Fearing punishment, he continued to blurt out, "The shopkeeper colludes with the magistrate to split bribes. It's all recorded in the real ledger. He also asked the magistrate to investigate other hot pot restaurants, using any means necessary to shut them down, and to ensure no other hot pot restaurants exist in the town!"
This statement utterly shocked Zhao Jiaqi.
Collusion and market monopolization!
Upon hearing his nephew's words, the shopkeeper almost died of anger. He roared, "Wang Xiaoliu, what nonsense are you spouting in front of the Princess? Shut your mouth, or the Princess might take your head!"
Zhao Jiaqi glanced at the shopkeeper and beckoned to the frightened Wang Xiaoliu. "Come here. If everything you report is true, not only will I not punish you, but I will also reward you. If you conceal anything, your head will surely roll!"
Wang Xiaoliu wasn't afraid of his uncle; instead, he was terrified of the Prince and Princess.
In this establishment, they knew all about the Prince and Princess's exploits and their formidable power. He retrieved the true and false ledgers and confessed everything he knew to the Princess.
"The shopkeeper buys vegetables from villages at the lowest prices. Some farmers don't want to sell, thinking the price too low, but the shopkeeper incites the magistrate. Eventually, those who sell vegetables have no choice but to sell to the shop at even lower prices!"
"If these vegetable farmers don't sell, the vegetables will rot in the fields. For this, the shopkeeper gives benefits to the village heads of each village, using the magistrate to suppress them and the village heads to persuade the villagers!"
Zhao Jiaqi was greatly alarmed. If Wang Xiaoliu hadn't spoken, she would never have known that the shopkeeper was so cunning and unscrupulous!
"Furthermore, for any other establishment in town that runs a restaurant, the shopkeeper eats for free. He also secretly sells the hot pot base. Just like those outside restaurants, any dish sold using the hot pot base is provided by the shopkeeper. Not only does he eat for free, but he also receives considerable benefits each month!"
"He built a row of blue-brick houses in our village. The furniture inside is better than that of the richest family in town. He even hired several servants to attend to him, and he owns countless acres of land!"
After hearing all this, Zhao Jiaqi couldn't even describe her anger. This was simply a traitorous scoundrel.
Zhao Jiaqi didn't believe Wang Xiaoliu's words were so simple; there must be more they didn't know.
"Wang Xiaoliu has made a meritorious report. Once the matter is investigated, I will surely reward you handsomely!"
Wang Xiaoliu, with his sharp mind, immediately knelt on the ground and sobbed, "Little Liu doesn't ask for rewards. I beg Your Highness to forgive my rashness and ignorance!"
"Although I haven't hurt anyone or killed anyone, I have indeed driven people away from the restaurant. But I only did so under the shopkeeper's orders. I implore Your Highness to forgive me and allow Little Liu to mend his ways and start anew!"
Zhao Jiaqi understood from his plea that he was indirectly telling her that although he had made mistakes, he hadn't committed any grave evils.
"As long as you haven't committed any illegal acts, I will not punish you. However, I will consider what you've said and have it investigated. If your words are true, there will be a minor punishment, at most physical pain. But if your report is true, you will also be rewarded!"
Having said that, Xiaoliu let out a long sigh. "Thank you, Princess. I know where the shopkeeper's house is and can lead people to investigate!"
The shopkeeper's eyes were filled with venom. He pursed his lips tightly, his teeth grinding noisily, as if he wanted to bite Xiaoliu to death.
"Wang Xiaoliu, you ungrateful wretch! I treated you so well, and yet you betray me. I'll fight you!"
He shouted and lunged forward, grabbing Wang Xiaoliu's neck and trying to choke him to death, truly wishing him dead.
Xiaoliu, being young and strong, was not afraid of an old man in his fifties. With a few swift moves, he tore off the shopkeeper's hands and kicked him to the ground.
Xiaoliu straddled him, punching him repeatedly. "Wang Liang, you bastard! You claim to treat me well, but in reality, you just wanted me to do your dirty work. If you truly treated me well, why didn't you share your profits with me? If you treated me well, why do you live in a spacious brick house while I still live in a mud hut!"
"If you really cared about me, why wouldn't you help me when I was short of one tael of silver to get married, tell me!"
His eyes red with fury, he didn't hold back his punches. They wrestled for a long time before the captain, seeing that it was getting serious, stepped forward to separate them.
To prevent them from killing each other!
Zhao Jiaqi stopped Wang Xiaoliu. "Go and retrieve the ledger. If there are any other incriminating documents, bring them all as well!"
Xiaoliu was very willing to do this. In the past, he relied on Wang Liang for a living. Now that Wang Liang was brought down, he was the happiest.
He ran faster than anyone, searching with great joy. The captain, seeing Xiaoliu's enthusiasm, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. How poorly did Wang Liang treat people that his own nephew was the first to betray him?
If he had treated him a little better, perhaps these things wouldn't have happened.
The so-called "Mandarin Duck Ledger" consisted of one true and one false book.
The true ledger recorded the source and destination of every piece of silver. He had set up this ledger to catch the magistrate.
Little did he know that this ledger would directly lead to his downfall, and only Wang Xiaoliu knew about it.
When he mentioned the Mandarin Duck Ledger, the other waiters fell silent, some even looking incredulous.
As for the false ledger, it was meant to deceive Bai Lu. He hadn't expected Bai Lu not to come for an audit this time, but to come himself.
Now, it was hopeless. Regardless of which ledger was presented, it would be evidence of his crimes, and he had completely implicated himself.
Before the investigation was complete, it was already noon.
During lunch, Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi met, and when they discussed their investigations, they found that their findings aligned perfectly.
Zhao Jiaqi: "It seems Wang Xiaoliu was telling the truth. This shopkeeper's rampant behavior here is unforgivable!"
Fan Zehao was no longer very angry about such matters. He had already vented his frustration and now just wanted to sort things out here before dealing with the remaining issues.
He served his wife her favorite dish and said with a frown, "This person is easy to deal with, but who will be the magistrate now? That's the key!"
Zhao Jiaqi's chopsticks paused. Well, everyone had their own troubles.
He was worried about the magistrate, while she was worried about who would become the shopkeeper. After the New Year, there was no peace.
After eating, neither of them rested and immediately resumed their respective investigations.