Chapter 75 It's not that we didn't investigate
As the first snow fell in Chang'an, the investigation into the embezzlement case at the Yanghe River embankment and the gambling den in Shanglin made progress.
Officials from the Censorate and the Censorate, along with those investigating the case, sat around a table, staring at the shocking accounts, their hearts filled with turmoil.
"Between the eleventh and thirteenth years of the Fengle reign, Wen Min visited the Shanglin gambling den a total of twenty-four times. As for how much money he gambled out each time, the Shanglin gambling den did not keep any records. We can only find that shortly after Wen Min entered and left the gambling den each time, several merchants returned with their money full."
"This Wen Min risked his life to embezzle so much money, and then immediately handed it over to the gambling table, benefiting a bunch of Jianghuai merchants?"
"He didn't squander it all; he kept 200,000 for himself. That's 200,000 strings of cash! Even if we toiled for thousands of years with our monthly salaries, we couldn't earn that much money. Ten years ago, Wen Min was just a county magistrate, yet he dared to deceive his superiors and embezzle funds meant for dike repairs!"
"The money and grain he hid in his home alone would be enough to supply the soldiers at the front for three months. If we can recover the 600,000 he squandered, how could our elite Liang army not take down the Northern Yan court?"
Outside the door, Yu Mingshu sat on the railing, leaning against a pillar, carefully looking at the names that appeared in the investigation results of the Shanglin gambling den.
Xia Congsheng, Xia Qi'an, Xia Siming.
She had seen these three names a few times while secretly investigating Fuhua Tower.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over the paper. Yu Mingshu looked up and saw Xie Huaijin handing her a mutton pie wrapped in oil paper. When he put it in her hand, the pie was still steaming hot.
She took a bite of the pie before remembering to thank Xie Huaijin.
Xie Huaijin pointed to the documents in her hand and asked, "What new discoveries have you made?"
Yu Mingshu scoffed, dusted off the stack of manuscripts, and said, "Wen Min's behavior is called money laundering."
Xie Huaijin said, "That's right. Wen Min can't possibly eat such a big pie by himself. He must have an even bigger backer behind him."
Yu Mingshu looked at him and asked, "Should we continue the investigation?"
Xie Huaijin gave a helpless bitter smile and said, "The funds and provisions in Youzhou are in dire need of attention, and His Majesty is pressing us hard, but I would like to check again."
"Xia Congsheng has just arrived in Chang'an with his caravan these past two days and is currently staying at the Yongnian Inn in the West Market. Would you be willing to accompany me?"
Yu Mingshu swallowed the last bite of the pie, puffed out his cheeks, cupped his hands in greeting, and said gladly, "I am willing to serve you, sir."
Xie Huaijin was amused by her appearance.
In the afternoon, two inconspicuous figures entered Yongnian Inn.
Before long, a servant rushed out, led a brown horse, and galloped off in the direction of the Xie family.
Within half an hour, the servant whispered a few words to Xie Zhang outside the Xie family's gate.
Xie Zhang's expression gradually turned serious. He rewarded him with a string of copper coins, then turned and strode into the study.
"My lord, something terrible has happened! Sanlang has traced his investigation back to Xia Congsheng!"
Xie Shichang slammed down his jade pen, a deep-seated ferocity emanating from his eyes.
"What exactly is he trying to do?!"
Xie Zhang lowered his head and said, "Manager Xia sent someone to deliver a message, saying that he can handle things for a while but not forever. He's afraid that if he talks too much nonsense, he'll anger Registrar Xie, and tomorrow he might be invited to the jail for questioning by the officials. Who knows what he might say then..."
Xie Shichang's face was gloomy as he irritably tapped the edge of the table. The world had truly changed; now even lowly merchants dared to threaten him.
The Xia family is one thing, now is not the time for internal strife. Does Xie Huaijin really think that just because he has gained the Emperor's favor, he can rise to a higher social status and sever all ties with the Xie family?
He treated himself like a wild goose, forgetting that there was a kite string lying on the ground that he could never cut in his lifetime!
It's time to give him a wake-up call.
Xie Shichang smiled contemptuously and raised an eyebrow at Xie Zhang, saying, "Take some men to Yongningfang and invite Madam Su here."
…
After failing to get any answers from Xia Congsheng in person, Yu Mingshu, through Cui Hongli's connections, began investigating the Xia family's business situation upon returning home.
Once she has figured out the network of relationships extending from the Xia family to both the political and business spheres, she will immediately go to Xie Huaijin to discuss the next steps.
As noon approached, the hall where meetings were usually held was inexplicably empty today.
Yu Mingshu pulled his frostbitten hands back into his sleeves, stood under the eaves and peered into the room, only to see a minor official responsible for copying documents in the corner of the long table.
The minor official, enjoying a rare day of leisure, hid a storybook under his desk. He propped his head up on the table with his elbow on the side facing the door, which conveniently covered the small corner of the official document peeking out.
He saw some sensual scenes, and his mouth stretched to his ears in a wide grin. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he looked up at the door.
Upon seeing the figure standing at the door, the clerk immediately covered the storybook nervously and said with a forced smile, "Why isn't Lord Yu coming in?"
Yu Mingshu took a step inside and asked suspiciously, "Do you know where Xie Lushi has gone?"
The clerk said, "He went to the Taiji Hall with Vice Minister Yang early this morning. He has to give a closing report today, so he probably won't be back for a while."
"Is the case closed today?"
"Yes, how could Yu Sheren, who was in charge of this case, be unaware of it?"
Yu Mingshu was a little confused. Xie Huaijin had said a few days ago that he would try to investigate further. How come he was about to close the case without saying a word after only two days?
Faced with the clerk's slightly suspicious gaze, she suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, slapped her forehead, made an annoyed expression, and casually lied: "I've been busy lately and got the date wrong."
At noon, having learned that the meeting in the warm pavilion of Taiji Hall had ended, Yu Mingshu lingered in front of Taiji Gate for a long time.
Li Qinian looked like he hadn't woken up yet, and with a stern face, he went to the Vermilion Bird Gate without giving it a second glance.
Xie Shichang led two subordinates past the Taiji Gate, a triumphant look on his face. Upon seeing the slightly petite figure beside the palace path, he slowed his pace.
Their eyes met, and Yu Mingshu greeted him politely. Xie Shichang gave a perfunctory reply and strode away.
No officials noticed her anymore.
Yu Mingshu stared at the departing officials, her gaze following their crimson robes as they disappeared into the distance, until the color vanished beyond the red wall... She lowered her eyes to look at the color of her own clothes, silently tucking the collar of her fur robe tighter.
Just as Xie Huaijin's figure appeared in the distance, she was about to wave when she saw him suddenly stop, turn around and go back to the Ministry of Personnel through the side gate.
Yu Mingshu froze as she raised her arm slightly. At that moment, she realized something—Xie Huaijin was deliberately avoiding her.
What on earth is this guy up to?!
Yu Mingshu was a little annoyed. After thinking it over, he went straight to Yongningfang after finishing his shift.
She refused to believe that Xie Huaijin could stay out all night.
…
It was already deep winter, and snowflakes began to fall in Chang'an at dusk.
As night deepened and the dim lamplight cast its glow, a lone rider returned from the north, trudging through the snow and leaving a trail of neat, regular hoofprints on the long street.
Hearing the sound of horses being driven, Yu Mingshu pushed open the door and walked straight towards the man.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xie Huaijin caught sight of a woman in casual clothes approaching gracefully. He paused, and his right hand, which was resting on the door knocker, stiffened.
"you……"
"Aren't you going to invite me in for a chat?" Yu Mingshu rarely displayed such a domineering attitude.
Xie Huaijin's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he subconsciously gripped the door knocker, his palms stinging from the cold. Only then did he remember to push open the door and invite her into the courtyard and hall.
Yu Mingshu took his seat, while Xie Huaijin kept his head down, bustling back and forth in the hall, busy lighting charcoal, starting a fire, boiling water, and making tea.
"Don't bother, I only have one question."
Upon hearing this, Xie Huaijin's arm remained suspended in mid-air. After a moment, he slowly placed the kettle back on the stove and moved step by step to sit down opposite her.
"Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
This cautious and timid demeanor is really making me look like I'm going back to my old age.
Yu Mingshu sighed in frustration and said, "Xie Sanlang, I believe you must have had your reasons for hastily closing the case, but why are you hiding it from me and avoiding me?"
"I'm sorry, I..." Xie Huaijin's voice was a little hoarse, "I don't know how to explain it to you."
Yu Mingshu asked, "You went back to the Xie family the day before yesterday?"
Xie Huaijin lowered his eyes and nodded. "Yes."
After saying this, both of them fell silent.
He went back to the Xie family the day before yesterday, and then hastily closed the case today. Anyone would suspect that he knew something, was coerced, or had other concerns, and therefore deliberately showed favoritism.
Xie Huaijin's thin lips trembled slightly, opening and closing almost imperceptibly, before he said with difficulty, "Merchants are shrewd in their dealings, and the Xia brothers are even more cautious in their business dealings. Whatever they did in secret, more than ten years have passed, and they must have destroyed the evidence long ago. If we continue to investigate, we will probably only return empty-handed."
Yu Mingshu remained silent, only looking silently into his eyes.
Xie Huaijin turned his face away and looked out of the courtyard. "Actually, it's better to close the case sooner. His Majesty has already ordered the confiscation of the property of Wen Min, Lü Shaojie, and more than ten other officials involved, and all of it will be added to the national treasury. After the spring, it will be used to support the soldiers in Youzhou and relieve General He's urgent needs."
He gave her a long lecture trying to persuade her to let go, but Yu Mingshu's expression only changed slightly when he mentioned Youzhou, and she quickly regained her composure.
After hearing what he said, Yu Mingshu got up and went to the eaves to look around the courtyard.
The snow in the corner of the wall was layered. The old snow melted quietly during the day and was frozen into ice crystals by the cold air at night. The new snow was like a cotton quilt covering it, piling up into irregular hills.
A broom lay askew in the corner, and half-chopped firewood was piled under the eaves. All these signs indicated that the yard had been neglected for at least two or three days.
There's one person missing in this courtyard.
Yu Mingshu turned to look at him, ignoring the far-fetched explanations, and asked in a deep voice, "Is it true that Minister Xie sent someone to take Lady Su away?"
Xie Huaijin was speechless for a moment.
"How did you know..."
That's a stupid question. The two families live next door to each other. When Xie Shichang sent people to invite Su Niangzi, it caused quite a commotion. It wasn't just the Yu family who saw it; many of the neighbors in Yongningfang heard about it.
Yu Mingshu said, "Everyone has a weakness. If you are forced to lie low temporarily due to coercion, what's so hard about it? Why do you have to hide it and act like you've done something wrong?"
Xie Huaijin said, "I thought you would scold me for deserting my post, for being selfish and cowardly."
Yu Mingshu laughed and sat back down opposite him. "We're here to investigate a case, not to fight a war. Taking a step back isn't abandoning the city and fleeing. Do we have to break our heads and kill people to prove our courage and integrity?"
Xie Huaijin remained silent for a long time, and the bitter feeling of self-loathing in his heart gradually faded away.
She was always like that, throwing him a lifeline when he was stuck in the mud, and dispelling the gloom when he was suffocating from the gloom of the rain.
He lowered his head and processed the information for a long time before suppressing a hidden emotion deep within his heart. When he looked up again, he asked jokingly, "Is this the lesson you learned after the assassination attempt?"
Yu Mingshu held up his index finger and waved it in front of his eyes. "Dispel your stereotypes. I am not some upright but inflexible minister."
Xie Huaijin went to pour a cup of hot water and returned. He pushed the cup in front of her, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said sincerely, "I misunderstood. I offer this water instead of wine to apologize to Lord Yu."
Yu Mingshu accepted the teacup in return, "I'll let it go this time. Just tell me what's wrong in the future, and I'll try to find a solution for you."
"Yes, yes, I will definitely remember," Xie Huaijin replied.
"Did Minister Xie say when Lady Su would be allowed to return?"
"After the New Year," Xie Huaijin said helplessly, "they said they would hold a big family banquet this year to celebrate a reunion."
Yu Mingshu sighed softly: "We can't always be controlled by others."
Xie Huaijin's grip on the cup tightened gradually as he made his decision.
The corruption case involving the construction of the Yanghe River embankment came to an end at the end of December.
Wen Min and Lü Shaojie were executed, their entire family property was confiscated and confiscated by the state treasury, and all the men, women, and children of their clan were exiled.
Besides these two, all the officials who participated in the construction were implicated. Some had their homes confiscated, while others were demoted. Even Censor Hong, who replaced Yu Zhui to supervise the dike construction, was accused of negligence in supervision.
He was about to retire when he was demoted three ranks. It is said that when Censor Hong received the imperial edict, he fainted and then fell seriously ill. He went from being close to retirement to resigning and returning to his hometown.
Before the Lunar New Year, teahouses and taverns were bustling with activity, all discussing this case.
Yu Mingshu hadn't had a get-together with his old friends in a long time, so on a sunny afternoon, he invited Zhou Fuling and Chen Qingyue to have hot pot at Fengyanglou.
A lot of chatter drifted in from outside the private room, and occasionally a few words made her put down her chopsticks.
"Has Imperial Censor Hong really resigned?"
“He’s over fifty years old. How can he possibly have the face to enter the Censorate if he suddenly has to become a subordinate to a young man?”
"In that case, Imperial Censor Yu actually benefited from the disaster. If he hadn't been swept away by the flood, he might have lost his reputation..."
"That's not right. Imperial Censor Yu is upright and honest, and loves the people. If he were still alive, how could he have allowed the likes of Prefect Wen to line their own pockets?"
"You know what, the death of Imperial Censor Yu was suspicious. So many river workers were working by the water back then, why were they all fine, but he was the one who perished in the flood?"
"I think Imperial Censor Yu probably discovered some clues and was silenced."
Inside the private room, Chen Qingyue and Zhou Fuling both looked at Yu Mingshu with slight worry in their eyes.
"These are all baseless rumors. I don't believe them, but you do?" Yu Mingshu said with a laugh.
Chen Qingyue said, "What they said is not wrong. This case was closed too hastily. Even I can see that something is amiss. You...you really don't plan to investigate?"
It's not that we won't investigate, it's that we can't investigate in a high-profile manner.
Yu Mingshu concealed the fleeting somberness in his eyes, smiled, raised his glass, and said, "I trust Registrar Xie's judgment. Let's not talk about that. Quickly try this osmanthus wine. Manager Cui said that if you can't taste the fragrance of autumn osmanthus, she won't charge you."
The two took a small bite and both praised the lingering fragrance, though their praise sounded somewhat absent-minded.
Chen Qingyue put down her jade cup and suddenly leaned close to Yu Mingshu, saying, "Do you know that Xie, the registrar, declined the Emperor's bestowal of honors in order to request an imperial decree for his mother, Lady Su?"
"I've heard a little about it," Yu Mingshu said.
Chen Qingyue asked in surprise, "His Majesty originally intended to promote him to the position of Attendant Censor, with a bright future ahead of him! Who could have imagined that there would be such a filial son in the world, willing to give up his own future to exchange for his mother's favor?"
Yu Mingshu was not surprised by Xie Huaijin's choice.
The position of Censor-in-Chief is very powerful. As a close advisor to the emperor, he has the authority to reject memorials and imperial edicts, participate in the review of major cases by the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review, and even intervene in the appointment and removal of officials below the sixth rank...
If he were in that position now, he might not be able to experience the feeling of having absolute power. Instead, he might become someone else's puppet, coerced into exercising his authority.
Xie Huaijin obtained an imperial title for Lady Su, so she would no longer be a concubine whom the Xie family could manipulate at will, and he could use this to get rid of his constraints.
Yu Mingshu suddenly grasped Chen Qingyue's hand and asked with a smile, "Qingyue, do you want to leave the Bureau of Justice?"
Chen Qingyue felt uneasy under her gaze. "Leave the Bureau of Justice, then where will you go?"
Yu Mingshu said, "Come and do something great with me."
Chen Qingyue cautiously asked, "Explain yourself clearly. What exactly do you want to do?"
"After the spring, His Highness will send me to Liangzhou Academy to conduct research on whether to abolish or establish new regular examination subjects," Yu Mingshu said to her with a smile. "I have many affairs to attend to and am in need of a smart, meticulous, and understanding assistant. What do you think?"
Chen Qingyue was somewhat moved.
She loved reading from a young age, only regretting that she wasn't born a boy so she could pursue an official career and enter the imperial court.
Her elder brother knew her aspirations and, after much effort, recommended her to join the Bureau of Justice. She thought this was the best way out for her life... Unexpectedly, Yu Mingshu, who was also a woman, appeared out of nowhere and did what she had always dreamed of.
At this moment, Yu Mingshu extended his hand to her, inviting her to take things further. How could she refuse?
Chen Qingyue filled her cup with wine and raised it to Yu Mingshu, saying, "Then I thank you for your appreciation, Lord Yu."
…
In the warm spring of March, the barren, gray-yellow grasslands of the north sprouted vibrant greenery.
The elite troops of the Great Liang, who were still engaged in spring plowing in Sangyang City just the day before, suddenly descended upon Tianying River overnight, crossed the hills with lightning speed, and stormed into the Northern Yan royal court.
When Liang Jun entered the city, the young and impetuous king of Northern Yan, whose edges had been smoothed out in less than two years, was hosting a banquet for Huyan Zhan—the leader of the Huyan clan and also his maternal uncle.
After a winter of standoff, the King of Northern Yan was willing to back down and hand over the entire western part of Northern Yan to the Huyan clan in order to preserve his throne, euphemistically called "jointly governing Great Yan".
Huyan Zhan was not satisfied with the result.
The elite troops of the Huyan clan stopped outside the city, not to collect two plots of land and then turn back.
He Zheng led his troops into the main hall. Before the two men could react, their wine cups and spears flew from their hands. In the next instant, the elite soldiers of Daliang swarmed forward and placed long knives against their necks.
"Gentlemen, there's no need to make things difficult for us."
Since the Northern Yan changed its surname to Liang, the two of them naturally no longer needed to compete for it.
Hu Yanzhan, still in shock and doubt, asked, "He Zheng! Weren't you stationed in Sangyang to cultivate the land?"
He Zheng walked to the front of the hall, watched as his personal guards escorted the Prince of Northern Yan away, and chuckled, "Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood."
Huyan Zhan was stunned for a long time. He only came to his senses a moment before being dragged out of the hall. He shouted angrily, "You cunning Liang people! I didn't believe your lies, about the two armies negotiating peace and keeping to themselves!"
“Don’t forget, I am from Youzhou.” He Zheng stepped forward, grabbed his curly hair, and said coldly, “The people of Youzhou and Northern Yan have only a blood feud. It’s either you or me.”
Huyan Zhan opened his mouth to curse, but before he could utter a few words, his mouth was gagged and he was dragged away. The young king beside him silently glared at He Zheng, his eyes filled with a sinister glint, much like a wolf from the grasslands.
He Zheng ignored his gaze, looked towards Chang'an, and then ordered his deputy to handle the post-war matters.
Post-war arrangements included sending the Northern Yan King and his nephew Huyan Zhan to the underworld for a reunion.
This time, He Zheng emphasized that not a single member of the Northern Yan royal family should be spared, and not a single one should be allowed to escape.
The land of Yan is far away, and he doesn't want to suffer the pain of unrequited love again twenty years later.
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