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

Chapter 294 I'm clearly a good person

"Young master, it is I."

The voices of a hundred riders came from outside the door.

Wen He loosened his grip on the knife slightly, his heart returning to its place. However, he did not put the knife down, but instead said in a deep voice to the door, "Wait a moment."

"Yes."

The person outside the door responded, followed by soft footsteps.

Clearly, they consciously stepped back a few steps, maintaining an appropriate distance.

Wen He listened intently to the sounds outside, and after confirming that there was nothing amiss, she got up, blew out the oil lamp by the bedside, and, using the moonlight streaming in from the window, reached for the door.

He first peeked through the crack in the door and saw that the hundred riders were indeed standing a few steps away, with their backs to the door and their postures respectful, before he pulled open the door bolt.

The moment he opened the door, he saw the hundred riders turn around at the sound, their faces showing some anxiety.

Wen He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

I realize I'm being a bit paranoid.

He stepped aside to let the hundred riders approach and asked, "What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

The hundred riders stepped forward and bowed, lowering their voices to say, "Reporting to the young master, we investigated the younger brother mentioned by Zheng Wu Niang as you instructed, and indeed found some problems. The child is not born of a concubine, but is the third son of Lu Shi, the ninth son of Zheng Yuanzhu, Zheng Jiulang."

Wen He tapped her fingertip lightly on the door frame, signaling him to continue.

"When Lu gave birth to this child, she had a difficult childbirth and injured her body. She was unable to take care of him for a while, so she sent Zheng Jiulang to be raised by Zheng Wuniang's birth mother, who was Lu's dowry maid."

The Hundred Riders paused, their tone tinged with a hint of melancholy.

"Three years ago, the maid suddenly died. It was said that she died of a sudden illness. Just then, Madam Lu's health improved, so she took Zheng Jiulang and Zheng Wuniang into her care. However, the new servants in the mansion all thought that the two siblings were born to the maid. Madam Lu strictly ordered the old people in the mansion to keep quiet and not to mention this matter."

Wen He stroked his chin, his brows furrowed, lost in thought.

"This is too much of a coincidence."

He said in a low voice. A maid who accompanied the mistress in her dowry, raising the mistress's child, suddenly died when the child should have been old enough to remember things. It all seemed deliberate.

"Yes, I also find it strange."

The rider looked up at Wen He and tentatively asked.

"Should we continue the investigation? For example, what was the cause of the maid's death, and why did Madam Lu conceal the child's identity back then?"

Wen He glanced at him and said indifferently, "Are you very free?"

The 100 riders were taken aback, scratched their heads, and said, "Uh... I'm not free."

There are still more than half of the valuables in the basement that haven't been inventoried; just guarding the warehouse is enough to keep them busy.

"He's busy but meddles in other people's business."

Wen He raised her hand and rolled her eyes at him.

"What do their dirty business in the inner quarters, their struggle for succession, have to do with us? His Majesty ordered us to confiscate their property to investigate corruption, not to investigate their family scandals."

The 100 riders were puzzled by what they were being told and couldn't help but mutter under their breath, "Young Master asked me to investigate this matter before, and I thought... I thought you had taken a fancy to that young lady and wanted to save her from her suffering."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Wen He raised his foot as if to kick him, but the 100 riders quickly dodged with a smile, their mischievousness barely concealed in their eyes.

Wen He glared at him irritably, but a sense of relief washed over her.

The reason he sent the Hundred Riders to investigate was not because he had any designs on Zheng Wuniang, but because he felt there were too many loopholes in her words.

Now it all seems to fall into place.

The younger brother Zheng Wuniang mentioned was not some illegitimate son who needed protection, but Zheng Yuanzhu's legitimate son, Zheng Jiulang.

Jung Won-soo and his eldest son Jung Yun-ho were both to be exiled, and this child was the only remaining heir of the first branch of the family.

Lady Lu would naturally risk her life to protect him.

But a five-year-old child going to a harsh, cold place with an exile group has a near-zero survival rate.

Lady Lu then set her sights on herself.

Having Zheng Wuniang perform the play about being attacked was both a test of his character and an attempt to evoke his pity by offering herself or asking for help. Ideally, he would be persuaded to take action and keep the siblings away from the suffering of exile.

As for Zheng Wuniang's identity...

Although she was born to a maid, she was registered under Madam Lu's name. To outsiders, she was the legitimate daughter, but internally, because her birth mother was a maid who accompanied her in her dowry, she was obedient to Madam Lu. It was most appropriate for her to take the lead.

"Alright, I understand." Wen He waved her hand. "Go back and get some rest."

"Here!"

The hundred riders retreated in response, but couldn't help looking back as they left, clearly still wondering if their young master had any feelings for Zheng Wuniang.

Wen He closed the door, leaned against it, and gazed at the waning moon outside the window, a cold smile playing on her lips.

The Lu family certainly had a good plan.

She wanted to exchange a teenage girl for her son's life, and also wanted to use him to preserve the bloodline of the Zheng family's main branch. She really thought he was a naive young man who would cherish women.

Wen He yawned deeply, walked to the bedside, and collapsed onto the bed without even taking off her shoes, causing the soft bedding to sink in.

He stared at the top of the tent and muttered to himself, "However, Zheng Yuanzhu and his son are not entirely without value..."

After squinting and pondering for a moment, he gradually came up with an idea.

Once the confiscation of their property here is completely resolved, I can go to the Dali Temple to meet the father and son.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Wen He was still dreaming of counting glittering gold ingots when she was awakened by a gentle knock on the door.

“Wenxianzi, it’s time to get up.”

It was Gao Yue's voice, tinged with a hint of cautious probing.

Wen He rolled over, buried her head in the pillow, and mumbled in a muffled voice, "Let me sleep a little longer..."

"But the warehouse is still waiting for you to settle the accounts. Dugu Langjun and the others have almost finished moving everything."

Gao Yue pleaded with him from outside, her tone full of helplessness.

Although this boy was capable, his habit of oversleeping was no different from that of any other boy.

Wen He struggled for a long time, but finally couldn't resist the call of reality. With her messy hair, she sat up and reluctantly replied, "Okay, I'll get up now."

After washing up, Gao Yue had already had breakfast prepared: a bowl of steaming mutton soup, two flatbreads, and a small dish of pickles.

Wen He wolfed down her food, wiped her mouth, and was then "escorted" to the table and forced to pick up the abacus.

Looking at the abacus, Wen He gritted his teeth and secretly made a vow.

"After this raid, I don't want to see an abacus for at least a month or two. Anyone who mentions it will get me mad!"

Before coming here, I thought it would only take a day to finish, but I didn't expect the Zheng family to be so wealthy. It has dragged on for two days and I still haven't finished calculating.

Wen He indeed missed the Wu family's housewarming banquet.

When Wenrou saw that he hadn't come home for three days, she was so anxious that she couldn't sit still. She thought something had happened to him. In the end, it was Li Ke who came looking for him with the steward of Wu Shiyue's family.

After all, Wu Yuanshuang and Wu Yuanqing were also in the Hundred Cavalry, working alongside Wen He on the matter of confiscating property.

After Li Ke went to the palace to ask for instructions, he led them to the entrance of the mansion.

However, they were stopped outside by the Hundred Riders, who said that Wen He had ordered that no unauthorized persons were allowed to enter.

Upon receiving the report from outside, Wen He took the Wu brothers out to meet them briefly, exchanged a few words about their recent situation, reported that they were safe, and then hurriedly returned.

They worked non-stop until the afternoon of the third day.

When the last box of copper coins was entered into the register, Wen He slammed the abacus onto the table, let out a long sigh, and said with deep exhaustion, "It's finally over!"

Dugu Chen, Changsun Huan, and the others were so exhausted that they slumped into their chairs, their clothes soaked with sweat, and they barely had the strength to speak.

Zhang Wenxiao brought over several bowls of herbal tea, and everyone rushed to drink them down. Only after the icy tea slid down their throats did they feel alive again.

Gao Yue held the final ledger, her fingers trembling, and read it aloud word by word: "Gold and copper totaling 5.27 million strings of cash, 320 bolts of silk, jewels and jade worth 100,000 strings of cash, plus 20 shops in Chang'an and the surrounding area, and 120 hectares of fertile land..."

By the end, his voice was trembling.

Such wealth is so great that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's "rich enough to rival a nation"!
It should be noted that the total tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty last year was only a little over ten million strings of cash. This time, the confiscation of Zheng's house, combined with the amount confiscated in the previous case of embezzlement of military funds, actually amounted to more than a year's worth of tax revenue!

No wonder Wen He told His Majesty that if they fought the Turks next year, they would even have enough to pay the army's expenses.

With this money as a foundation, we'd have more than enough to fight several tough battles, let alone launch an expedition against the Turks!
"If His Majesty knew about this, he would be overjoyed!"

Gao Yue was so excited that her face turned red, and her hands were trembling as she held the account book.

In all his years in the palace, he had never seen a convicted official whose possessions were so vast.

Wen He leaned back in her chair, rubbing her aching wrists, a smile playing on her lips: "The Emperor will definitely be pleased, and he might even reward me with something else."

All he wants now is a good night's sleep, preferably three days and three nights.

Xu Jingzong stood to the side, looking at the numbers in the ledger, his brows furrowing slightly: "Zheng Yuanzhu's property is only a part of the Zheng family's assets, yet he has so much private property. If we confiscate all the assets of the Zheng family in Xingyang, what about those other aristocratic families..."

Upon hearing this, the excitement in the courtyard immediately subsided somewhat.

Yes, if the Zheng family of Xingyang is like this, what about the Cui family of Boling and the Lu family of Fanyang?

These powerful families have accumulated wealth over hundreds of years, and if you really want to count it, it's probably even more abundant than the national treasury.

Wen He glanced at him and said calmly, "You have to eat one bite at a time, and fight one battle at a time. If you eat too much at once, you'll either choke or die from overeating."

He knew perfectly well that Xu Jingzong was eager to make a name for himself.

But if the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families were so easy to deal with, Li Shimin wouldn't need to find any excuses this time.

As they were talking, Su Dingfang yawned and walked out of the side courtyard, clearly having just woken up.

He had stayed up all night guarding the warehouse, and his eyes were slightly dark, but when he saw the ledger in Wen He's hand, he immediately perked up: "Finished calculating? What's the total?"

Wen He handed him the account book, and Su Dingfang took it and his eyes widened instantly. He kept muttering, "Good heavens... 5.27 million strings of cash... If this all goes into the national treasury, His Majesty will probably give our Hundred Cavalry the top credit!"

He never expected that he would receive such a great contribution before he had even officially joined the Hundred Riders.

Gao Yue, who was standing to the side, couldn't wait any longer and pulled Wen He, wanting to head towards the palace: "Come on, let's go into the palace to report the good news!"

"Don't go."

Wen He shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.

"You can go if you want, I just want to sleep right now."

He doesn't even want to lift a finger now, let alone go to the palace to see Li Er.

Gao Yue was unwilling to comply and half-pulled, half-dragged him out: "What are you sleeping for? No wonder His Majesty says you're lazy every day."

Upon hearing this, Wen He silently glanced at Gao Yue.

Instead of going to the palace and talking nonsense with Li Shimin, he should go and do something worthwhile.

"I have other matters to attend to. I would like to trouble the high-ranking official to go to the palace and say that I have gone to the Dali Temple to see Zheng Yuanzhu and his son."

Wen He had intended to sleep for three days and three nights, but he was afraid that when he woke up, Zheng Yuanzhu and the others would have already left Chang'an.

So I decided to go and meet them first.

Since Zheng Yuanzhu and his sons are going to Liaodong, we can't let them go for nothing.

It should be understood that the Tang Dynasty's enemies were not limited to the Turks in the north.

To the east, Goguryeo is no peaceful lord either, and there's also the Khitan, currently weak but destined to become a ferocious beast.

The Hundred Cavalry is short of men in Liaodong.

Zheng Yuanzhu's youngest son and daughter are now in the hands of the Hundred Riders.

It would be such a waste not to take advantage of it.

'Tsk, I'm clearly a good person, sigh.'

Wen He let out a long sigh.

Those around him were completely baffled by his sudden outburst.

"Why does the county magistrate want to see them?" Su Dingfang asked, frowning slightly, puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Wen He smiled and said, "This matter is not yet settled. I will explain it to the General once the result is available."

Upon hearing his words, Su Dingfang paused for a moment, then decided not to ask any further questions.

Before long, Wen He had Zhang Wenxiao take him to the Dali Temple prison.

(End of this chapter)