Delivery of Spiced Salt

"Summon Xiao Song!"

"Summon Xiao Song!!"

Emperor Luo suddenly snatched up the stack of documents on his imperial desk and viciously hurled them forward!

With a loud rustle!

The papers scattered and fluttered down like startled white birds.

Some struck the pillars, some drifted onto the carpet, and a few spun through the air before landing at his feet.

This sudden, thunderous fury terrified all the attending eunuchs and palace maids, causing them to drop to their knees in unison, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Lyu Fang had followed Emperor Luo for many years and knew well that this monarch was a man of deep thoughts who rarely showed his emotions. It was exceedingly rare for him to lose his composure in such a violent outburst.

Disregarding all else, he scrambled forward on his knees and pleaded in terror,

"Calm your anger, Your Majesty! Calm your anger!"

"Your imperial health is of the utmost importance. You absolutely must not let these scoundrels ruin your well-being!"

Emperor Luo, after all, was a sovereign who had ruled the empire for decades. He knew deeply that anger could not solve problems and would only lead to misjudgments.

He took a deep breath and exhaled just as slowly.

When he opened his eyes again, the terrifying rage that had seemed ready to devour someone whole had vanished without a trace.

All that remained was a bottomless, icy coldness and the imposing majesty belonging to an emperor.

As the Emperor of Great Luo, his role was mostly to govern the universe, grasp the general direction of the court, balance various factions, and ensure the stability of the empire.

For specific matters, especially trivial and tedious details like accounting, it was impossible for him, nor did he have the energy, to personally verify them.

He relied on the system, the multi-layered bureaucracy, and the mutually restraining supervisory mechanisms.

However, what the Xiao clan had done this time was not just embezzlement, not just conventional official corruption.

They had directly reached their dark hands into the imperial merchant system that served the royal family, into the inner treasury that was directly linked to royal dignity and the emperor's private purse.

This had severely crossed the red line, touching the most inviolable interests of imperial power.

This trend could absolutely not be allowed to grow.

These scoundrels had to be severely punished.

Otherwise, if they dared to embezzle from the imperial merchants today, they would dare to touch the state treasury's grain tomorrow, and covet the Ministry of War's pay the day after.

Ambition swells, and tolerance would only result in further escalation.

Therefore, he had to strike a heavy blow.

Emperor Luo's gaze fell back onto Luo Zhao, who was standing respectfully below.

"Zhao'er," Emperor Luo spoke.

Luo Zhao immediately bowed. "I am here!"

"How far have things progressed on your end?" Emperor Luo asked directly.

Having prepared for this, Luo Zhao reported clearly and methodically,

"To reply to Imperial Father: after days of verification, the core chain of evidence regarding Xiao Song's suspected dereliction of duty, malfeasance, and his toleration of or even participation in embezzlement, as well as the Xiao clan members' use of their positions to embezzle state funds and meddle with imperial merchants, has been framed out."

"The crucial network of accounting transactions, channels of interest transfer, main suspects, and associated parties are now fundamentally clear."

She paused, then added, "What we are currently doing is perfecting the specific testimonies and physical evidence at key points one by one, ensuring that every clue can be substantiated and withstand scrutiny and rebuttal."

"Earlier today, I reached an agreement with the Chief Surveillance Bureau to officially merge this with the embezzlement case of Left Vice Minister Xiao Bichang. Both sides will share clues and evidence, investigating collaboratively."

"This move will undoubtedly greatly accelerate the efficiency of evidence collection and refinement."

Luo Zhao's report was clear and highlighted the key points. It not only explained the achievements but also pointed out the current critical challenges, while reporting important progress, demonstrating extreme organization and control.

Emperor Luo listened and gave a hum. No joy or anger could be seen on his face, but a trace of satisfaction flickered deep in his eyes.

Luo Zhao had indeed grown up. She did things methodically and knew how to grasp the crucial points.

Suddenly, Emperor Luo threw out a rather urgent question:

"Can these things be produced in three days?"

In three days!

Luo Zhao's heart suddenly tightened, knowing that Emperor Luo was referring to the morning court assembly in three days.

Great Luo's regular court system dictated a morning assembly every seven days, which was the highest occasion for deciding major matters and handling important government affairs.

In three days, she had to turn the chain of evidence, which was currently still at the framework stage, into ironclad proof that could face the questioning of the entire court of civil and military officials!

This pressure struck like a landslide or a tsunami.

But Luo Zhao knew she had no room to retreat.

This was yet another scrutiny by Emperor Luo of whether she could shoulder the heavy responsibility of the crown prince.

Moreover, Gu Chengyin was currently stuck in the Ministry of Personnel; the longer it dragged on, the more variables there would be.

Luo Zhao forced herself to calm down, her brain working rapidly.

She evaluated the assistance that the Hall of Literary Principles, the Chief Surveillance Bureau, and even the Cui clan could provide, as well as the difficulties that needed to be overcome.

A moment later, Luo Zhao raised her head, looking firmly at Emperor Luo, her voice resounding and powerful:

"To reply to Imperial Father: three days is enough!"

She gave an affirmative answer, but immediately followed up by raising the realistic difficulties:

"However, Imperial Father, perfecting the chain of evidence, especially acquiring key witnesses and securing key physical evidence, is not just empty talk."

"It requires a large number of reliable hands to conduct detailed, covert, and efficient investigation and evidence collection."

"Currently, the personnel of the Imperial Household Department combined with the Chief Surveillance Bureau, although capable, are still severely insufficient when facing the Xiao clan and other potentially involved parties."

Luo Zhao's concerns were very practical. If they acted hastily, transferring too many unrelated personnel, or making too big a move, it would be very easy to alert the enemy.

Once the other party destroyed evidence in advance, colluded on confessions, or even transferred assets.

Then, no matter how clear the evidence seemed, it would be difficult to obtain solid proof sufficient for a conviction in time.

This was the difficulty of investigating such major and important cases.

It required both the determination for thunderous measures and the meticulousness and patience of embroidery work, all while preventing the opponent from lashing out in desperation.

However, upon hearing Luo Zhao's concerns, Emperor Luo did not frown; instead, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint chuckle:

"Who said the Imperial Household Department lacks personnel?"

He slowly turned his head, looking at Lyu Fang, his tone flat:

"Lyu Fang."

"This servant is here!" Lyu Fang immediately responded, lowering his head even further.

"I leave this matter to you."

"Doesn't the Imperial Household Department keep quite a few idle hands? It's time for them to move."

"Within three days, I want to see results."

"Yes! Your Majesty! This servant obeys the decree! I will certainly do my utmost to handle this matter well!"

Lyu Fang felt a chill in his heart and immediately accepted the order loudly.

He understood Emperor Luo's meaning all too well. As a massive institution managing palace affairs and concurrently handling parts of the royal estate, the Imperial Household Department's tentacles spread throughout the world.

Besides the overt ones, there were countless eunuchs attached to royal manors, shops, and workshops, as well as those sent out to supervise mining and taxation in various regions.

These people might be inconspicuous in normal times, but once mobilized uniformly, they formed a secret intelligence and action network that was extremely widespread, deeply penetrating, and absolutely loyal to imperial power.

Using them to secretly investigate, collect evidence, and even control key figures was more than suitable.

Only then did Emperor Luo's gaze slowly turn to Cui Shifan, who had been kneeling prostrate on the ground since the documents were thrown, practically trying to shrink himself into a crack in the floor.