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

How many chapters are left in Chapter 293? I'm done!

Wen He raised her eyes, her gaze falling on the face of the Hundred Rider who had answered her, and asked in a deep voice, "After the interrogation, is there anything amiss?"

"There isn't much difference."

The hundred riders bowed and replied, "However, a servant confessed that although Zheng Wuniang was born out of wedlock, she was registered under Madam Lu's name early on. In addition, she does have a five-year-old brother named Zheng Yun'an, and Madam Lu is particularly considerate of him."

Wen He nodded upon hearing this.

This aligns with Zheng Wuniang's explanation. In prominent families...

It is not uncommon for illegitimate daughters to be registered under the name of their legal mothers; there are essentially two scenarios.

Either the girl's birth mother died early, and her stepmother adopted her out of kindness.

Either the lord insisted, in order to elevate the child's status.

However, Zheng Yuanzhu was from a noble family and would never do such a thing.

Otherwise, if word gets out, he will lose face and become a laughing stock.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to press, "How did Madam Lu treat her? Did she mistreat her?"

"She was never mistreated in terms of food, clothing, or daily necessities. Last year, a tutor was specially hired so that she could attend girls' school with her legitimate sisters."

The 100 riders recalled their confessions.

"The servants in the mansion said that Madam Lu treated her no differently than her own daughter, and even her jewelry and fabrics were distributed according to the rations of a legitimate daughter."

Wen He tapped her fingertips lightly inside her sleeve. To allow a concubine's daughter to attend a girls' school was already a great favor within the gentry class.

The girls' school not only taught needlework and embroidery, but also poetry, literature and etiquette, paving the way for them to marry into a wealthy family in the future.

If Lady Lu truly treated her so kindly, why did she force her to perform this act of sacrificing herself to survive when she was in trouble?
"How does Jung Yunho treat her?"

Wen He pressed on, her tone now tinged with inquiry.

"It is said that she treats him like a younger sister," said Baiqi.

"She never lacked anything that her elder sister had. Oh, and by the way, there's another thing: Zheng Wu Niang's birth mother was originally Lu Shi's dowry maid."

Wen He suddenly understood.

He chuckled softly, a knowing glint in his eyes: "Interesting."

"Go and investigate her five-year-old brother, Zheng Yun'an, thoroughly. See how healthy he is, who takes care of him, and whether Madam Lu truly loves him as much as the rumors suggest."

This matter is far more complex than it appears.

If Madam Lu truly wanted to find a way out for herself, she could have handled it herself. Why did she have to let her half-grown daughter show her face in public?

Moreover, this daughter was born to the maid who accompanied her as part of her dowry, and she was registered under her own name. This action seemed like a deliberate attempt to protect something.

"Yes, sir!" The hundred riders acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Wen He temporarily put Zheng Wu Niang's matter to herself; the most important thing right now was to take stock of Zheng's property.

He turned to Zhang Wenxiao beside him and said, "Let Dugu Chen and the others begin. Be careful and don't miss anything."

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Wenxiao responded and left.

Before long, Dugu Chen, Changsun Huan, Wu Yuanshuang, and Wu Yuanqing, along with more than ten riders, followed Su Dingfang toward the underground vault.

As soon as they pushed open the heavy wooden door, a smell mixed with gold, silver and mildew hit them. Upon seeing the scene inside, even those from aristocratic families couldn't help but gasp.

"This...this Jung Yunho's family has so much money?"

Dugu Chen was born into the Dugu clan and had been pampered since childhood. However, when he saw the gold bricks and silver ingots stacked higher than a person in the underground vault, he was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out.

"No wonder he could spend lavishly at Wangchun Tower in previous years; it turns out he had so much money hidden at home."

He had always heard his elders say that wealthy families were powerful, but he had never really believed it. But today, after seeing it for himself, he suddenly realized that he was like a poor boy who had never seen the world.

Changsun Huan stood in front of the pile of gold and silver, took a deep breath, as if even the air was filled with the smell of copper coins: "This is the first time I have ever seen such a spectacle. This one gold brick alone is probably enough to cover the expenses of my Changsun family for three years."

If Wen He were here right now, she would definitely say that Changsun Huan was talking nonsense.

Your Changsun family isn't this frugal.

Wu Yuanshuang swallowed hard and tugged at Wu Yuanqing beside him: "Second brother, this money is more than our family's!"

Although their father, Wu Shihuo, was a well-known wealthy merchant in Chang'an, compared to the mountain of wealth before them, he was nothing.

"Alright, any more of it isn't ours anyway."

Dugu Chen was the first to recover from his shock. He clapped his hands vigorously, and the crisp sound made all the riders around him stop moving.

He raised his voice and said, "Hurry up and get people to move it. Check the registration carefully. There can't be the slightest mistake. High-ranking officials are watching from outside. Anyone who dares to have any crooked thoughts will have their head chopped off!"

Although he came from a prestigious family and was used to seeing gold and silver, he still couldn't help but tremble when faced with this private collection that was comparable to the national treasury.

But he knew he couldn't touch the confiscated money.

Even hiding a single penny would lead to his utter disgrace if word got out, and he didn't want to gamble with his career.

Changsun Huan quickly chimed in, "Brother Dugu is right. We should just follow the rules and make sure everything is accounted for so we can finish our work and rest as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he glanced at the Wu brothers, signaling them to calm down.

Wu Yuanshuang and Wu Yuanqing nodded repeatedly, then turned and directed the hundred riders to begin moving the load.

The soldiers moved swiftly, carefully packing gold bricks and silver ingots into reinforced wooden boxes, neatly rolling up silk into bundles and placing them into bamboo baskets, while fragile jewels and jade artifacts were carefully wrapped in cotton and then placed into wooden boxes lined with velvet.

Dugu Chen held the ledger, checking the name and quantity of each item one by one, the pen tip gliding across the paper with a soft rustling sound.

Changsun Huan patrolled the area, keeping watch to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to hide the contents.

The Wu brothers worked together quite well, one counting the items and the other keeping the accounts.

The inventoried valuables would first be sent to Zhang Wenxiao for tallying, and then he would deliver them to Wen He.

Wen He sat at the makeshift table, her abacus clicking away as she converted boxes of valuables into bundles and recorded them in the master register. This methodical process, however, made Gao Yue and Su Dingfang, who were standing nearby, somewhat uneasy.

Gao Yue originally wanted to personally oversee the registration, but found that Baiqi had already established a strict set of rules, from moving to checking to bookkeeping, each step was interconnected, and she couldn't get involved at all.

He could only stand aside, holding his teacup, watching Wen He's hands move so fast on the abacus that they were like a blur, and he was secretly amazed.

This young man was not only efficient in his methods, but also remarkably skilled at accounting.

Su Dingfang was more composed than Gao Yue.

Seeing that he couldn't really help, he simply went to the group of 100 knights and started chatting with them.

He knew that when the 100 cavalry were expanded in the future, the core of the force would definitely be these original hundred-odd people.

He couldn't get in touch with the people in the second team for the time being, but almost all the brothers in the first team were here today, so he could take this opportunity to understand their personalities and daily routines.

"Was the daily training of the Hundred Cavalry rigorous in the past?" Su Dingfang asked, patting one of the Hundred Cavalry on the shoulder, his tone unusually friendly for a general.

The 100 riders were taken aback for a moment, then scratched their heads and laughed, "Fortunately, although the young master's training is strict, he never does anything reckless. It's much more comfortable than being in the military camp."

Su Dingfang raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

It seems that Wen He's prestige among the Hundred Riders is even higher than he thought.

Su Dingfang glanced at Wen He and composed himself.

Time passed little by little, from the first light of dawn to the sun at its zenith, and then gradually sank in the west.

Except for brief meal breaks, Wen He almost never stopped fiddling with the abacus.

Until dusk.

Wen He suddenly stopped, feeling numbness throughout her arm and aching, swollen fingertips.

"How much is left? I'm quitting!"

Wen He shoved the abacus onto the table and shouted angrily.

He had never counted so much money in his life; he was so busy counting money that his hands cramped up.

Upon hearing this, the people who were carrying things out couldn't help but smile wryly.

They were exhausted too.

From morning till dusk, they hadn't rested for almost six hours, carrying heavy loads of gold and silver, and their arms were long since too sore to lift.

Who would have thought that one day I would be so exhausted from carrying money that I would collapse?

"You've worked hard, sir."

Gao Yue quickly smiled and came over, holding a bowl of honey water in her hand, and eagerly handed it to Wen He.

"Hurry up and drink some honey water and rest. Look at your hands, they're probably stiff."

Wen He didn't stand on ceremony, took the drink and drank it all in one gulp. The sweet taste slid down her throat, and she finally felt a little better.

He wiped his mouth and asked, "Senior official, have those things we planned to send away been delivered?"

"It was sent a long time ago."

Gao Yue quickly replied.

"His Majesty specially dispatched the Left Guard to receive them and transport them directly to the Left Treasury, but the total amount..."

He paused, then said somewhat embarrassedly.

"The palace has sent several inquiries already; His Majesty wants to know the exact amount."

Wen He gestured towards the entrance to the underground parking garage, her tone helpless: "Total? I'm telling you, Senior Official, look at the situation, do you think I can finish calculating today?"

Gao Yue followed his gaze and saw that Dugu Chen and the hundred riders who were carrying the load were all drenched in sweat, their undergarments soaked through.

Despite the freezing weather, they were so hot that they opened their coats, and most of their valuables were still piled up in the basement and hadn't been moved out yet.

"Yes, yes, yes, it was our family that was too impatient."

Gao Yue quickly smiled apologetically, his attitude becoming even more respectful. He needed Wen He's help now, so he could only go along with her.

"Yes, yes, yes, then how much has been calculated so far?" Gao Yue asked again.

Wen He picked up an account book from the table and handed it to Gao Yue: "Take this to His Majesty and tell him that the remaining assets are temporarily sealed up. All 100 cavalrymen are on duty tonight, and no one is allowed to leave this place."

He was worried that something might go wrong during the night. After all, so much money was kept here. If something happened, he might be fine, but the other members of the Hundred Riders would inevitably be punished.

"Here!"

Although the hundred riders were exhausted, they still responded in unison without uttering a single complaint.

Gao Yue took the account book and hurriedly led her people to the palace.

Not long after, Xu Jingzong arrived with the rest of his troops.

He also brought food from the mansion along the way, and the aroma of food filled the air as soon as he entered the courtyard.

After meeting Su Dingfang, Xu Jingzong took Huang Chun for a walk around the underground garage. When they returned, Xu Jingzong was so surprised that his beard stood on end: "Good heavens, no wonder we haven't finished calculating yet. With so much wealth, it's probably equivalent to half a year's taxes in Jiangnan!"

He grew more and more excited as he thought about it, stroking his beard and laughing, "With this money, even if there is a famine next year, the imperial court will be able to deal with it with ease. In fact, this is all thanks to our Hundred Cavalry!"

Seeing that he was grinning from ear to ear, Wen He immediately handed over the task of guarding the warehouse to him: "Since you're so interested, Lao Xu, I'll trouble you to keep watch tonight."

After saying that, he didn't care whether Xu Jingzong was willing or not, and had someone find a room in the side courtyard, where he went to sleep.

After a long day, all he wanted to do was rest, and he didn't even care about the soreness and numbness in his arms.

Just as Wen He was drifting off to sleep, there was a soft knock on the door.

He suddenly opened his eyes and pulled out the sword from under his pillow.

(End of this chapter)