Zheng Min still wouldn't let it go. "Princess, please listen to this official's advice. You're only five years old. If you keep doing this, how can you get married in the future? Which family would be willing to take you?"
"Do you think the Ice Pavilion and the Warm Pavilion shouldn't exist? Or the Library? Or the wool sweaters?"
Li Jingyun wasn't buying Zheng Min's words and continued to press her with her questions. Her questions were even more tricky and harder to answer.
Did she really have to get married? Why did everyone keep bringing this up?
If they said it once or twice, she could bear to listen. But if they said it too many times, she'd be on the verge of exploding.
"Princess, please forgive this official. I didn't mean that."
Zheng Min had no choice but to admit her mistake.
Yang Sizhi, a junior from the Yang family in his early twenties, got his official position thanks to his ancestors' merits. His father was Yang Xu, the Water Commissioner. He was currently a Four-Gate Doctor, a position given to him after Xu Jingzong was reinstated to his original post.
In terms of seniority, he was a cousin of Yang Yuzhi and his brother, and he had to call Yang Shidao uncle.
"Princess, may I ask if all the taxes have been paid?"
Yang Sizhi asked in a sinister tone.
Who in their right mind could hold such a large sum of money without embezzling a bit? No one could resist the temptation of money.
He thought that Princess Chengyang would surely feel guilty when he asked this question. If she promised that all the taxes had been paid, he could just propose to send people to investigate this matter.
There was even a junior official from the Yang family in the Ministry of Revenue.
If she didn't dare to say so, there would be even more problems. He might as well ask a few more questions to confuse Princess Chengyang. Once the news of her embezzlement spread, not only would the coal business fail, but the Ice Pavilion and the Warm Pavilion would also be spurned.
Li Jingyun straightened her back and said loudly, "Of course all the taxes have been paid! If you don't believe me, you can go and check! Not a single cent is missing!"
She of course had the confidence. Those account books were checked by her and Su Gui staying up late. Worried about making mistakes, they even invited five different accountants separately, and the results were all the same.
Now, it was Yang Sizhi's turn to be stunned.
This wasn't right! This wasn't the scenario he had set!
Who in the world didn't love money? If Li Jingyun didn't love money, what was she doing all these things for? Really for the common people? For the scholars in the world? Wasn't that just a lie to deceive others? How could anyone believe that?
Li Jingyun then said, "Could it be that the charcoal shops of the Yang family haven't paid all their taxes? Father, elder brother, could you order an investigation?"
"Where is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?" Li Shimin spoke up at the right time.
Wang Gui stepped forward. "Your subject is here."
"As Hongxuan said, go and check if the taxes of these two families have been paid in full."
"Yes, your subject obeys the order." Wang Gui was the prime minister who also served as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. The original minister was Chang Sun Wuji.
If Chang Sun Wuji were to conduct the investigation this time, it might not silence the gossiping crowd.
So it would be Wang Gui. He was fair and impartial, not related to either side, and had an ordinary relationship with both.
Yang Sizhi immediately changed the topic. "Even though the price of coal is low, it shouldn't be mined and sold so recklessly. Otherwise, what about the lives of the common people?"
"Then I'd like to ask, why did your family suddenly raise the price? The charcoal that cost five copper coins a catty suddenly rose to ten copper coins overnight. What's the meaning of this? You keep saying it's for the common people, but in fact, it's just for your own profit!"
Li Ke was a bit angry seeing his younger sister being interrogated like this.
The younger sister who had been grown up in the palm of their hands had done so many good deeds, but still had to be scolded by these unscrupulous officials?
What kind of logic was this?
"That was all the shopkeeper's arbitrary price increase. We didn't know about it." Yang Sizhi stiffened his neck and argued.
As long as he insisted on this, would the Li siblings really send the shopkeeper to prison?
Li Chengqian also couldn't stand it anymore. How could someone be so shameless?
"This shopkeeper has such great power. Wouldn't the head of your family be wary of them? Who knows if the extra money from the price increase went into the head of the family's pocket or their own? " Li Chengqian said.
Being in his position, he was all too familiar with this feeling.
The court immediately fell silent.
Li Jingyun clearly gave Li Chengqian a thumbs up. Sure enough, her elder brother was still her elder brother. One sentence left the other side speechless.
How could this question be answered well? Neither answer would work.
If the money went to the head of the family, it meant that the head of the family knew about it and acquiesced. If the money went into their own pockets, these shopkeepers would have to spit out all their property and be driven out of Chang'an. Otherwise, the Yang family would be considered a bit kind.
Yang Sizhi looked up at Yang Shidao in the front, extremely anxious. He was the real heavyweight! The Head of the Secretariat! The current prime minister! The imperial son-in-law!
He wasn't the head of the Yang family, but he currently held the highest official position in the Yang family.
Yang Sizhi even wanted to go up and ask him in person why he still didn't say a word? Why didn't he show his stance? Didn't he care at all?
It was his son who controlled the charcoal business!
He just stood there steadily in the front, as immovable as a mountain!
Li Shimin sat firmly on the high platform, more worried than Li Ke and Li Jingyun. These two children had to bring honor to their father!
They had to put these noble families in their place!
Zheng Min wasn't willing to fail like this. They still had another set of arguments prepared. "What the Crown Prince said is very true. We'll keep it in mind. A few days ago, the Prince of Wu and the Princess said on Zhuque Street that they would place two stoves filled with coal in the place where the vagrants gathered for them to keep warm. Is that right?"
"Now the two stoves are out there for everyone to see." Li Ke said.
"But there are so many homeless people in Chang'an. How can two stoves be enough? Why not put more? There are so many homeless people under the sky. The Prince of Wu and the Princess are kind-hearted. Why don't they extend their kindness to them?"
Zheng Min asked with full confidence. Judging from his expression, he really thought he was representing the will of the people and was willing to sacrifice himself just to seek justice for the common people.
Wasn't this just moral kidnapping?
Li Ke rolled up his sleeves. He was on the verge of slapping Zheng Min, but was worried that if he did, he'd find that this guy had no shame at all!
"The Imperial Observatory said that it will snow in Chang'an in seven or eight days."
Li Jingyun grabbed Li Ke and said something that seemed completely irrelevant.
"Princess, do you mean to put more stoves? Or build houses? The princess is really kind. Zheng Min is convinced!" Zheng Min immediately asked.
He was so eager just to make this matter a certainty.
Li Jingyun glared at him. "I just want to ask you, Lord Zheng, why didn't you answer my elder brother's question just now and instead vaguely said that you'd keep it in mind? Then what if I don't answer your question either?"
Her words were childish, giving a feeling of a child throwing a tantrum at home.
But it made Zheng Min and the others break out in cold sweat. This little princess was young, but she was really hard to fool.
"This, this..." Zheng Min wiped the sweat off his face and his mind was working fast.
Cui Renshi and Cui Gan, who had been watching the show, also didn't plan to say anything. They had planned to follow the Zheng and Yang families to attack the siblings, but now the situation was wrong. It wasn't the time for them to speak.
They didn't want to get into trouble!
Wasn't the lesson from the library in the front enough?