C176

Meng Fanxuan stared at her, then at the map. With a solemn look on his face, he nodded. I'm here to investigate corruption! But what does it matter? "

Song Xiangsi stared at him. With a frown, she said solemnly, "Investigating these is dangerous for you!"

It had been a long time since anyone had cared about whether he was in danger or not. When he heard this, he couldn't help but shiver.

"But there's always someone who's the first person, isn't there?"

Song Xiangsi stared fixedly at his eyes. Her brows were knitted tightly as she remained silent.

He turned around, opened the window of his room, and looked out at the passing pedestrians. "Do you remember what you saw in Chunhe County?" he asked in a low voice.

Song Xiangsi nodded and also stood by the window, saying, "When I first arrived, I realized that there was a huge gap between the rich and the poor. The poor would be hungry, while the rich would be full of oil. This has nothing to do with you coming to Qinghe County to investigate corruption!"

Meng Liangxuan nodded and said, "This is a relatively wealthy county in Linshui. Every tax payment is made in the front row, and there are almost no beggars here. Many people have wanted to enter this place."

He suddenly thought of something and chuckled.

"I've been here before, you know? At that time, every commoner had a smile on their face. They could be said to be staying here at night, and not like this. The commoners' faces were filled with numbness. "

Song Xiangsi's face was incredulous as her expression turned serious. This could be said to be a different world from the one she saw. She had never seen it before and did not know that this place had once been rich.

He went on, "But two years ago, floods and droughts continued to take place in this part of the world... Because of this, many commoners have failed to achieve a good harvest. In order to alleviate the situation, royal father even reduced taxes! "

Song Xiangsi nodded inwardly when she heard what the emperor had done. He was not bad, he even knew how to consider the lives of the common people, deducting taxes. As his subjects, their lives should be pretty good.

"Even if the droughts and floods happened one after another and were mitigated by the emperor's policies, we discovered that the tax revenue was slowly decreasing. By the beginning of this year, we could not even make ends meet. The emperor is discovering that there is a problem here."

At this point, Meng Ling Xuan paused for a moment as if he was considering whether he should reveal what happened next.

However, Song Xiangsi didn't seem particularly interested. She leisurely poured a cup of tea for both her and Meng Ling Xuan, and wisdom flashed in her eyes. She slowly said, "So the Emperor sent you here to investigate?" However, the emperor didn't send anyone but you. Aren't you the little heir to the Dingyang Estate? Sending you here to investigate this matter wouldn't be a waste of your resources, would you? "

Seeing how she regarded him, Meng Ling Xuan couldn't help but laugh. He picked up the cup she was drinking and played with it. "Then why do you think the Emperor sent me?"

Song Xiangsi paused for a moment as she poured the tea. She looked at him in surprise and thought for a moment before looking at him with a smile that was not a smile. She did not say anything.

Soon, this word faded. The two of them did not speak of this matter, and Meng Fanxuan's eyes held a hint of a smile.

He turned a blind eye to her actions just now and continued, "Indeed, it's a waste of time, but the officials that were sent out were all of the same reason. We can only investigate what the county governor of Qing He County wanted them to see, and what he described was the situation of poor citizens.

When he spoke of these officials, he recalled the scene he saw in the brothel. In a fit of rage, he crushed the teacup, and the remnants of the glass cut his palm.

When Song Xiangsi saw the blood on his palm, her eyes showed slight dissatisfaction. Grabbing his hand, she gently wiped the wound with a handkerchief.

He was still immersed in what he had just discovered, and he still felt a sense of frustration in his heart. When he came back to his senses, he felt the warmth of his hand being grabbed.

After being released, he looked at her with a glimmer in his eyes. With a playful smile, he said, "I have also come under the orders of the Emperor to secretly investigate this Qing He County."

The corner of Song Xiangsi's mouth curled up slightly. His eyes were bright, and he did not ignore the fact that he was here to investigate on the basis of the emperor's life. After talking for so long, he still didn't explain why he came here to check on the weapon.

Meng Ling Xuan looked up and could see her bright eyes. He sighed to himself as he picked up a cup of tea and took a sip. With his eyes slightly closed, he seemed to be resting.

Silence reigned in the room.

"I originally did not wish to implicate you. However, it would seem that I am no longer capable of controlling you." Meng Ling Xuan suddenly looked up and said as he looked at her face tenderly.

Hearing this, Song Xiangsi smiled lightly. "It seems that I am on the same boat as you now. Your Highness, you have to take more responsibility and protect a weak girl like me."

The two of them smiled at each other, as if they had seen something funny. The more they laughed, the happier they became.

"Cough cough!" "Of course!" Meng Fanxuan's face was slightly red as he said this. He took a pouch from his waist, frowned slightly, opened it and collapsed on the table.

He saw some scattered iron filings and iron pieces poured out of the pouch. Obviously, they were not from the same piece of iron.

These items piqued Song Xiangsi's curiosity. She raised her eyebrows and swept her gaze over Meng Ling Xuan's brows. She thought for a moment before slowly asking, "Do these metal pieces have a connection with Qing He County?"

Meng Ling Xuan picked up a piece of metal and took out his own weapon, handing it over to Song Xiangsi.

Song Xiangsi took the item from his hand and looked at it in confusion. Then, she took a careful look at the item in her hand and asked softly, "Could it be that this iron came from Qing He County?"

"I'm not sure, but there was indeed someone holding such a weapon in the capital a while ago. For some reason, I obtained some weapons and found out that they were produced differently from the ones I used. The weapons were strictly controlled, including the materials and people to forge them.

Song Xiangsi pondered for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter, "Perhaps I know now."

Meng Ling Xuan was captivated by her brilliant smile. It was completely different from the bashfulness of a lady from a noble family, and unlike the rough ways of a woman from the martial arts world, it made him absent-minded.

"What do you know?" Meng Fanxuan raised an eyebrow.

"So you are here to find the weapon! Qing He County has a serious problem. Apart from corruption, being able to deceive others must be a problem for you! "

Halfway through his story, Song Xiangsi suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air. She looked extremely shocked as she stared at him.

"Yes, indeed. Before coming here, we already discovered the circulation of weapons and suspected that someone was selling them. It is even possible for them to be making weapons. However, after seeing the map that you drew, we have confirmed this idea."

A trace of ruthlessness and bloodlust flashed in his eyes as he said coldly, "The people involved this time will most likely become a sensation in history. These people will also pay the price for their actions!"