Madam Tan wasn't surprised by what Aunt Ming said, but when she heard Aunt Ning speak, she realized something was wrong.
When I went to the storeroom at Chenshi (7-9 AM), everything was fine. Now, before noon, everything in the storeroom is gone. So, it seems that Aunt Ning's things were stolen this morning.
"What's in your storeroom?" Madam Tan asked, looking at Aunt Ning.
Aunt Ning answered truthfully that she had some jewelry, some ornaments, and some tonics and medicinal herbs, including quite a few large items.
In broad daylight, Madam Tan felt it was simply impossible to transport so many things out.
“Send people to investigate. The things the thieves stole should still be in the mansion. They had no chance to transport them out.”
That's good, since the items are still in the mansion, the chances of finding them are greater.
At Madam Tan's command, the entire Tan family sprang into action and began searching for the items.
The other people in the backyard had also heard about the theft of the storeroom and were planning to go check it out when they discovered that their storeroom had also been robbed.
This makes the search much more efficient.
When Tan Ruixian returned in the evening, he found the mansion in complete disarray, with everyone searching for something.
Tan Ruixian frowned at the butler: "What's going on? Why is everyone so unruly today?"
The steward bowed his head and replied, "Sir, the house has been burgled. Several of the masters' storerooms in the backyard have been stolen."
Tan Ruixian was stunned upon hearing this: "They were all stolen?!"
Is that impossible?
"Yes, Madam estimates it should have been between last night and this morning. The thief probably didn't have time to take the items out of the manor. Madam has ordered everyone in the manor to search for the missing items!"
Tan Ruixian then went to the backyard and saw Madam Tan in a panic. He asked, "What happened?"
Madam Tan also wanted to know what had happened, so she explained the whole story in detail. Only then did Tan Ruixian realize the seriousness of the matter. Almost all of the masters' storerooms in the backyard had been completely robbed, and not even a single shelf had been left to hold the items.
This was somewhat unexpected.
With so many people in the manor, how could a thief have stolen everything so cleanly? Yet, when we searched, we couldn't find anything.
Tan Ruixian didn't lose his temper. He thought the same as Madam Tan, believing that the item should still be in the mansion, but he didn't know where it had been hidden.
He ordered his men to intensify the search, while he returned to the front yard.
He also had a storeroom in his front yard, which contained some ordinary, inexpensive items that hadn't been stolen.
Upon entering the study, he instructed someone not to disturb him and then opened the secret room.
As soon as he entered, he sensed something was wrong. When he lit the candles and saw the empty secret room, he immediately collapsed to the ground, completely losing his composure.
These are all his treasured possessions from many years ago!
Everything is gone.
Just as he was feeling sad, he suddenly remembered something, quickly got up, and opened the hidden compartment where he kept his account book, only to find it empty.
It's over, it's really over now.
Those ledgers are full of incriminating evidence. If they fall into the wrong hands, his whole family could lose their heads.
Emerging from the secret room, his face deathly pale, he hurriedly ordered his men to search and investigate. So many things couldn't have simply vanished into thin air; the thief must still be in the mansion.
Now, everyone in the Tan family was on their toes, immediately throwing themselves into the search.
All the doors were blocked off, and there was a guard every five meters along the wall, making the entire mansion look like an iron barrel.
While things were in chaos at Tanfu, Youqing returned to the inn and began to take stock of her gains at the farm.
The inventory check was relatively easy, as the items in the warehouse were arranged in an orderly manner. The final focus was on the ledgers that had been taken from Tan Ruixian's study.
There were quite a few ledgers, eight in total, each one thick. Youqing began to flip through them. They recorded the money and treasures Tan Ruixian had received over the past ten years, as well as the money and treasures he had submitted to higher authorities. They also recorded who had given him money and what he had done over the years, and he remembered everything clearly.
In short, if this is true, it would be solid evidence of a crime!
After checking everything, if you see anything that matches the ledger, then the ledger is definitely not fake.
This trip was definitely worthwhile.
Having evidence wasn't enough. Tan Ruixian would put on a show. He was greedy, but he didn't covet what was in his own territory. In Anning Prefecture, his reputation was still quite good.
Therefore, this evidence is of little use in Anning Prefecture.
The Tan family searched for a day and a night, and the mansion was in chaos. No one from top to bottom could find peace. Youqing, on the other hand, had a good sleep at the inn. After waking up, she set off for Yunnan Prefecture.
In modern terms, Yunnan Prefecture was the capital city of Yunnan Province. It housed not only the Prefect of Yunnan Prefecture, but also the Governor-General, Governor, Provincial Treasurer, and Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Yunnan Province, who were responsible for the province's military, political, financial, judicial, and supervisory affairs.
These officials all had residences in Yunnan Prefecture, and they usually conducted their official business there.
Tan Ruixian, as the prefect of Anning Prefecture, was able to be so audacious as to embezzle so much money, so he must have had connections above him.
Youqing circled the names of the people who had financial dealings with Tan Ruixian. Governor-General and Governor Tan Ruixian were beyond his reach; Anning Prefecture didn't have the power to have the Governor-General and Governor act as his direct protectors.
Neither the Provincial Treasurer nor the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner had direct financial dealings with Tan Ruixian, but some of their subordinates had close ties with him.
The provincial governor was responsible for the province's finances and taxes. Under him were the left and right councilors and advisors. The left councilor and the right advisor had dealings with Tan Ruixian.
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