Gu Sinian could not go directly to Consort An's palace upon entering the imperial city; he had to see Emperor Chongwen first.
"Has Li An made any progress?" Emperor Chongwen asked.
"There have been no recent actions from his side, but it has been discovered that Li An has been in contact with those old established aristocratic families," Gu Sinian replied. "Furthermore, Li An has been amassing wealth through Yuan Bao; it's private salt."
Emperor Chongwen was shocked. Their Great Feng had very strict management of salt affairs, with a dedicated Salt Administration Bureau overseeing the circulation of salt. In Emperor Chongwen's memory, besides the government, only two families were permitted to transport and sell edible salt.
"It's not those two families," Gu Sinian shook his head.
So, was there a problem with the Salt Administration Bureau?
Emperor Chongwen had always believed he governed effectively, but now it seemed laughable. The Salt Administration Bureau, which he thought was loyal only to him, had now colluded with Li An. Emperor Chongwen had always made excuses for Li An, thinking he had lived too difficult a life previously, so wanting some power and money was understandable. As long as it wasn't excessive and didn't harm the common people, he could turn a blind eye.
However, from what Gu Sinian had uncovered, Emperor Chongwen could no longer deceive himself. Li An was indeed targeting his position.
Otherwise, why would he still be entangled with those old aristocratic families, knowing full well that he was suppressing their deep-rooted and complex connections? Moreover, if he lacked funds, the items in his private treasury were available to him. But his clandestine smuggling of private salt showed that he wanted more.
"A'nian, you go investigate," Emperor Chongwen said expressionlessly. "Investigate in secret, do not alert the snake. I want all the evidence."
Gu Sinian agreed. For Li An's covert actions, for anyone else, any single piece of evidence would have been enough for confiscation of property, extermination of the clan, and beheading. Yet, for Li An, Emperor Chongwen felt a pang of reluctance. Sending him to investigate was, in a way, giving Li An a chance to turn back.
"Nephew will go see Aunt."
Emperor Chongwen waved his hand. "Go. Your aunt was mentioning you a few days ago."
Consort An was very happy to see Gu Sinian and repeatedly asked about Qi Zhenzhen's current condition, if she was feeling unwell, and also reminded Gu Sinian that pregnant women's tempers could be quite peculiar. She urged Gu Sinian to be careful and appease her, not to provoke her, as a pregnant woman's anger was bad for the child in her womb.
Gu Sinian agreed to everything.
"You never come to the palace unless you have something to say. Tell me, what is it you need to tell your aunt?"
Gu Sinian did not hide anything from Consort An and told her about the matter with the sixth son of the Yan family.
Consort An's expression turned grim. She did not judge the relationship between the two based on their social standing. She believed that differences in status could not hinder the blossoming of feelings. In fact, she thought it would be a beautiful thing if the sixth son of the Yan family married that fishing girl out of gratitude for saving his life. With five older brothers above him, the Yan family's requirements for his wife would certainly not be very high. As long as he liked her, the Yan couple would likely not obstruct it.
However, the sixth son of the Yan family did not immediately propose marriage to the fishing girl. Instead, he maintained private contact with her. Regardless of the sixth son of the Yan family's intentions, his actions were looking down on the girl. Now, the girl was pregnant and only then informed the Yan family elders. This approach was truly detestable.
"Thanks to you, the Yan couple did not know about this before. I subtly mentioned it to Madam Yan, and she was willing. If the marriage were to be decreed like this, Jinrong would inevitably be burdened with the accusation of relying on her status as a princess to snatch someone else's marriage. It's possible that the Yan family would then resolve the issue with the fishing girl to preserve the royal family's reputation. What is unattainable is always the best. At that time..." Consort An could not bear to think further.