Burned out
Four guards of the granary.
Wang Shili was standing outside, bossing around several minor officials from the Ministry of Revenue. He casually flipped through the thick grain registers, but his eyelids began to droop.
Zhou Ziye, accompanied by several of Zhou Keng's trusted guards, strode steadily into the room. He was dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit, with a long sword at his waist, and his expression was calm, just as it had been in the study.
"Young Master Wang." Zhou Ziye's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Wang Shili's ears.
He was so startled that he jumped back and almost fell backward. Seeing it was Zhou Ziye, he rolled his eyes and yelled, "What are you yelling about! You scared me to death!"
Wang Shili patted his chest, trying to calm himself down, and asked in an annoyed tone, "What are you doing here?"
"By order of Grand Councilor Zhou, I will assist Prince Wang in checking the grain registers and supervising the distribution of grain to ensure that nothing goes wrong." Zhou Ziye handled the matter officially, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of grain sacks and the soldiers standing guard around him, finally settling on the thick grain register.
"Go ahead and look, I'm not stopping you, why are you putting on airs?" Wang Shili said, his mouth bulging, and obediently went around to the side, ignoring Zhou Ziye's gaze.
"Let's begin, Young Master Wang. Now that the grain carts have been delivered to the granary, we should verify the quantities as soon as possible so that we can release the grain in accordance with Lord Zhou's orders."
"Oh," Wang Shili responded, then directed the clerk to bring over tables and chairs and spread out the grain registers. He himself stood to the side and slightly behind Zhou Ziye, occasionally stealing glances at him.
Zhou Ziye appeared to be focused on the grain registers and grain bags, but in reality, he was observing them. He could sense the tension, even fear, of the local officials.
He couldn't help but sneer inwardly. With the Ministry of Revenue's accounts and the Privy Council's influence at stake, it would be strange if there wasn't something fishy going on in these grain registers. His second uncle's instruction to "keep an eye on things" was, in a way, a warning.
He always knew that the Zhou family was involved in those dirty deeds.
He had to act as if nothing was amiss, while at the same time... finding that opportunity.
Outside the granary, Tang Qi and the others stood silently watching from a distance.
Hu Xingche paced back and forth irritably, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
"You can see it but you can't touch it. This guy surnamed Zhou is going to hang us all alive." He couldn't help but whisper.
Tang Qi pressed down on his shoulder and lightly swept his eyes around the granary: "Why are you in such a hurry? Zhou Keng set up this trap just to wait for us to lose our composure. Forcing our way in is the worst possible strategy."
Ye Qian's gaze fell on a certain spot on the side of the granary.
“I saw him,” Ye Qian suddenly whispered.
"He went inside." Shen Zhiqing's eyes followed the man until he completely disappeared from sight.
Tang Qi didn't speak, but Cheng Junshi turned his head and sensed his unease.
"You don't believe him?" Cheng Junshi asked quietly.
Tang Qi shook his head, unable to describe his emotions, and said in a muffled voice, "I wish he hadn't come to Jinnan."
Cheng Junshi frowned at the abrupt and seemingly unrelated remark, while Ye Qian chimed in, "I believe him."
Shen Zhiqing glanced at him but didn't say anything. Tang Qi suddenly burst out laughing: "What's the use of you believing him? He'd better believe in himself."
Tang Qi crossed his arms, a familiar but unsatisfying smile playing on his lips, his eyes indifferent: "His arrival in Jinnan means he's completely involved in everything concerning the Zhou family. What grounds do we have to judge him for right and wrong? Zhou Ziye... has long been unable to control his own destiny."
“However, since he volunteered, he must have made a decision. How much trouble he can cause under Zhou Keng’s nose depends on his ability. We can’t just wait around.” Ye Qian’s gaze suddenly sharpened. A figure dressed as a minor official from the Ministry of Revenue was seen glancing in their direction during a brief shift change at the side gate of the granary.
Tang Qi remained calm, his fingers gently twisting inside his sleeve.
Inside the granary, the verification finally came to an end. The local grain official wiped the sweat from his brow and forced a smile as he said to Zhou Ziye, "Lord Zhou, the approximate quantity has been counted. Although there were some losses along the way, it is still within the scope permitted by the Ministry of Revenue. The grain registers have been verified and are correct. What do you think?"
Zhou Ziye nodded, his gaze calm and unwavering: "Thank you for your hard work. The grain register has been checked, but—" He changed the subject, pointing to a pile of grain bags that had just been opened for inspection, "When I checked them just now, these bags of rice seemed to have a slightly different color than the new grain marked on the storage record."
The grain official's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. He tried to remain calm: "Ah, this—perhaps it was due to the bumpy road or slightly improper storage, so it's a little stale. It doesn't affect its edibility, it's not a big deal, it's not a big deal." He tried to downplay it.
"Disaster relief grain is a matter of life and death, how can we be careless?" Zhou Ziye's tone remained calm: "Since Young Master Wang is in charge of the grain register, he should carefully check the batch and storage records of these bags to see if there are any errors in the registration. Lord Zhou values 'no mistakes' the most, and the freshness of this grain is also a kind of error. I would like to ask Young Master Wang to personally go deep into the warehouse to find the original storage receipt for this batch of grain and then check it again."
Wang Shili flipped his finger: "Huh? Who? Me?"
He looked directly at Wang Shili, who pursed his lips and waved his hand, saying, "Okay, okay, okay."
Having barely rested before having to get back to work, Wang Shili was seething with anger. He glared at the grain official and yelled, "What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear what Lord Zhou said? Go and investigate now!"
Wang Shili deliberately dragged out his words, speaking sarcastically to Zhou Ziye, for he hated people who put on airs the most.
The grain official was nervous when Wang Shili called him. He wanted to refuse but couldn't find a reason, so he could only grit his teeth and say, "Yes...yes, I will go and check right away!" Before leaving, he quickly gave the clerk next to him a look, signaling him to keep an eye on the grain register. He then walked with a gloomy face, accompanied by two of Zhou Keng's personal guards, and hurriedly headed into the dimly lit depths of the granary.
Zhou Ziye's move conveniently diverted Wang Shili's attention, and now is the perfect opportunity.
Just as Wang Shili turned to leave, drawing everyone's attention, Zhou Ziye casually took two steps forward, approaching the table where the grain registers were piled. He picked up a brush dipped in ink from the table, pretending to write something, his arm hanging naturally, his wide sleeve brushing against the edge of the table.
An old copper coin slipped silently from his sleeve and rolled into a crevice between the tables, its location extremely well hidden. Zhou Ziye's entire movement was so fluid that even the minor official standing beside the table didn't notice.
However, just when Zhou Ziye thought everything was fine, a pair of eyes he suddenly met made him panic instantly.
Wang Shili was staring at him intently from outside the door.
Oh no.
In Wang Shili's position, he would certainly be able to see through his little tricks clearly.
Zhou Ziye felt a chill run down his spine; fear froze him in place, unable to move an inch.
He was breathing very lightly. Just as Zhou Ziye was anxiously thinking of a solution, Wang Shili suddenly turned his head as if nothing had happened. He didn't say anything or do anything. He just turned around and slowly walked forward.
After he left, Zhou Ziye breathed a long sigh of relief as if he had been saved. He calmed himself down, pretended to be nonchalant, put down his pen, and tapped the hilt of his sword three times with his fingertips—one of the secret codes he and Tang Qi had agreed upon when they were young.
Outside the granary, Tang Qi, who had been keeping a close eye on the side door, suddenly murmured, "There's something left over in the direction of the grain register table!"
Tang Qi didn't hesitate at all: "Lu Juezhen!"
"Yes!" Lu Juezhen responded immediately.
"See that gap in the southeast corner of the granary? The guard just changed positions and is facing away from us. You have a loud voice, so shout to the people queuing over there right now—say that you saw rats carrying rice out of the granary and running that way. The louder the commotion, the better!"
"Huh? A mouse carrying rice?" Lu Juezhen was taken aback. Although he didn't understand why, he carried out the order without hesitation: "Understood! Just watch!"
He took a deep breath, and then:
"Oh my god! Look! Huge rats! They've crawled out of the granary! They're carrying loads of white rice and running towards that dilapidated house over there! Good heavens, the disaster relief grain is being fed to rats!!"
His shout was so satisfying, and his voice was so mournful and pitiful.
The already tense crowd of disaster victims, who were extremely sensitive to food shortages, suddenly became agitated.
"What?! Mice are stealing grain?!"
"White rice?!"
"Where is it? Where's the mouse?!"
Countless hungry, angry, and terrified gazes were fixed on the direction Lu Juezhen pointed—the relatively secluded corner of the granary in the southeast corner, near the low-lying houses. The crowd instinctively pushed and shoved towards the direction where the grain was hidden.
"Stop them!"
"Stop the chaos! Stand back!"
The soldiers guarding the area were caught off guard and were thrown into chaos by the surging crowd. They shouted and brandished their swords in an attempt to maintain order, and the scene quickly descended into chaos.
At the very moment the commotion broke out, Tang Qi took advantage of the chaos and the moment when the soldiers' attention was drawn to him to get close to the side door of the granary. The guards didn't even look at him.
His hand moved with incredible agility, reaching out and retracting in a swift motion, and the old copper coin that Zhou Ziye had placed in the gap between the desk and the wall was now in his palm. Having succeeded, he didn't linger; in a flash, he disappeared into the corner without a trace.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the group managed to escape to another location. Tang Qi quickly examined the copper coins in his hand, and several heads crowded around him at the same time.
Lu Juezhen stroked his chin, feigning a serious expression, and said, "Hmm...hmm...hmm..."
Hu Xingche rolled his eyes at him: "If you can't tell, you can't tell. No one will laugh at you."
Lu Juezhen scratched his head and chuckled twice, saying, "Brother Zhengye, why did that person leave you a copper coin? Is there any secret behind this copper coin?"
"The copper coin itself isn't the secret; what's on the coin is," Tang Qi said.
He placed the copper coin in his palm and spread it out for everyone to see. Several pairs of eyes looked over, and Cheng Junshi was the first to ask in confusion, "This...this is...two grains of rice?"
Two grains of rice happened to stick to the copper coin.
"What kind of clue is this? Are you trying to tell us there's nothing wrong?" Hu Xingche asked again, "Then why give us two? Wouldn't one be enough?"
"Because these two grains of rice are completely different," Shen Zhiqing said calmly.
Everyone looked over, and Shen Zhiqing calmly picked up the two grains of rice and said, "These two grains of rice are from different periods. One is new grain sent by His Majesty, and the other is obviously old grain."
Lu Juezhen stared in disbelief at the almost identical rice in Shen Zhiqing's hand. How could he tell they were different?
Hu Xingche pressed his jaw back down, startled, and said quietly, "When it comes to food, Sister Shen is an expert."
"It seems the breakthrough lies in the original warehouse entry slips for the batch of old grain that Wang Shili was sent to investigate. The man surnamed Zhou wanted to use the old grain to settle accounts, line his own pockets, and then pin the blame for the bad debts and the peasant uprising on us," Tang Qi said.
Deep within the granary, Zhou Ziye remained standing quietly. He had heard the huge commotion outside and knew it was caused by Tang Qi and his group. Zhou Ziye glanced slightly to the side, looking again in the direction where Wang Shili had disappeared, his face still expressionless.
"I have done my best."
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