Chapter 207 [VIP]

Upon returning from the restaurant, Huang Baiguan recounted the entire day's events to Chen Qingyan.

"My lord, what should I do next?"

Chen Qingyan pondered for a moment and said, "Find a way to get the information out of him about who the higher-ups are. Don't do anything other than try to get information out of him. Also, be very careful not to let him discover your purpose."

“I understand, this silver…” Huang Baiguan took out the twenty strings of cash he had won from the gambling den.

"Keep this for now. If he invites you to the gambling den again, use this money."

"yes."

Over the next few days, Huang Baiguan intentionally or unintentionally wandered around the gambling dens that Liu Yuan frequented, but he couldn't be too obvious for fear of being noticed. Finally, a few days later, he ran into Liu Yuan again at a gambling den.

Liu Yuan was on a winning streak today, winning several big hands in a row and earning six or seven strings of cash in the morning. He looked very pleased with himself and even gave a string of cash as a reward to the servant who brought him water.

Huang Baiguan arrived but didn't call him. He pulled up a stool and sat down next to him. It wasn't until almost the end of the event that Liu Yuan noticed him. "Brother Huang, you're here. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Seeing that Brother Liu was on a winning streak, I didn't dare to disturb him."

"Hahahaha, I'm really lucky today. It's been a few days since we last met. Let's go have a drink together."

The two went to the tavern they had visited that day. Huang Baiguan complimented his card skills while lamenting his bad luck, saying, "I've been losing all the time playing here by myself these past few days. I guess I only won because of Brother Liu's good luck that day."

Liu Yuan waved his hand with a smile, "It's normal to win and lose when it comes to gambling. Didn't I lose more than 20 strings of cash last time? No child cries every day, and no gambler loses every day."

"That makes sense." The two raised their wine bowls and drank together.

"Is there any progress on that matter that Brother Liu mentioned last time?"

Liu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I did mention it for you, but the higher-ups said they don't need anyone right now, so..."

Because he mentioned this matter to Huang Baiguan, he almost lost his job. If it weren't for the fact that his uncle was friends with Jiang Tongzhi, he would have been in serious trouble.

Huang Baiguan looked somewhat disappointed. "If it's difficult for you, then forget it. I'll remember your favor."

Liu Yuan also felt a little embarrassed. Last time, he had promised him that he could definitely make him rich, but now he couldn't help him.

After a few rounds of drinks, Huang Baiguan started asking about business, "You said this iron transport business is so profitable, I wonder where it's transported to?"

"Hiccup, you can't say that! Saying it will cost you your head!"

"Is it that serious?" Huang Baiguan asked in surprise.

"Of course! Otherwise, how could we earn so much money!"

"I don't know which official is in charge of this matter. I'd like to offer some money to bribe them, but I don't know if that'll be possible..."

Liu Yuan waved his hand, "Brother, listen to my advice, don't waste your time. Do you think the magistrate needs your measly few coins?"

Huang Baiguan was stunned. Assistant Magistrate... Assistant Magistrate Jiang?!

Liu Yuan seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing, and he sobered up halfway. He quickly slapped his mouth and said, "I was just kidding, don't tell anyone, or you'll get into trouble and I won't be able to protect you!"

"What did Brother Liu say?" Huang Baiguan asked, pretending to be confused as he looked up.

"No, it's nothing. It's getting late, let's go back soon."

*

"You're saying that the mastermind behind this is Jiang Daoming, the Assistant Magistrate?"

"That's right, it was Liu Yuan who said it himself."

Chen Qingyan suppressed his anger and said, "For the time being, you don't need to inquire anymore. Stay in the manor and try not to go out, so as not to cause trouble for the other party."

"Your subordinate obeys."

After Huang Baiguan left, Chen Qingyan immediately ground ink and picked up his pen to write a letter, confirming that Jiang Daoming was indeed in charge of the mineral resources in Shanzhou.

When he first arrived in Shanzhou to take up his post, Magistrate Jiang was inspecting mines in another place, and they didn't meet again until after the New Year.

He usually appears diligent and down-to-earth, so I thought he was a good official. But appearances can be deceiving.

If he really was the mastermind behind it all, this matter would be quite difficult to handle, because Magistrate Jiang is one rank higher than him, and a higher rank can have a lot of influence. If the news were to leak out, he might become the scapegoat.

The most urgent task was to get the message out; sending it back to the capital was too far, and it would probably take half a year for the higher-ups to receive the letter and send someone over. Chen Qingyan didn't plan to tell Prefect Xu either, since he didn't know if Xu was involved.

As for Governor Feng, although the two addressed each other as uncle and nephew, they were not considered proper relatives. After much thought, they could only write to the Marquis first and let him make the decision.

After writing the letter, Chen Qingyan carefully packed it away and handed it directly to Lang Qianping the next day. Lord Lang had come specifically for the matter of the private ironworks, but he hadn't found any results in the past few days.

Unexpectedly, Magistrate Chen had secretly uncovered the truth, and he couldn't help but admire him, saying, "We will set off back tomorrow. We are very grateful for Magistrate Chen's help in this matter!"

"The Marquis is protecting the country on the frontier. Although we can't help him, we can't let things get out of hand."

“Lord Chen is very righteous. I will report this matter to the Marquis and then make a decision. During this time, please do not conduct any further private investigations, so as not to alert the enemy.”

"I see."

Lang Qianping and his group set off back to the border, while Lin Sui and Qing'er stayed behind to return in June or July.

*

Ever since Liu Yuan said the wrong thing that day, he had been feeling uneasy, afraid that Huang Baiguan would tell on him. He originally wanted to give him a warning, but he waited at the gambling house for seven or eight days and still didn't see him.

This morning, another batch of fine iron was ready to be transported out of the city, so he got up early to go and keep watch at the city gate. On the way, he happened to run into Huang Baiguan having breakfast at a steamed bun shop.

"Brother Huang, it's been a while since I've seen you. What have you been up to lately?"

Huang Baiguan was taken aback when he heard the voice, and quickly greeted him with a smile, "I've been busy at the government office these past few days. The magistrate asked me to investigate a theft case, and I've been so busy I haven't had a moment to breathe."

Liu Yuan's gaze swept over him, and after a while, he chuckled, "You like Li's steamed buns too?"

"Yes, I love their radish filling. Brother Liu, would you like to sit down and have some with me?"

"You eat first, I have things to do, I'll talk to you when I have time."

After the man left, Huang Baiguan stared at his retreating figure, lost in thought. He felt there was something more to the man's words than met the eye. He took out a few copper coins from his pocket, placed them on the table, grabbed his sword, and quietly followed him.

At this hour, there weren't many people on the street, only the night watchman and the old man collecting incense along the street calling out.

Huang Baiguan hurriedly followed them all the way to the vicinity of the city gate. When he saw the other party stop, he nimbly crawled behind a plaque and hid.

Before long, the rumbling sound of carriages could be heard. Huang Baiguan poked his head out and counted them. There were seventeen carriages in total, each one fully loaded. From the outside, it looked like straw, but the ruts left by the carriages were very deep.

The man in the lead was an old acquaintance of Liu Yuan, and the two huddled together to chat. "How long will this trip take?"

"It will be at least a month or so, but the road we took last time is impassable now. The border is checking things very carefully, so we have to take a detour."

"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Gao."

The man surnamed Gao took out the money he had prepared in advance from his pocket, saying, "This is the money for this time."

"Thank you, thank you!" According to Liu Yuan's previous statement, each carriage cost two strings of cash, so these seventeen carriages would cost thirty-four strings of cash. With him covering for them, the minor officials guarding the city didn't need to check the carriages, and they left without any problems.

After everyone left, Huang Baiguan hurriedly ran towards the government office, found Chen Qingyan, and told him what had happened that morning: "Seventeen cartloads in total, disguised as straw on the outside, but actually iron ore inside."

If each cartload is calculated at 300 shi, then these would amount to more than 5,000 shi. You should know that a mine can only produce a maximum of 700 to 800 shi of iron ore per month. Where did they get so much refined iron from?

Chen Qingyan paced back and forth anxiously. "I'll write you a note. Head out of the city and head towards the border immediately. See if we can catch up with Lord Lang and the others. It will be troublesome if these seventeen carts of ironware are sent out of the border!"

"yes!"

"Also, be sure to pay attention to safety. If you encounter any convoys along the way, pretend you didn't see them and don't go to investigate!"

"I understand."

Huang Baiguan knelt down and kowtowed three times. "My lord, if I encounter any misfortune on this journey... please take good care of my younger brother."

Chen Qingyan helped him up by the arm and said, "I promise you, I will take good care of Qianguan."

Huang Baiguan put away the letter, took his horse, and left the city.

What followed was a long wait. Chen Qingyan was anxious but couldn't mention it to anyone. He only dared to talk about it with Wang Ying at night.

Wang Ying comforted him, saying, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate. You've done everything you can; whether it succeeds or not is up to God."

"That's true, but I really don't understand why Lord Jiang would do this..." He had seen many corrupt officials, but this was the first time he had seen one who colluded with foreign tribes to seek his own death.

"People die for wealth, birds die for food. Huang Baiguan said that just by bribing the city's officials, they could get two strings of cash per cart. This cart of ironware could sell for at least a hundred taels of silver. Ten carts would amount to several thousand taels of silver. If it were a long-term business, they probably wouldn't know how much money they've made over the years."

"No matter how much money you make, you can't risk the safety of the country for business!"

Seeing that he couldn't figure it out, Wang Ying yawned and muttered casually, "Maybe Magistrate Jiang isn't even a member of our Wu Dynasty?"

Surprisingly, he actually came right...

*

In mid-May, Marquis Li Mu of Zhenbian personally led his troops to attack. He was a second-rank marquis and a general in charge of border defense, possessing both real power and military authority, and had the right to execute first and report later.

His sudden visit startled Prefect Xu quite a bit. The old man was unaware that such a big thing had happened in Shanzhou, and thought to himself, "Why did this plague god suddenly appear?"

Governor Feng was also very nervous, thinking that fighting had broken out on the border again and that Li Mu had come specifically to mobilize troops.

The result was even worse than troop deployment. The Marquis went straight to the point: "At the beginning of the month, we intercepted seventeen wagons loaded with fine iron at the border. This fine iron came from Shanzhou and was to be transported to Xizhou to be sold to the Turks."

These words struck them like a bolt from the blue, startling them so much that they immediately stood up. "Impossible! There's no way that could have happened!"

Li Mu waved his hand, and soldiers brought up three people who looked like blood gourds.

Prefect Xu asked in confusion, "What... what is this?"

Standing to the side, Commander Zhang said, "These men are responsible for escorting the refined iron. They're tough nuts to crack. It took three or four days of interrogation before they finally told the truth. They were instructed by the Assistant Magistrate of Shanzhou to transport this refined iron to Xizhou."

“Smuggling salt and iron is a serious crime, especially selling it to the Turks. How could the two of them not understand the consequences?”

"I will send someone to bring this person here immediately!" Governor Feng was a hot-tempered man, and he immediately got up to arrest the person.

Li Mu waved his hand, "No need to go. I already sent people to arrest this person when we entered the city. He should be brought here soon."

A note from the author: