"Let's summon them one by one, then."
Su Ziji said leisurely, then spoke to Wen Xunpeng, "It isn't just petty officials auditing the accounts; we must also set the officials in motion—have Jiang Shen and Cao Zhi come in. I want to summon them and get them moving, too."
The "them" referred to here naturally meant imperial court officials of high rank like Jiang Shen and Cao Zhi.
"Yes!" Wen Xunpeng bowed calmly, then said, "Jiang Shen and Cao Zhi have always held themselves aloof; I fear they may not throw their full hearts into this."
This kind of power struggle between the emperor and the Imperial Grandson was perilous in the extreme, one false move spelling death and the destruction of one's clan, and not all officials were willing to be dragged in.
In truth, not even a tenth of them were willing to leap into this fire pit.
It was just that many were naturally "direct lineage" and thus had no choice about being pulled in.
It was only reasonable that Jiang Shen and Cao Zhi feared becoming entangled in such a power struggle, and Su Ziji smiled. "They naturally have their difficulties, but we have ours as well."
"Indeed, they share no private favors or bonds of loyalty with Us, but they do have an official superior-subordinate relationship with Us."
"We hold the imperial decree to investigate the case, and they are subordinate officials. It is only right and proper that they share Our worries and shoulder Our burdens; this is their duty."
"Many believe that We should act in secret, but in truth, that is mistaken. We hold an imperial mandate to investigate the case. Whether summoning prefecture and county officials or pulling account ledgers and archives, everything is open and aboveboard."
"As for those who