When the heavy iron gate was opened and Wang Tong and the others stepped into the warehouse, heading towards the area where important military supplies were stored as usual, the usual prosperous smile on Wang Tong's face instantly froze.
"This...this..."
He pointed to the empty corner, where the tarpaulin should have been piled high with refined iron, but now only cold dust remained. His voice trembled: "Where's the refined iron?! Where did all that refined iron go?!"
Zhao Qian's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the fingers stroking his beard froze in mid-air. Zhou Kui looked up abruptly, his usually wooden face revealing utter shock for the first time.
"No...impossible!"
Wang Tong rushed over in a panic, ripped off the tarpaulin, and found nothing underneath!
"Who was on duty last night?! Where were the guards?!"
Wang Tong turned around abruptly, demanding an answer in a sharp voice, his gaze sweeping like a knife over the trembling bailiffs and the pale-faced Zhang Gui behind him.
The two constables who were on guard duty last night knelt down with a thud, trembling like leaves: "We...we've been guarding the door the whole time, we haven't left for a moment! We...we haven't seen anyone go in!"
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
Wang Tong trembled with rage and abruptly turned to Zhang Gui, shouting, "You're the warehouse clerk! Tell me! Where's the refined iron?!"
Zhang Gui fell to his knees with a thud, banging his head on the ground, his voice trembling with sobs: "I'm innocent! I... I... last night..."
Zhang Gui was rambling incoherently, but his gaze "inadvertently" and with a strong hint was directed toward the inconspicuous ventilation opening deep inside the warehouse.
Wang Tong followed his gaze and his expression changed drastically. He rushed to the ventilation shaft and immediately saw the wooden fence that had been clearly sawn off!
The break is still very fresh!
"The ventilation shaft! It's been sawed off!"
Wang Tong cried out in alarm, "Quick! Seal off the scene! No one is allowed to enter or leave!"
"Recorder Zhao, immediately go and report to the magistrate! The sky has fallen! Something terrible has happened!"
Wang Tong's fat face trembled, showing both shock and a barely perceptible hint of joy.
The news spread instantly, causing a sensation throughout the entire city of Heyang.
The treasury has been burglarized! Five hundred pounds of military-grade iron have vanished! It is suspected that the theft was carried out through a ventilation shaft by collusion between insiders and outsiders!
As the county magistrate, Li Ru was instantly thrust into the eye of the storm!
When Li Ru arrived at the treasury after hearing the news, the scene had already been sealed off by the yamen runners.
Looking at the empty corner and the freshly broken stubble of the ventilation duct, Li Ru's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.
His sharp gaze swept over the trembling guards kneeling on the ground, over Zhang Gui, whose face was ashen and who was crying out for justice, and finally landed on Wang Tong, whose expression was constantly changing.
"Block the news! Everyone who has been in contact with the warehouse is to be detained and interrogated!"
Li Ru's voice was icy: "Zhao, the registrar, immediately send a letter to the prefectural government and the court of justice, reporting the details of the theft. Zhou, the clerk, lead men to carefully examine the traces inside and outside the ventilation shaft, leaving no stone unturned!"
"Yes!" Zhao Qian and Zhou Kui responded quickly and went about their business, but they could not hide the panic and suspicion in their eyes.
However, things developed much faster and more violently than Li Ru had anticipated!
Just three days later, just as Li Ru was personally leading a team to thoroughly investigate the clues and try to sort things out, a series of rapid and heavy hoofbeats suddenly broke the tranquility of Heyang County!
The thunderous sound of hooves approached from afar, carrying a chilling aura, heading straight for the county government office!
The people outside the yamen scattered in terror. Suddenly, a troop of about fifty fierce riders surged towards the yamen gate like a red, steel torrent!
These knights were all dressed in fine armor, with crimson battle robes over them, and conspicuous pheasant feathers on their helmets. They all rode magnificent and tall horses.
Their faces were cold and stern, their eyes sharp as eagles, and they exuded a bloodthirsty aura from long battles and an imposing power from the imperial center!
The leading general, about thirty years old, had a resolute face and piercing eyes. He sat upright on his horse with his hand on his sword, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.
Behind him, a knight held aloft a black banner with a red dragon—the symbol of the Imperial Guards of the Han Dynasty!
"Whoa—!"
The leading general reined in his warhorse, which reared up and let out a long neigh.
The general's gaze was sharp as lightning, sweeping over the pale-faced county magistrate Wang Tong and the others who had rushed over upon hearing the news. His voice boomed like a bell:
"By imperial decree, Li Ru, Magistrate of Heyang County, receive this decree immediately!"
Imperial Guards!
The Emperor's Personal Army!
They actually appeared right in front of the Heyang County government office!
The entire county government office, inside and out, fell into a deathly silence!
Everyone was stunned speechless by the sudden scene. Wang Tong's legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground, but a look of wild joy flashed across his face!
Hearing the commotion, Li Ru quickly walked out from the back room.
His official robes were still neat, but his face showed obvious fatigue and solemnity.
Upon seeing the menacing Imperial Guards at the gate, Li Ru's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart sank.
Things ultimately took the worst possible turn, and it happened so quickly, faster than anyone could have imagined!
But Li Ru remained calm. He took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, straightened his clothes, and strode to the center of the front courtyard of the yamen. He bowed to the Imperial Guard officers on horseback.
"Your subject, Li Ru, the magistrate of Heyang County, greets the imperial envoy!"
The Imperial Guard commander looked down at Li Ru with a cold gaze that seemed almost tangible, carrying a scrutinizing look and a hint of subtle complexity.
He did not dismount, but instead took a bright yellow silk scroll from a knight beside him, unfurled it with a swish, and read it aloud in a completely emotionless voice:
"By imperial decree: It has been heard that Li Ru, the magistrate of Heyang County in Zuofengyi, has acted erratically since taking office, failing to live up to my expectations."
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