Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 146: The Fall of the Qi Family

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: The Fall of the Qi Family

Qiu Lian received the order and immediately summoned over a dozen imperial guards, rushing to the Prime Minister Residence at top speed.

He had to catch Qi Wei, the old fox, off guard before he became aware of anything.

Otherwise, it would be like fetching water with a bamboo basket—a wasted effort, and he certainly didn’t want to miss this golden opportunity.

At the Prime Minister Residence, the Qi Family was still immersed in the joy of their unexpected windfall, utterly unprepared for the impending danger.

It wasn’t until the door was smashed open and Qiu Lian marched in boldly with a team of men that Qi Wei finally awoke from his stupor, rising to block the intruders.

He glared at Qiu Lian and asked in a hostile tone, "Lord Qiu, what is the meaning of this? The Prime Minister Residence is not a place you can simply barge into as you wish."

Qiu Lian let out a cold laugh, "Prime Minister, I am here by His Majesty’s command to search the Prime Minister Residence. Please step aside and do not interfere with the imperial guard carrying out their duties."

Qi Wei panicked for a moment, "What decree?"

He had been strenuously disassociating himself from Li Ming’an these days; how could His Majesty suddenly act against him?

Madam Wang and Qi Anran had been terrified into silence upon seeing this force, not daring to utter a word.

Mother and daughter hid to the side, both as pale as death.

Qiu Lian swept a cold gaze over them, raising the Imperial Decree high for all the Qi family members to see, "Prime Minister Qi should be literate, why not read for yourself what is written here."

Qi Wei hurriedly looked, and indeed saw the decree for a search of the Prime Minister Residence, sealed with the Jade Seal.

Madam Wang rushed forward, grabbing his hand and crying, "My lord, what on earth is happening? Why are they searching our Prime Minister Residence for no reason?"

Qi Wei himself was too panicked to even think straight, let alone pay any mind to Madam Wang, pushing her away as he asked Qiu Lian, "Why is His Majesty suddenly ordering a search of the Prime Minister Residence?"

Qiu Lian finally had an outlet for his pent-up frustrations and with a snort of disdain, spoke haughtily, "His Majesty suspects your involvement with the theft of Official Silver five years ago and has specifically ordered us to conduct a search."

"What!" Qi Wei exclaimed loudly in dismay, "How could His Majesty treat his loyal subject in such a manner. I am wronged!"

Qiu Lian was not swayed by his performance and signaled the imperial guard with a glance. They immediately pushed past the Qi family’s servants and began their search.

While Qi Wei was still crying out his innocence, the imperial guards had already reached the treasury.

Madam Wang and Qi Anran, already scared speechless, could only cry; Madam Wang sobbing as she cried out, "Who is framing us, so unjustly! Wronged, indeed!"

Qiu Lian, who was annoyed by her shrieking that hurt his ears, frowned and ordered the guards in the front hall to gag Madam Wang.

"Mmm—" Madam Wang struggled to spit out the cloth stuffed in her mouth, but was knocked unconscious by a palm strike from the guard.

Seeing her mother’s eyes roll back and collapsing to the ground, Qi Anran’s cries became even more heart-wrenching, "Mother, are you all right!"

Qi Wei was still trying to think of a way to cope; he had a feeling that he had fallen into a trap.

How could His Majesty suddenly suspect gold was being hidden in his residence?

Could it be...

Qi Wei’s pupils dilated in shock, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind; could it have something to do with the chest of gold Qi Yu had sent?

But before he could think things through, the search party had already carried a chest of gold in front of Qiu Lian, "My lord, this was found in the treasury."

Qiu Lian thought he would have to search for a while longer, only to be surprised that in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the item was brought before him - he hadn’t even settled in his seat yet.

He hurriedly stood up, ordering the imperial guard to pry open the lock on the chest, and upon seeing it brimming with gleaming gold, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in wonder.

The old fox Qi Wei had hidden his wealth well; to have such a stash of gold in his residence.

Poor him, who had served as an official for over a decade, had never seen so much gold.

Qi Wei, seeing the seized treasure, instinctively tried to lunge for it, but was stopped by the imperial guard.

Qiu Lian smiled coldly, his tone insidiously taunting, "Prime Minister Qi, it’s better you stay calm. It will be to your advantage when we reach the Ministry of Justice."

"Shut your mouth!" Qi Wei was so angry that his mustache trembled.

Qi Lian, that old fellow, actually dared to curse him.

The Ministry of Justice—what sort of place was it? If he really was sent there, what kind of future could he speak of?

Moreover, now that Prince An had fallen from favor, there was no one left in the court to protect him.

Qi Wei’s heart chilled substantially, but he still held a sliver of hope. Perhaps this was just Qi Yu sending something to show his filial respect, and it had nothing to do with the batch of Official Silver that disappeared five years ago.

But then he suddenly remembered. Indeed, a stash of Official Silver had been hidden in his residence before, but later it was all removed by Qi Yu.

Could it be the same batch?

Qi Wei almost fainted, his vision darkening—it was like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

Seeing his ashen complexion, Qi Lian felt increasingly certain. He pulled out a piece of gold, weighed it in his hand, then turned it over to check the back. The date and year matched—it was indeed that batch of Official Silver from five years ago.

At that time, the Minister of Revenue Song Ling was at the height of his power, but he lost millions of taels of Official Silver under his watch, infuriating the emperor.

Everyone in the court was on edge at that time, no one daring to speak up for Song Ling, except for Prince Qiu, who withstood the pressure, went against popular opinion, and insisted that Song Ling was innocent.

But regrettably, Song Ling had fled.

Recalling the events of those days, Qi Lian felt as if it were a lifetime ago.

The scenes of that year were still vivid in his mind. Now, it seemed that a wrongful accusation had finally been redressed.

He confiscated the silver and ordered the imperial guard to stand watch outside the Prime Minister Residence, locking the Qi Family inside.

After reporting back to Li Tianze in the palace, he had the Qi Family members taken to the Imperial Prison.

In just a day, the Qi Family fell from power.

The news spread quickly throughout the entire capital city. When Qi Yu learned of it, he was not surprised but felt so relieved that he enjoyed an extra bowl of rice.

Song Ling’s hand, holding his chopsticks, also trembled faintly.

He had never dreamt that this day would come.

Having completed his task, Qi Lian felt the weight lifted from his heart a bit.

Humming a tune, he returned to his own mansion with a smile on his face.

He wasn’t a fool; he knew that the task had gone too smoothly.

But since it was Prince Qiu who had helped him from the shadows, he gratefully accepted this favor.

With the competition between the two princes no longer existing, the capital city would now be under Prince Qiu’s domination.

Calculating in his heart, he planned to use this incident to cling to Prince Qiu, the large tree.

Therefore, he specifically mentioned Song Ling in the court.

Although Li Tianze did not say much, his eyes unmistakably flashed a hint of guilt.

Qi Lian guessed Song Ling’s whereabouts were not far off—he was in Prince Qiu Residence.

As for the reason, his eyes shifted subtly, and the jumble of complex threads in his mind had straightened into a clear line.

It was stated clearly in Heifeng’s confession; initially, it had been Li Ming’an and Qi Wei who plotted together, colluded with Heifeng Village to intercept the Official Silver, and then framed Song Ling.

Five years later, Prince Qiu personally led troops to eliminate Heifeng Village and, upon encountering his old acquaintance, brought him back to his residence.

What a game of chess, and he had been calculated into it as well.

Qi Lian laughed at himself. What difference was there between him and Song Ling? They were merely pawns of those in power.