you, has anyone touched the key of this warehouse."

"No one has touched it." Deng Kuan said firmly, "There is only one key to the warehouse. It is extremely important, and I always carry it with me."

"Hasn't there been a moment?"

"Never left for a moment."

Gu Yunjing's eyes showed deep confusion, she said to herself: "Then this is strange."

She kept rubbing between her eyebrows, and pinched her temples a few times with her fingers. This case is indeed a bit tricky.

Gu Yunjing said: "Master Deng, I already have a general understanding of the case. Next, I need to analyze it carefully. If you have any new clues, please go to the Hou Mansion and let me know."

Deng Kuan respectfully said: "Yes, my son-in-law. Deng Kuan will never forget your kindness."

…………

The emperor fell into a coma, and millions of treasury silver disappeared.Xiao Guo at this time was really troubled.There was a big commotion at the imperial court, but the commotion at the border never stopped.

Not long ago, Gu Wei asked his soldiers to dig wild grass and roots outside the camp with great fanfare.This big movement of Xiao Guo's army was naturally noticed by the people of Xiliang.

The king of Xiliang sat in his tent and listened triumphantly to the news reported by the spies. After listening, he laughed loudly and said, "Gu Wei has been asking the generals to fight us these days, and this king finally understands what his intentions are. ,Ha ha."

"Xiao Guo's army is working hard to dig bark and weeds. It seems that they have reached the point where they have run out of ammunition and food. Gu Wei wants to force us to fight, so that we can have a quick battle with us."

After the King of Xiliang finished speaking, Huo Xiao said in a deep voice: "It's wishful thinking. If we can't defend ourselves, we just need to drag down the Xiao Kingdom's army alive. In less than a month, the ordinary people of Xiao Kingdom will starve to death. "

"That's wrong." The King of Xiliang waved his hand and said, "Before this, I thought the same as you. But now I don't think so."

The King of Xiliang smiled slyly: "The soldiers of the Xiao Kingdom are now desperately looking for food and grass, which shows that their food and grass are already in short supply. We don't have to wait long, we can start a war against them in three to five days."

Huo Xiao was taken aback, and said: "My lord, three to five days is too tight. Xiao Guo's army is not all grass buds. Don't forget, there is also a group of Gu's troops who have experienced many battles."

The King of Xiliang didn't take it seriously, "No matter how strong the Gu family army is, how can they fight without filling their stomachs? How can they get physical strength from eating radish and pigweed every day? Now they can't compete with my Xiliang cavalry at all."

"We have been fighting with Xiao Guo for more than a year." The King of Xiliang frowned, and said what was in his heart, "War is not good for the people of the two countries. Xiao Guo's army is short of food, and our food in Xiliang is not enough. Where are you going?"

"Master, think about it, once the food supported by the court of the Xiao Kingdom arrives, it will be even more difficult for us to deal with Gu Wei and the others." The King of Xiliang felt that his proposal was very feasible, "So, we have to take advantage of the fact that the other party is tired and tired." When you are hungry, go to war with Xiao Guo’s army.”

Huo Xiao knew that what the King of Xiliang said was true, Xiliang was also dragged down a lot by this war, and the people were displaced.If it weren't for the Xiliang army's good endurance and being able to face the test of flying snow all over the sky, then the people of Xiliang would most likely not be the opponents of Xiao Guo's army.

In order to support the war, Xiliang's treasury has been slowly emptying.After all, Xiliang is a small country with very limited supplies and food.A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, no matter how much Xiao Guan squanders the treasury, after all the efforts of many generations of monarchs, the foundation of Xiao State is far better than that of Xiliang, which is known as a barbarian.

Don't say that Gu Wei can't last long, the situation of Xiliang's army is similar to that of Xiao's army.Xiao Guo's army was backed by the imperial court, and the people of Xiliang had already used the entire country's national power in the war, but they had no support behind them.

Therefore, Huo Xiao understood the King of Xiliang's mood very well, and he said slowly: "What the king said is reasonable, but after thinking about it, I feel that the matter may not be so simple."

"Your Majesty, what kind of person is Gu Wei? He is the god of war, with deep scheming and strategies. Logically speaking, information about military supplies is very important and is usually kept secret."

"Even if Xiao Guo's army wants to dig weeds and roots, they should do it secretly. But Gu Wei let his soldiers dig so much. Doesn't this expose their shortage of food and grass? Could it be What's so tricky about it? I'm worried that there's fraud in it."

The King of Xiliang didn't care about Huo Xiao's worries at all, he said: "In my king's opinion, the national teacher is too worried. I think that the army of the Xiao Kingdom may be in short supply of food and grass. This is a big problem. Even if you want to hide it It can’t be hidden either, after all there are so many mouths waiting to eat. That’s why Gu Wei sent so many people to look for the bark to satisfy their hunger.”

"My scouts from Xiliang are smart, and the actions of the soldiers of the Xiao Kingdom can't be hidden from them. The people of the Xiao Kingdom are working so hard to find food, so it's no wonder they haven't been discovered?"

Huo Xiao wanted to continue expressing his point of view, but he was interrupted by the King of Xiliang: "National Teacher, this king has decided to send troops to fight in five days."

"Your Majesty, don't you need to observe the movements of the Xiao people?"

In fact, in the past, the king of Xiliang listened to Huo Xiao very much, and basically obeyed the national teacher.But this time, the King of Xiliang seemed to feel that he was able to stand up in an instant. After all, he was still a leader, and he also had a little vanity.I feel very happy to be the master for once.

The King of Xiliang said: "You don't need to observe anymore, if you wait any longer, Xiao Guo's rescue is coming."

Huo Xiao said: "Marching and fighting is not a child's play, you must be extra cautious. Your Majesty cannot be fooled by some superficial phenomena."

The king of Xiliang frowned: "Is this king really so unbearable? It's rare for me to be the master once. The national teacher will let me experience the feeling of giving orders, is it okay?"

The king of Xiliang is really a good-for-nothing guy, he is not at all tough when talking to his courtiers, and he even said it in a pleading tone.

Huo Xiao didn't know how to answer Xiliang King's pleading words, probably because the other party was living too depressed under his guidance.Huo Xiao didn't say anything, and walked out of the camp slowly.