Chapter 193: Cast A Long Line To Catch A Big Fish
After saying that, Emperor Yong’an fell into deep thought. He slowly tapped on the exquisitely carved railing and asked, "Did Cai Guiqi have any contact with Duan Qinwang?"
An Yi shook his head, "Not yet. Since the day Xie Guogong returned to the imperial capital city, Cai Guiqi has only traveled between his residence and the Ministry of Revenue. So far, our spies have found no evidence linking him to Duan Qinwang."
Emperor Yong’an heard this and smiled, "No evidence? An Yi, have you investigated Cai Guiqi’s family?"
Not understanding what Emperor Yong’an wanted to say, An Yi replied, "Answering Master. An Qi checked all the people related to Cai Guiqi, but nothing seemed unusual."
Seeing that he still didn’t understand, Emperor Yong’an patted him on the shoulder and said, "An Yi, the water in the back courtyard is deeper and muddier than that in the imperial court. Don’t underestimate those women who only attend flower banquets or visit friends for simple conversations over a cup of tea. You don’t know. Maybe the real transaction is in the hands of those women."
Emperor Yong’an suffered a lot because he underestimated the Empress Dowager in the past. Therefore, he knew clearly that those women who pretended to be virtuous and stupid were actually more cunning and manipulative than the officials and generals in the imperial court. This is also one of the reasons why he chose to remain unmarried at the age of twenty-seven.
After hearing this, An Yi finally understood why he had been investigating for so long but could not find any evidence. Turns out he was wrong from the start. No wonder he couldn’t find any clues or evidence, no matter how he investigated Cai Guiqi and the Ministry of Revenue.
An Yi lowered his head and said, "This subordinate will go investigate them immediately."
Before An Yi could leave, Emperor Yong’an stopped him and said, "There is no rush. It is also good that you didn’t investigate those women."