Reborn Spoiled Girl Tames the Regent

Chapter 180 Identity Impersonation at the Construction Site in the West of the City

Ning Zhi rubbed his temples and briefly recounted his conversation with Guo Huaiming, as well as his doubts.

He asked, "Miss Jiang, think about it carefully... Is there any grudge between the Guo family and the Jiang family?"

"A feud..." Jiang Mian recalled, "My father was away from home most of the year, and most of my relatives and friends were military officers or officials, and they were all in the capital. There seemed to be no connection between us and the Guo family of Chuizhou."

"That's strange. If he had no motive to harm you, could he really be innocent?"

Jiang Wan's heart stirred, and she was about to say something.

Lu Fang suddenly reported: "Your Highness, Lord Fan Yan requests an audience, saying that the dossier has been completed."

Fan Yan was the supervisor in charge of the snow disaster relief efforts. He had already contacted Fan Yan before his departure to review the case files.

Ning Zhi nodded: "Let him in."

Seeing this, Jiang Mian stood up and said, "Since Your Highness has official business to attend to, I will take my leave."

"Okay." Ning Zhi nodded. "You should get some rest."

Jiang Mian pushed open the door and went out, and saw a middle-aged official with a capable-looking face, who looked to be in his early forties, kneeling on the ground.

After she left, the man entered the room and bowed: "This humble official, Fan Yan, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"No gift."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Fan Yan stood up and presented a thick stack of files.

"Your Highness, I have re-verified and copied all the details of the application, allocation, and distribution of relief funds and materials for this winter's snow disaster. Please review them."

"Have the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Supervision who came to investigate the case before looked into it?"

"Your Highness, I have seen it."

Ning Zhi took it and quickly flipped through it.

The ledger entries are clear, and all the fingerprint records are complete, with the categories and amounts of materials matching.

Time passed little by little.

His brows furrowed more and more, and he slowed down the speed at which he flipped through the files.

Fan Yan noticed his expression and asked, "Your Highness, is something amiss?"

Ning Zhi said in a low voice, "Looking at the accounts, it is indeed true that the imperial court's allocation of funds is insufficient."

"Your Highness, this snowstorm has affected several counties, killing countless livestock and causing many houses to collapse. The actual losses far exceed our estimates. The funds allocated by the court are still insufficient to cover our needs."

"Lord Guo is still figuring out how to handle many follow-up arrangements."

He sighed deeply, his tone sincere.

But Ning Zhi remained unmoved.

This is the usual explanation used in areas severely affected by disasters.

His gaze swept across the ledgers, his fingertip pausing on a certain page, and he suddenly spoke: "Lord Fan, please bring me the list of all those who receive their pay."

Fan Yan's expression changed slightly: "Your Highness, the roster is at the government office. I will check it tomorrow..."

"Go and get it now." Ning Zhi said calmly, "I need to see it within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"..."

"Yes."

Fan Yan's forehead was covered in sweat, and he hurriedly withdrew.

Ning Zhi closed his eyes and pondered, seemingly lost in thought.

Before an incense stick had burned, Fan Yan returned with the list of names.

"Your Highness, all the records are here."

Ning Zhi quickly flipped through the pages, and found that the number of people receiving pay matched the records in the ledger.

All the documents related to money were flawless.

He looked at Fan Yan: "Sir, you are indeed a man of finance, your account books are quite clear."

Fan Yan had just breathed a sigh of relief when Ning Zhi stood up: "Prepare the horses, let's go check out the construction site in the west of the city."

"Your Highness, you mustn't!" Fan Yan exclaimed urgently. "The roads outside the city are treacherous and muddy, and the refugees are numerous and disorganized; there's a risk of disease..."

Ning Zhi glanced back at him and said, "If Lord Fan is worried, then come with me."

After he finished speaking, he walked straight out.

Fan Yan stood there for a moment, then gritted his teeth and hurriedly chased after them.

At the construction site in the west of the city, snow and mud were mixed together.

Many laborers are clearing the remaining snow from the roads and moving the frozen soil and rocks.

Upon seeing Ning Zhi and his entourage, whose attire and bearing were extraordinary, they all stopped what they were doing and lowered their heads in fear.

Ning Zhi dismounted, unfolded the roster, and said, "Lord Fan, please invite Li Aniu, Wang Shitou, Pang Silang... these people over here."

Fan Yan immediately responded and strode towards the crowd, calling out to each person in turn.

Soon, seven or eight men wearing tattered cotton-padded coats were brought over and stood awkwardly in front of Ning Zhi.

Ning Zhi asked gently, "Are you Li Aniu?"

The man who was called on paused for a moment, then stammered, "Ah? I...I am..."

"I ask you, where are you from? How many people are in your family? Do you own any land?"

"Replying to your esteemed presence... I am from Lijiazhuang in the south of the city. My family consists of four... no, five people, and we have... two mu of dry land..."

Ning Zhi then asked the other people in turn.

They could answer questions about place of origin, population, and land ownership.

Although tense, there were no obvious flaws.

He nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, go ahead and get back to work."

The group quickly dispersed and returned to the working crowd.

Lord Fan, standing nearby, asked, "Your Highness, they are all a bunch of uneducated brutes, illiterate and lacking in manners. If you have any questions, you may ask me."

Ning Zhi ignored them, his gaze sweeping over the figures who were working with their heads down.

He suddenly stopped and shouted, "Zhang Siwu!"

No one turned around.

Ning Zhi raised his voice and called out again, "Zhang Siwu!"

Another, thinner laborer secretly bumped into a man next to him.

The man then looked up in surprise and hesitated before speaking, "I am... I am Zhang Siwu."

Ning Zhi didn't respond, but turned to the other side and called out another name on the roster: "Zhou Mancang!"

This time, it took three calls before a middle-aged man timidly replied, "Yes...yes."

Fan Yan, who was standing to the side with beads of sweat on his forehead, hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "Your Highness, the wind and snow are quite loud here, and they are exhausted from working all day. It's understandable that they might not be able to hear clearly for a moment..."

Ning Zhi's gaze swept over the laborers, then looked at the neat ink marks and bright red fingerprints on the roster in his hand.

He did not call out any more names, nor did he press Fan Yan for details.

He simply closed the roster gently and handed it to Lu Fang behind him.

"Leave the files here for now, Lord Fan. You've worked hard. If there's anything you don't understand, I'll summon you for further questioning. That's enough for today, go back now."

"I understand."

......

They returned to the quiet courtyard of the Guo family mansion.

Hearing the noise, Jiang Wan opened the door and came in.

Ning Zhi stepped into the house expressionlessly.

Jiang Mian went in and asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Is something the problem?"

Ning Zhi said slowly, "The dossier that Lord Fan brought is clean, every entry is reasonable and there is nothing to criticize."

"Yes, that's why the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Supervision couldn't find anything unusual before."

He said in a low voice, "Is it that they can't find out, or that they didn't investigate at all...? I went to the construction site in the west of the city just now. The people there could answer my questions, but they were stammering. They were obviously impersonating the top. How could they not find out something so obvious? I suspect that Guo Huaiming secretly pulled some strings to cover this up."

Jiang Mian didn't expect Ning Zhi to think of this so quickly.

She spoke softly, "Actually... I also suspect it was Lord Guo."