Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 290 Young Master, There's a Mountain of Gold Inside

In front of the vermilion gate of the Zheng family mansion.

Zheng Yunzhu, dressed in a moon-white robe, stood below the steps, bowing to Wen He with a deliberately humble expression.

"Zheng Yunzhu?"

Wen He reined in his horse and glanced at his face.

The contours of his eyebrows and eyes do indeed resemble Jung Yunho's, only lacking some of the arrogance in his eyes.

"Who are you to Zheng Yuanzhu?" Wen He dismounted and looked him up and down.

“My father’s given name was Shanyuan, and he was the younger brother of Zheng Yuanzhu.”

Zheng Yunzhu bowed respectfully, his movements so perfect that there was no fault in them, and even his voice carried just the right amount of obedience.

Wen He tapped her fingertips lightly inside her sleeve.

Zheng Shanyuan...

This name sounds familiar.

By the way, I remembered it.

Although there are few historical records about Zheng Shanyuan, he is not even listed on Baidu Baike (a Chinese encyclopedia).

But Wen He had read it before when she was reading the Book of Sui.

However, he did not achieve much in history and was not famous.

During the Former Sui Dynasty, he was enfeoffed as the Duke of Guichang County. He was the second son of Zheng Yi, and the younger brother of Zheng Yuanzhu.

He was later sidelined for supporting Yang Yong, and when the country descended into chaos, he retired from public life.

Unexpectedly, after Zheng Yuanzhu fell from power, it was he who took charge of the situation.

That makes sense, though; there aren't many members of the Zheng family in Xingyang who are qualified to take charge these days.

The lineage of the first wife, Zheng Yuanzhu, has completely collapsed, and only the second wife, who has been in seclusion for many years, can barely keep the family in check.

This is also thanks to the Zheng family's thousand-year-old tradition, which prevented the Zheng family from really collapsing.

"So he was the son of Zheng Gong of Guichang."

Wen He softened her tone and gestured for him to get up.

"I remember that Lord Zheng lived in seclusion in Xingyang in his early years, and did not care about worldly affairs. I wonder when you came to Chang'an?"

Zheng Shanyuan's title was conferred by the former Sui Dynasty. Although the current dynasty does not recognize it, out of respect for Zheng Yi back then, the upper class of the Tang Dynasty will still respectfully address him as Duke Zheng of Guichang.

Since they treated him with courtesy, he didn't need to put on airs.

After all, not all members of the Jung family are as deserving of a beating as Jung Yunho.

Zheng Yunzhu straightened up, a gentle smile on his face: "Reporting to the county magistrate, I just arrived in Chang'an yesterday. My father heard that my uncle's mansion had been confiscated, so he specially sent me to see His Majesty to ask for His Majesty's permission to allow the Zheng family to buy back the mansion."

"Just for this mansion?"

Wen He raised an eyebrow and scrutinized him. Did he really have no ulterior motive?
For example, to retaliate against me or something?
Zheng Yunzhu smiled even more obsequiously: "It's just for the mansion."

Wen He turned her head and looked at the golden plaque above the gate that read "Xingyang Zheng Family".

He suddenly understood.

This isn't about the mansion; it's clearly about saving face.

As long as this plaque remains hanging, the Zheng family of Xingyang will still have a foothold in Chang'an.

If they lose even this mansion, they will truly become a laughing stock.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead turned to Su Dingfang beside him: "General, what do you think of this matter?"

Su Dingfang was completely bewildered. When he heard Wen He's question, he paused for a moment before coming to his senses. He stammered, "This matter... perhaps we should ask His Majesty's opinion afterward?"

He came from a military background and was good at fighting tough battles, but he was really not good at dealing with the intricacies of these aristocratic scions.

Wen He couldn't help but chuckle, then turned to Zheng Yunzhu and said, "Did you hear that? The General said he wants to ask His Majesty's opinion. If there's nothing else, you can go back now."

Zheng Yunzhu's smile froze for a moment before he noticed Su Dingfang's presence.

This bright armor clearly indicates that he is a high-ranking military officer.

He had inquired before he came and found out that the Hundred Cavalry was led by a young man named Wen He. How did a Lieutenant General suddenly appear?
The court assembly had just ended, and the news from Cui Dunli's side had not yet reached his ears. Naturally, he did not know that the Hundred Cavalry had been expanded and that Su Dingfang was the newly appointed Inspector General of the Hundred Cavalry.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed again, his posture even lower than before: "Reporting to the General and the Viscount of Wen County, Zheng Yuanzhu has brought this upon himself. My Xingyang Zheng clan has expelled him from the ancestral hall and severed all ties with him, but..."

He paused, his tone pleading, "I hope that when you two enter the manor later, you will preserve Zheng's dignity and refrain from damaging any property. In addition, there are family members in the manor. My aunt comes from the Lu family of Fanyang, and my younger sisters have been pampered since childhood. Now that they have suffered such a great misfortune, I hope you two will have some compassion."

Su Dingfang was somewhat surprised to see his humble appearance.

How could the son of the Duke of Guichang County, a direct descendant of the Zheng family of Xingyang, be so respectful to a young county magistrate?
He secretly glanced at Wen He.

This little boy has delicate features and looks very gentle. He doesn't seem like the kind of child who could frighten a scion of a noble family.

"The hundred riders are acting on imperial orders and will only confiscate family property; they will not do any dirty work, so you can rest assured."

Wen He said calmly. He suddenly felt a little like letting Jung Yunho come and see.

This is what it means to ask for help; he was so arrogant and domineering before.

"Alright, you can leave now." Wen He waved her hand, her tone tinged with impatience.

"If you don't leave, I'll send you to jail so you can keep your cousin company."

Zheng Yunzhu shuddered in fright and quickly bowed with a smile, saying, "I dare not disturb you. I will take my leave now."

After saying that, he took a few steps back, but did not actually leave. He simply retreated to the area guarded by the Imperial Guards and stood far away, his eyes fixed on the gate of the mansion.

As Wen He led his hundred riders in single file, I caught a glimpse of his smile vanish in an instant, replaced by a complex and unreadable expression.

"First wife, why did you have to provoke this evil star?"

Zheng Yunzhu stared at the tightly closed door, muttering to himself with a mixture of schadenfreude and regret. "In the end, it all came to this. What a waste of time."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingertips gently stroking the jade pendant at his waist, as if recalling the past: "When I was young, you bullied and humiliated me. Today, I will protect your mother and sister, which can be considered as fulfilling the last bit of blood ties."

A gust of wind blew by, stirring up fallen leaves on the ground. He suddenly chuckled, his voice tinged with amusement: "This young man from Gaoyang County is quite a character. I'll have to deal with him quite a bit in Chang'an in the future."

The Zheng family of Xingyang changed masters in a single day.

With the eldest son's ancestral home revoked, the Zheng family patriarch had no choice but to send the second son's family to Chang'an to take charge of the situation.

The news quickly spread among the upper echelons of Chang'an.

However, Zheng Shanyuan, the second wife, had previously lived in seclusion and now had no title, only an empty name.

Therefore, many people's attention has been focused on Zheng Yunzhu.

However, these things have nothing to do with Wen He.

Inside the mansion, Wen He sat in front of a waterside pavilion, teasing the fish in the lake with fish food in her hand. The garden, with its artificial hills, pavilions, and towers, was extremely elegant.

He had just asked the manager, and the garden alone covers more than ten acres.

This doesn't even include the front and back yards, the three gardens, and the man-made lotus pond.

He had previously thought his mansion was big enough, but compared to this place, it was nothing.

No wonder people say that the aristocratic families have a strong foundation; this mansion is just the tip of the iceberg.

Zhang Wenxiao was directing his soldiers to guard all the passages, while Huang Chun was holding an account book, preparing to register and confiscate items, not even sparing the roof tiles.

This wasn't the first time the Hundred Cavalry had raided homes.

But Wenhe felt that this was not like ransacking a house, but more like moving house.

Wen He sighed and immediately called Zhang Wenxiao over: "First check the accounting office and study, focusing on whether there are any secret letters between them and other prominent families. Also, pay attention to hidden compartments. A family like the Zheng family would definitely not keep their wealth in a conspicuous place."

Su Dingfang followed behind him, somewhat surprised: "Wen County Boy is quite familiar with these things."

"Just average."

It's just because I've watched too many TV dramas and read too many novels.

Before long, the 100 riders indeed discovered a secret passage in the mansion's storeroom. Zhang Wenxiao personally led his men in, and soon he rushed out, exclaiming in surprise.

"Young master, General, there are so many copper coins inside!"

"What's the big deal? These aristocratic families just love to hide money." Wen He chuckled dismissively, then walked down the secret passage with his hands behind his back.

He hadn't walked far when he felt something under his feet. He looked down and was immediately shocked.

Goodness, these steps are covered in money!

After walking a few more steps, when he arrived at the place where the money was hidden, he gasped in shock.

I exclaimed inwardly, "My God!"

It wasn't that Wen He was naive and making a fuss over nothing; rather, he was facing a sea of ​​money.

As far as the eye can see, everything is golden yellow.

"Young master, there's another mountain of gold inside," the 100 riders who went to investigate reported back.

Wen He immediately turned and walked inside.

Su Dingfang took a deep breath, feeling the strong smell of copper coins everywhere. He stood there stunned for a while before following Wen He's footsteps.

"That's outrageous! That's too much! His family has so much money, yet they still dare to bully a poor person like me!"

The thought of Jung Yunho threatening her not to make winter clothes made Wen He want to beat him up.

There was an area in front of him that was at least the size of a basketball court, piled high with gold.

The firelight shining on it was extremely dazzling.

"Men, move all this gold and copper coins out. Also, tell the brothers that anyone who dares to touch a single coin that isn't theirs will face a life-or-death situation!"

Wen He's voice was somewhat cold.

It wasn't that he didn't trust the Hundred Riders, but rather that even he himself had his eye on them.

He had only heard of horseshoe-shaped gold ingots before, but now he had seen them with his own eyes. Each piece of gold was about the size of his fist.

“General.” Wen He turned around, about to look for Su Dingfang, but saw him standing there dumbfounded.

He coughed lightly twice before Su Dingfang came to his senses.

"What business do you have, sir?"

“There is too much money here. I’m worried that we won’t have enough manpower for the Hundred Riders. And just in case, I’ll ask His Majesty to send someone to supervise. I’ll leave this to you.”

Wen He's worries were not unfounded; it's always better to be cautious about these kinds of things.

Su Dingfang pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That's fine then, County Magistrate, go with peace of mind."

Wen He still trusted Su Dingfang's character, especially with Zhang Wenxiao and the others present.

Wen He then bowed to him and turned to leave the cave.

After leaving the warehouse, he was thinking of finding a hundred horsemen to take him away on horseback.

Just then, a commotion was heard from not far away.

"Let go! Let go!"

All that could be heard was a woman's shout.

Wen He's expression changed immediately, and her brows furrowed.

(End of this chapter)