Chapter 23: The Warehouse of Forgeries

The first time Shen Jifeng met the Imperial Noble Consort was at the Chonghua Gate, the main entrance to the outer palace. Emperor Wenchang had just found her and Zhao Pu. Holding her in his right arm and leading Zhao Pu with his left, he had barely stepped down from the carriage when he saw a woman dressed in palace attire sprinting toward them.

"Heaven have mercy, you are finally found. Let grandmother give you a hug."

Shen Jifeng kept in mind what Zhao Pu had told her: rely solely on the Emperor and trust no one else.

When faced with the Imperial Noble Consort’s display of affection, Shen Jifeng chose to ignore it. She buried her head in Emperor Wenchang’s neck and muttered, "Grandfather, I’m so scared."

The Imperial Noble Consort did not mind Shen Jifeng’s coldness at all. Wringing her handkerchief, she burst into tears. "How much must this child have suffered to be this terrified of people?"

The Imperial Noble Consort’s words struck the softest part of Emperor Wenchang’s heart. He tightened his grip on Shen Jifeng and comforted her softly, "Yanru, don't be afraid. Grandfather is taking you home."

Because the Prince and Princess of Qi had already passed away, leaving the Prince of Qi’s estate without a master, Emperor Wenchang placed Zhao Pu and Shen Jifeng in the side hall behind the Chongzheng Palace.

The two lived there for seven years, only returning to the Prince of Qi’s estate once they turned sixteen and were eligible to establish their own households. During that time, the Imperial Noble Consort treated them with meticulous care, showing no less affection than she did for her own daughter, Princess Chengping.

People are not made of wood or stone; although Shen Jifeng was a fake princess, the bonds formed over those years were not feigned.

"If everything was a performance, then my 'grandmother' is a truly masterful actress," Shen Jifeng said, watching a silver bead bounce on the table with a sorrowful expression. "Keep sending people to investigate. To catch a thief, one must catch the loot. Until I have reliable evidence, I still prefer to believe in Grandmother."

Outside the door, Li Leqi came running, his expression panicked; it was clear something had gone wrong.

"Your Highness, I just finished counting the warehouse. Only half a bag of charcoal remains, the lead and sticky rice are fakes, and many of the tools are unusable."

The silver bead hit the floor with a crisp "clink."

In the warehouse, mountains of lead ore were being moved by miners to the smelting site, but only the outermost layer was actual lead; the inside was filled with dirt. Chen Sanli, who was in charge of smelting, weighed some and stated bluntly that it was adulterated and impossible to smelt.

The ledger clearly recorded one thousand shi of sticky rice, yet only a few bags contained the real thing; the rest were filled with sand.

Shen Jifeng took action herself. Her dagger flashed like lightning, slashing through numerous sacks. Sand poured out like a waterfall, quickly forming glaring little dunes on the floor.

Ever since she arrived at the silver mine, she had been buried in endless affairs and had not thought to check the warehouse until now, which was why the deception had only just been discovered.

"Dongyang, come with me to the Xijing Prefecture," Shen Jifeng said, driving her dagger deep into a sack. "I want to interrogate Zheng Peiye myself."

***

Inside the Xijing Prefecture prison, Huang Bo stood behind Shen Jifeng with a smile on his face. "Your Highness, that is Zheng Peiye. His case is closed, and he is due for exile in a few days."

"Please, Magistrate Huang, have him brought out. I have questions for him."

Huang Bo hurriedly ordered the jailer to release Zheng Peiye. Shen Jifeng glanced at him. Apart from his clothes being a bit dirty, he looked no different than he had a dozen days ago. He hadn't even scraped his skin during his time in prison, which spoke volumes about Magistrate Huang’s leniency.

Shen Jifeng snorted coldly, "I never imagined Magistrate Huang was so kind-hearted. Is life as a prisoner in Xijing better than that of the common people?"

Huang Bo pretended not to notice the implication. "Zheng Peiye is a coward. I didn't even have to use any harsh methods; he confessed everything."

"A coward?" Shen Jifeng signaled for Dongyang to act.

A long blade left its scabbard, cutting a cold arc through the dim prison before resting against Zheng Peiye’s throat.

Zheng Peiye’s knees buckled, and he trembled like chaff in the wind. "Your Highness, have mercy! This humble official has not offended you again!" He cried and shouted, his forehead pressed hard against the ground, not daring to look up.

"Where did the lead and sticky rice from the Xijing silver mine warehouse go?" Dongyang pressed the blade closer to his carotid artery.

"It’s, it’s all in the warehouse! This humble official has not touched a single bit!"

Shen Jifeng signaled again. The blade sliced through the skin on Zheng Peiye’s neck. He shrieked like a slaughtered pig, "I really didn't take it! I really didn't!"

A smell of urine permeated the cell. Dongyang frowned; he and Ge Han were truly cut from the same cloth—equally cowardly and useless.

"Then tell me, how much lead and sticky rice are supposed to be in the warehouse?"

Shen Jifeng sat in a chair prepared by Huang Bo, twirling her dagger as if she could take Zheng Peiye’s life at any moment.

"One thousand shi of sticky rice and five thousand jin of lead. These were pulled directly from the Ministry of Works. There are ledgers and the city gate guards as witnesses. I am not lying."

"Someone like you, who would stop at nothing for money, stealing and replacing goods to resell them shouldn't be difficult."

With a look from Shen Jifeng, Dongyang’s blade returned to Zheng Peiye’s throat.

"It wasn't me," Zheng Peiye said, shrinking his neck, not daring to look at her. "I am indeed no saint, but lead is a restricted government commodity; even if I wanted to sell it, I couldn't. As for the sticky rice, sure, that’s possible, but one thousand shi wouldn't fetch enough money to be worth the risk."

Shen Jifeng leaned forward, pressing the tip of her dagger against his chin to force him to look up.

"Then explain to me why the goods from the Ministry of Works arrived as sand and dirt?"

Zheng Peiye’s Adam's apple bobbed; cold sweat trickled down his temples. "This humble official truly does not know! When the supplies left the warehouse, the clerks from the Ministry of Works inspected them personally. They were genuine."

"Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"Well, no." Zheng Peiye suddenly realized the problem. "These things must have been problematic from the moment they left the Ministry of Works."

"I... I..."

Zheng Peiye babbled, unable to justify himself.

"Your Highness, I really didn't touch the rice or the lead. They aren't even that valuable. I’m being exiled anyway—I don't even know if I’ll survive the trip to Qianzhou. If you don't believe me, just kill me now. It’s better to die sooner and be reincarnated."

Zheng Peiye climbed up from the floor and sat back down, looking Shen Jifeng in the eyes for the first time.

The Ministry of Works again! Shen Jifeng gritted her teeth.

"If I take you to the capital, are you willing to go?"

Zheng Peiye gave a bitter laugh. "Your Highness, don't joke. If I go to exile, I might still keep my life. If I go with you to provoke the Ministry of Works, I won't even know how I died. Do you even know who runs the Ministry of Works?"

"The Minister of Works, Mei Shuo, is old and frail; most affairs are handled by the Vice Minister, Wang Huaxiu," Shen Jifeng said dismissively. "The world is run by my Imperial Grandfather. I don't care about a mere Vice Minister."

"Hahahaha!" Zheng Peiye laughed hysterically. "The illustrious Princess Zhaoyang is so naive! No wonder you took on the Xishan silver mine. Hahaha, it’s not certain who will die first between us!"

Dongyang kicked him, sending him crashing into the wall. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Shen Jifeng ignored him and turned to Huang Bo. "I’ll have to trouble you, Magistrate Huang, for a purchasing permit for lead."