"Either these 30,000 soldiers actually existed but disappeared into thin air, or the governor in charge of the military did something else to them."
Ning Yao rested her chin on her hand: "According to the records, the average monthly salary of a soldier is one tael of silver, so it is twelve taels a year. Seventy thousand soldiers would receive eighty-four hundred thousand taels of silver, and one hundred thousand soldiers would receive one million two hundred thousand taels of silver. There is a difference of thirty-six hundred thousand taels!"
This figure is truly staggering. In fact, besides soldiers' salaries, other expenses also amount to a considerable sum.
For example, the manufacture and maintenance of new equipment, the feeding of warhorses, and the clothing for soldiers for two seasons a year all depended on the imperial court.
Shen Wei flipped through the files in his hand, trembling with anger.
"Embezzling military funds is an unforgivable crime!"
Ning Yao winked at Zhi Lan, who immediately presented the second file.
"Nanjiang City is named after the Nanjiang River and is the first city south of the Kunlun Mountains. Its prosperity is due to favorable timing, geographical location, and human factors. Its grain production is the highest in the Yan Kingdom, earning it the reputation of being the granary of the Yan Kingdom."
"Indeed! Based on the annual tax records in the dossier, and extrapolating backwards, with tens of thousands of acres of fertile land within the territory of Nanjiang City, the annual grain yield per acre should be at least 600 jin. However, the actual recorded yield per acre is only 400 jin, which is a difference of 200 jin. Which figure is the real one?"
"If the tax rate is 20%, then 120 jin of grain per mu is paid for a yield of 600 jin per mu, and 80 jin per mu is paid for a yield of 400 jin per mu. But if the yield is only 400 jin per mu, but 120 jin of grain is paid for a yield of 400 jin per mu, then the tax rate will rise to 30%. So where did the extra 40 jin of grain go?"
"More than 40 jin per mu, 10,000 mu would be 400,000 jin, that's no small amount!"
The third file was then presented, which contained records of wrongful convictions, fabricated cases, and miscarriages of justice over the years.
"As the magistrate of Nanjiang City, I believe that you, Lord Wen, are most familiar with this third set of files. I only glanced through this set of files and did not examine it carefully, but I will have to trouble you, Lord Wen, to exonerate them."
With red eyes, Wen Yuan took the file, his rough hands trembling slightly as he turned to the first page.
On the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the third year of the Yan calendar, Wen Yuanshi and her daughter mysteriously disappeared from the west street of Nanjiang City. They were found three days later in the western suburbs outside the city, both of them dead.
After trial, the final verdict was homicide, but the murderer has not yet been apprehended.
Wen Yuan was thirty years old, and his daughter Wen Xing was fourteen years old. Wen Yuan was the wife and daughter of Wen Yuan.
The case was closed on the 25th day of the eighth month of the third year of the Yan dynasty.
Back then, Lin Licheng revoked Wen Yuan's right to preside over the case because Wen Yuan was a relative of the deceased. Wen Yuan did not participate in the trial even once during the ten-day trial.
In the end, all he got was a court judgment and the rotting, stinking corpses of his wife and daughters.
The story begins on Wenxing's birthday and ends on the day Wenyuan and his wife met.
How ironic.
"I believe that most of the victims of wrongful convictions in this case file can be found among those hundreds of corpses. However, due to the passage of time, the bodies have turned to dust, so it would be difficult to match them up."
A refined, hoarse voice rang out: "This humble official has a solution. Within three days, this humble official will surely overturn all the wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice, restore peace to the deceased, and give the people justice!"
At this point in the story, the corruption of officials in Nanjiang City has become blatantly obvious.
From the moment Lin Licheng and his group were escorted into the city, Nanjiang City began to undergo earth-shaking changes.
The city lord's mansion and the governor's mansion were raided for three days, and the gates of the prefect's mansion were left open for three days and three nights as well.
Whether it was day or night, the patrolling soldiers never stopped, and the people always had a feeling that a storm was brewing.
In the dead of night, Ning Yao led Zhi Lan to the dungeon of Nanjiang City.
The dungeon used to imprison ordinary people, but now it has become the temporary home of the Lin Licheng brothers.
The dungeon was noisy; the sounds of women arguing and children crying echoed in every corner.
When Ning Yao appeared, the entire dungeon fell silent.
"It's you! You bitch, you've ruined us!"
Zhilan's eyes turned cold, a flash of silver light appeared, and the finger pointing at Ning Yao instantly fell to the ground, followed by the woman's scream.
"Shut up!" Ning Yao frowned impatiently. The woman's screams disappeared, leaving only a corpse.
The crowd was so frightened that they backed away, wanting to scream but afraid of losing their lives.
They all covered their mouths, staring at Ning Yao in horror.
Ning Yao walked all the way to the innermost part, then stopped, her clear, cold voice ringing out: "Where are those 30,000 soldiers now?"
Lin Licheng, now a prisoner, looked at Ning Yao with complicated emotions.
He didn't know where he went wrong.
With Consort Lin as his backer, life in Nanjiang City was incredibly comfortable. He could get whatever he wanted, making him completely forget that some people were not to be trifled with.
Having been locked in the dungeon for several days without speaking, his voice was hoarse as he finally spoke: "White Dragon Ridge."
Ning Yao raised an eyebrow: "The reason?"
Lin Licheng asked, "What benefit would it bring me if I told you?"
"Trying to negotiate when you're about to die? Or would you like to experience the way the hundred female corpses in the inner quarters die?"
Lin Licheng's face changed, looking as ugly as if he had eaten shit.
In his view, those were all fickle and worthless people; their deaths were no loss.
But if he were to die like that, he would feel his dignity had been trampled upon.
"I wonder if the young lady knows anything about the Ning family?"
"The Duke of Chengguo's Mansion in the capital?"
Lin Licheng shook his head: "It's the legendary Ning family."
Ning Yao remained silent, but in her heart she wondered if there were any legends about the Ning family in this life as well.
There are too many rumors about the Ning family, but it is said that Bailong Ridge was once a temporary residence for the Ning family.
"The stuff that family slips through their fingers is enough to drive the world mad. I'm just an ordinary person, so what reason do I have to refuse?"
A mad glint flashed in Lin Licheng's eyes as he said this.
Ning Yao had no interest in listening anymore. The Ning family's most precious possession was already in her hands, and she had no interest in the rest. The most important thing now was the safety of the 30,000 soldiers.
Seeing Ning Yao about to leave, Lin Licheng asked fiercely, "Don't you want to know what I found in White Dragon Ridge?"
Ning Yao stopped and turned to approach him.
A hint of murderous intent flashed in Lin Licheng's eyes; he thought Ning Yao was just curious.
Little did they know that Ning Yao said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Guess why my surname is Ning?"
After saying that, he curled up a mocking smile, and then turned and left, leaving Lin Licheng in a daze.
The girl's dashing figure shattered Lin Licheng's defenses.
"No, how could this be! How could you possibly be a member of the Ning family?" His frantic words were no longer worth listening to.
On West Street, a grand court was set up in front of the Prefect's Mansion to retry wrongful convictions from the past ten years. The news had been sent out three days earlier, and the people who came upon hearing the news all brought their families and helped each other.
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