Zhulan rested for a while and then looked over the account books again. These were just the problems shown in the books, but there were many unknown issues, like whether donations of clothes from various provinces were resold, or if donated grains were exchanged for coarse grains.
Zhulan was reluctant to assume the worst, but the reality matched her suspicions; the more she thought, the heavier her heart felt.
The next day, Zhulan personally went to the palace to hand over the account books to the Empress Dowager. After flipping through them, the Empress Dowager asked, "What are your thoughts?"
"I think we should send someone to carefully inspect, rather than just listen to reports."
The Empress Dowager nodded, "Do you have someone in mind?"
Zhulan smiled, "These past few years, Marquis Rong has focused on the orphans and knows the estates outside the city best. It's most suitable for him to check, and my grandson Ming Rui can assist."
