Destined

Liu Yu Ru's movements paused slightly as she looked up at Ye Shi'an, seeming to have something to say. Ye Shi'an noticed keenly and asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing." Liu Yu Ru snapped back to attention and said calmly, "Luo Zishang did indeed give me some information, telling me to find someone."

As she spoke, she handed the note to Ye Shi'an, which bore the name "Sun He" and an address. Without another word, Ye Shi'an immediately gathered the household servants with Shen Ming and set off with Liu Yu Ru for the address on the paper. On the way, Liu Yu Ru explained the situation to Ye Shi'an and Shen Ming. When the group arrived at the location, they found a dilapidated residence. Liu Yu Ru stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a moment, a man emerged from the courtyard, cursing and grumbling, "Who is it? Coming at this hour, do you want me to live..."

Before he could finish, he opened the gate. As soon as he saw Liu Yu Ru, he instinctively tried to shut it. Liu Yu Ru hurriedly pressed against the gate and urged, "Mr. Sun, don't be afraid..."

Seeing Sun He's head appear, Shen Ming rushed forward from behind and kicked the gate hard, sending both the gate and the man flying backward. Sun He fell to the ground, scrambled to his feet, and tried to flee. Shen Ming grabbed him by the shoulder, forced him to his knees with a kick, and pressed down on his shoulder angrily, shouting, "Why run? We're just asking you questions!"

"Shen Ming!" Liu Yu Ru called out to stop him, quickly stepping forward to address Sun He, "Mr. Sun, we're here to ask you a few things. We won't harm you. Don't be afraid."

Sun He dared not look at Liu Yu Ru and stammered nervously, "I'm just a blacksmith. I don't know nobles like you. What do you want from me?"

Liu Yu Ru didn't respond immediately. She crouched in front of Sun He and said earnestly, "Do you know Liu Chun?"

"No, I don't."

Sun He answered decisively.

Liu Yu Ru sighed. "Mr. Sun, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

As they spoke, Ye Shi'an had already sent people to search Sun He's house. Liu Yu Ru glanced outside and said to Shen Ming, "Fix the gate and bring him inside."

With that, she stood up and entered the house.

Shen Ming ordered someone to repair the gate while he escorted Sun He inside. Liu Yu Ru had Sun He sit down and said calmly, "Mr. Sun, since I'm here, I'm certain you know Liu Chun and have ties to him. I know Liu Chun gave you some items before he died. Holding onto them isn't safe for you. For the sake of your life and family, you'd better hand them over."

Sun He remained silent, his body trembling slightly.

Liu Yu Ru took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "Sun He, I've already come to your door. Even if you say nothing, we have plenty of ways to make trouble for you. If you keep resisting, you'll be the one to suffer."

As people nearby rummaged noisily through the house, Sun He took a deep breath, looked up at Shen Ming, and said, "Sir, do you have any tobacco?"

Shen Ming glanced at Liu Yu Ru, who nodded. She turned to a subordinate and said, "Go ask Lao San for a pack of tobacco."The subordinate turned and left, returning shortly with a small pouch. Sun He shook out some tobacco from the pouch, then took a tobacco pipe from the nearby table, filled it, and lit it with the help of someone nearby. He took a deep drag, exhaling clouds of smoke, and after a moment, he seemed to have aged suddenly. Slowly, he said, "To be honest, ever since Old Liu died, I knew this day would come sooner or later. I just never expected it to happen so quickly."

Liu Yu Ru remained silent. Sun He took a few more puffs, seemingly calming down, and spoke wearily, "The middle of my bed is hollow. The things he left here are inside it. Take them."

Upon hearing this, Shen Ming quickly led others out to search, leaving only two guards with Liu Yu Ru in the room. Liu Yu Ru poured tea for Sun He and said calmly, "We are not evil people. If you give us these items, we will ensure your safety."

Sun He nodded tiredly. Curious, Liu Yu Ru asked, "Were you and Minister Liu friends?"

"Fellow villagers," Sun He replied, smoking slowly. "We played in the mud together as children. When the great flood hit during the famine when we were eight, my mother sold me. He was luckier—a nobleman took him in. By the time we met again, he had become an official."

"He was a good man. Many from our hometown followed him. I was too timid, not wanting to get involved in those life-threatening affairs. I just wanted to take good care of my mother, so I kept my distance. But he always looked out for me—he even paid for my mother's medical treatment."

"How is your mother now?"

"I sent her back to the countryside," Sun He sighed. "As soon as Liu Chun got into trouble, I knew things would go badly. But I've lived here for so many years; going elsewhere would likely mean starvation. My mother can't handle the upheaval and still needs medicine, so I stayed in the city, taking it one day at a time. Every day, I expected you to come, yet I always hoped you'd find nothing and not show up."

Sun He smiled bitterly. "But at least you don't seem like truly wicked people, so I'm not too afraid now."

"Don't worry," Liu Yu Ru reassured him, "we will take care of both your and your mother's safety."

Sun He nodded. After a moment's thought, Liu Yu Ru continued, "Did you know what Liu Chun was involved in?"

"I knew some of it," Sun He tapped off the ash from his cigarette. "He had been in charge of the treasury since the previous dynasty. The things he did required help from fellow villagers, so I heard bits and pieces."

"How did he do it?"

Liu Yu Ru pretended she already knew what Liu Chun had done and pressed for details. Sun He, not intending to hide anything, smoked and explained, "When taking treasury silver out of the warehouse, officials had to be publicly stripped and searched—once on the way in and once on the way out—to prevent smuggling. So, they came up with many tricks, like hiding silver in teapots. They'd pour water once in front of the inspector, and that counted as the check."

Liu Yu Ru frowned. "Pouring water once was enough to pass?"

"That came later," Sun He answered. "Later, when everyone had more silver, they bribed the inspectors. It became an open secret—just going through the motions."

Liu Yu Ru was taken aback. Suddenly, she realized that the treasury silver scandal likely implicated not just Lu Yong and Liu Chun, but the entire Ministry of Revenue from top to bottom.Liu Yu Ru remained silent, and Sun He continued, "In the beginning, everyone was still worried, so they hid the silver in their private parts to smuggle it out. Although the amount brought out each time wasn't large, over time, it added up to a considerable sum. As time went on, everyone thought there would be no exceptions. But who would have thought," Sun He sighed, "we ended up stumbling in the end."

As he spoke, Sun He looked up at Liu Yu Ru: "Madam, can these people survive?"

Liu Yu Ru knew he was referring to those involved with Liu Chun. She remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "It's not certain, but if we can minimize the losses, there should still be hope."

Sun He said nothing more. He took a puff of his cigarette, his brows furrowed with worry.

Almost all of his fellow villagers were connected to Liu Chun; only he had stayed outside, and few knew of their relationship. It was precisely because of this that Liu Chun had entrusted the account books to him.

Yet now he had handed them over.

Sun He didn't know if he had done the right thing, but he felt he had no choice. After all, people live for themselves.

As they spoke, Shen Ming came out carrying a box. Liu Yu Ru took the box and found the account books inside, along with many letters.

She flipped through them casually, confirming they were correspondences between Liu Chun and Lu Yong, as well as Liu Chun's written confession implicating Lu Yong. After scanning the contents, Liu Yu Ru closed the box, stood up, and said, "Take Mr. Sun to the Gu residence and ensure his protection. Send someone to the countryside to bring Mr. Sun's mother here as well."

Shen Ming acknowledged the order and went to carry it out.

Holding the box, Liu Yu Ru said to Ye Shi'an, "Brother Ye, I need to go see Jiusi."

Ye Shi'an immediately replied, "I'll go with you."

Without delay, Liu Yu Ru boarded the carriage with the evidence and headed straight for the Ministry of Justice prison. She had already informed the jailers in advance, and upon arrival, they allowed her into the cells.

By now, she was very familiar with the people at the Ministry of Justice. Many paid to visit prisoners, but few were as generous as Liu Yu Ru.

Her generosity wasn't just about the amount of money she gave; it was also her thoughtfulness—providing whatever was needed, making things easier for everyone. The staff at the Ministry of Justice beamed at the sight of her, and many had even become friends with her, treating her as one of their own.

Thanks to this "insider" status, Liu Yu Ru found it increasingly convenient to visit Gu Jiusi. Before nightfall, she entered the prison with Ye Shi'an, carrying the box, and stood before Gu Jiusi.

After Liu Yu Ru briefly explained the situation, Gu Jiusi understood her meaning. He listened, then sat cross-legged on the ground, lightly tapping the floor. After a long while, he finally said, "So, the embezzlement of treasury silver started as early as the previous dynasty?"

"Yes."

"How long has Liu Chun held the position of Chief Clerk of the Granary Bureau?"

Gu Jiusi looked at Ye Shi'an, who, after a brief pause, quickly replied, "Nearly ten years."

Gu Jiusi closed his eyes. After a long time, he finally said, "When I audited the previous dynasty's accounts, I followed the records. If they started embezzling treasury silver back then, the current treasury definitely doesn't hold thirty million taels."

"This crosses His Majesty's bottom line."Gu Jiusi pondered before speaking. Liu Yu Ru, watching him think, couldn't help but ask, "So now, what should we do?"

"There's no good solution," Ye Shi'an sighed. "Only one can be chosen between Jiusi and Minister Lu. The memorials demanding strict punishment for Jiusi are piling up like snow on His Majesty's desk. This matter won't end without a resolution."

"That's it then," Ye Shi'an said decisively. "Submit the evidence and let Lu Yong take the fall."

Gu Jiusi remained silent, twirling the brush in his hand as if deep in thought.

Liu Yu Ru also said nothing, pouring tea for Gu Jiusi with a deeply furrowed brow.

After a long while, Gu Jiusi suddenly said, "I want to see Lu Yong."

Ye Shi'an was taken aback. "Why do you still want to see him?"

Gu Jiusi looked at Liu Yu Ru, who set down the teacup, her expression showing complete understanding.

"I'll make arrangements right away," Liu Yu Ru stated firmly.

Gu Jiusi nodded. Ye Shi'an looked confused. "Jiusi, what do you mean by this?"

"Luo Zishang won't give in so easily," Gu Jiusi said calmly. "This Sun He was probably deliberately sent to Yu Ru by Luo Zishang."