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

Chapter 418 I've come in person with a hundred riders.

"There's no need to trouble Minister Dou. I've come in person with a hundred cavalry."

A cold voice pierced the somber atmosphere of the Ministry of Civil Affairs' main hall. Dou Jing looked up and saw Wen He, dressed in a black outfit, stepping into the courtyard surrounded by a hundred riders.

Wen He's brows and eyes held the grimness of someone who had just received an imperial decree from the palace, and her gaze swept over the officials in front of her without the slightest ripple.

But when Dou Jing saw who it was, the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably a few times.

Although he had a premonition that Wen He would intervene, he did not expect her to come so quickly, and he certainly did not expect her to lead a hundred riders to break in directly.

Wen He walked to the bottom of the stone steps in front of the hall, cupped his hands in greeting to Dou Jing, who was in the main seat, and the hundred cavalrymen behind him bowed in unison.

"This humble official greets Minister Dou."

Dou Jing quickly stood up to return the greeting, her fingertips stiffening slightly.

"Lord Gaoyang, you are too kind. May I ask what brings you here today?"

His question was redundant, but he couldn't think of any other opening remarks.

The sight of a hundred riders behind Wen He clearly indicated that they were acting on imperial orders to investigate the case.

Wen He straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the pale-faced officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the courtyard. His voice was not loud, but each word was clear.

"His Majesty is aware of the theft of Zhenguan rice from the Ministry of Revenue and has ordered me to lead a hundred cavalrymen to conduct a thorough investigation and apprehend all those involved."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty already knew?"

Someone gasped first, and the courtyard instantly erupted in chaos.

The Left Vice Minister swayed, looking at Wen He in disbelief.

The Right Vice Minister even stood up abruptly, his official hat tilting to one side.

Li Song, the Registrar of the Grain Department, turned completely pale. He had thought it was just a minor incident during an internal audit, at most resulting in a pay cut and demotion. But once the Emperor was involved, it became a capital offense.

Even Zhang Quan, the patrol officer who had just been crying and begging for mercy, was so frightened that he forgot to make a sound, his mouth agape enough to fit a fist.

"His Majesty is particularly concerned about the people's livelihood in Hebei."

Wen He's gaze fell on Zhang Quan, her tone calm yet carrying an invisible pressure.

"The Zhenguan rice seeds are related to the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers in Hebei. This matter has long been on His Majesty's mind. Five days ago, the Cui family of Qinghe secretly released Zhenguan rice seeds in Hebei to win people's hearts!"

Upon hearing this, Dou Jing broke out in a cold sweat.

He finally understood why Wen He had arrived so quickly.

What surprised him even more was that the Cui family of Qinghe was also involved, and that was the most prominent of the five surnames and seven clans.

He handed it over.

"It is my negligence in supervision that led to the theft of superior seeds from the national treasury. I request that the county magistrate preside over the trial. I am willing to attend the entire hearing so that I can see how these parasites colluded with outsiders!"

Wen He nodded slightly and gave instructions to the captain of the Hundred Riders behind him.

"First, bring the eleven people involved in the case back to the Hundred Cavalry, separate them and detain them, and do not allow them to communicate with each other. Minister Dou, I need to borrow your Ministry of Civil Affairs office for a while, as I have important matters to discuss with you."

Dou Jing quickly agreed and led Wen He towards the study. As they walked through the corridor, he couldn't help but ask.

“Lord County Head, the Cui family is very powerful, this matter is likely to be troublesome. Judging from Zhang Quan's expression just now, he seems to be unaware of the buyer's background?”

Wen He pushed open the study door and waited for the servants to serve tea and leave before speaking in a deep voice.

"Yesterday, a hundred riders brought back news that the Cui family of Qinghe had obtained five hundred shi of Zhenguan rice seeds out of thin air."

"Five, five hundred shi?!"

Dou Jing's teacup slammed against the table with a thud, the tea splashing onto his official robes without him even noticing.

He gasped, his voice trembling.

"I have checked the accounts for the past three months and found that there was a shortage of 200 shi when the warehouse was opened last month. How could that be... Could it be that the previous accounts have been tampered with?"

Wen He nodded.

"Indeed, I must seal up the Ministry of Civil Affairs' warehouse ledgers for the past two years and compare each item in detail, from warehousing, verification, allocation to write-off."

"This matter involves collusion between officials and businessmen, and is also backed by powerful families. To prevent the news from leaking or someone from tampering with it in secret, the audit of the accounts must be handled independently by the Hundred Cavalry."

"I have dispatched a hundred cavalrymen skilled in arithmetic and document verification to seal all the ledgers of the granary and conduct a thorough investigation in a separate courtyard. I would appreciate it if Minister Dou would do me this favor."

Dou Jing was taken aback at first, but then she realized what he meant.

Wen He doesn't trust the officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so he avoids the possibility of those involved in the case communicating with each other or destroying evidence.

He chuckled helplessly.

"The county magistrate has considered everything very well. I will immediately order all the ledgers in the granary to be sealed up and the west wing to be cleared out for the use of the Hundred Cavalry. No one is allowed to approach without authorization!"

Immediately, Dou Jing summoned people, and Wen He also asked Chen Dahai to personally lead a hundred riders to move the goods.

About an hour later, Chen Dahai returned to report.

Wen He then led his men to the western side courtyard of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The warehouse department's account books for the past two years were all brought over and piled up to be half a person high.

Su Dingfang was waiting here with ten carefully selected riders.

"Jiaying, you're here. Everything's ready, we've been waiting for you!" Su Dingfang stepped forward and said with a wry smile.

He couldn't help but recall when he first arrived at the Hundred Riders.

The same thing happened when I went to the Zheng family mansion.

Last time it took several days to investigate, and this time it probably won't be any easier.

"Thank you for your trouble, General." Wen He bowed to him.

Su Dingfang laughed and said, "You're treating me like an outsider. This is simply my duty."

"Haha, this is my fault, I apologize to you," Wen He teased.

Upon hearing this, Su Dingfang shook his head helplessly and then got to the point.

"So where do we begin?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the riders present turned their gazes toward Wen He.

Wen He clapped her hands and glanced at everyone.

"This investigation is related to the theft of Zhenguan rice seeds. Every record of entry, transfer, and write-off must be compared one by one. We will focus on items that are easy to tamper with, such as loss write-offs and moldy destruction. If we find any blurry seals, abnormal signatures, or incomplete procedures, we will immediately mark and report them."

After saying that, he turned to look at Dou Jing, who was standing to the side.

"Minister Dou, you stay here to ensure that no one interferes with the investigation. I will conduct the investigation together with the Lieutenant General."

Dou Jing quickly replied, "Don't worry, County Lord, I will personally guard outside the courtyard!"

He meant that he also wanted to make amends for his mistakes.

A high-ranking official of the third rank was guarding their gate.

If word gets out, this will be something to brag about for a while.

Wen He said no more, and he and Su Dingfang each picked up a general ledger and began to look through it.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the hemp paper ledger, where densely packed, tiny characters recorded every detail of rice seed transfer.

The riders quickly split into five groups.

Each group works in pairs, with one person reading the records and the other verifying the vouchers, occasionally marking any points of doubt on paper with a pen.

The only sounds in the side courtyard could be the rustling of papers and the low hum of verification.

"If we keep investigating like this, who knows when it will take?"

Su Dingfang rubbed his throbbing temples, looked at the mountain of account books on the table, and couldn't help but complain.

He had spent years fighting in the army and was skilled in wielding swords and spears, but when faced with these densely packed, tiny characters, he felt dizzy and exhausted, finding it more tiring than fighting a fierce battle.

Wen He chuckled upon hearing this, put down her brush, and tapped the table lightly with her knuckles.

"There's no other way. There are no shortcuts these days. Auditing the books is a long and arduous process."

Even so, Su Dingfang's complaint stirred something within him.

He suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the ground with a screeching sound, startling the cavalrymen who were checking accounts.

Seeing this, Dou Jing, who was not far away, quickly walked over, thinking that he had discovered a key flaw, and hurriedly asked.

"Did the county magistrate find out anything?"

"The audit of the books cannot stop, but we must do it in two ways."

Wen He's gaze was sharp as a knife.

"Old Su, I'll leave the auditing here to you. Have the men keep a close eye on the signed documents of Li Song and Liu An, as well as all the records after the rice seeds were stored this year. I'll take a team to check the residences of the officials involved and find evidence in their homes."

Dou Jing was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"Does the county magistrate intend to start with physical evidence such as stolen money and letters? That's a good idea! I'll get the Ministry of Civil Affairs to cooperate right away."

Although he felt that it was beneath his dignity as a high-ranking official to lead a hundred cavalrymen, he only wanted to make amends at the moment and didn't care about such formalities.

Wen He waved his hand: "Thank you for your trouble, Minister Dou."

After saying that, he called out loudly, "Chen Dahai!"

"The mark is on!"

Chen Dahai strode forward.

"Gather fifteen elite brothers, bring your weapons, and come with me to the residence of Li Song, the Minister of Revenue!"

"promise!"

Chen Dahai turned to muster his troops, and in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, fifteen riders dressed in black sleek armor had assembled. Their swords gleamed coldly at their waists, and they carried wooden boxes containing evidence, exuding an imposing aura. Wen He and his group had just stepped out of the Ministry of Civil Affairs' side courtyard when they saw an ebony carriage parked at the gate. The driver was none other than Dou Jing's personal servant.

“County Lord, the Minister has instructed me to drive you the way. Doctor Li’s residence is in Yongning Ward, not far from here.”

The servants bowed respectfully.

Wen He nodded slightly, mounted his horse, and Chen Dahai and the others followed closely behind.

The carriage led the way, followed by a hundred riders in formation. The horses' hooves clattered on the bluestone pavement, attracting onlookers along the way, but no one dared to stop them.

Half an hour later, the group arrived at Yongning Ward. Li Song's mansion was not luxurious. The vermilion gate was tightly closed, and a plaque with the words "Li Family" hung above the gate. When the gatekeeper saw a group of a hundred riders arrive, he was so frightened that his legs went weak and he hurriedly ran to report.

Before he could run a few steps, Chen Dahai had already kicked open the door and shouted.

"One hundred riders are ordered to investigate the case! All irrelevant personnel, please stand aside!"

The mansion was thrown into chaos. Maids and servants scattered in all directions. Li Song's wife, Wang, dressed in brocade robes, led a few servants to block the courtyard and cried out.

"What right do you have to break into my house! My master is an official of the imperial court, are you trying to rebel?"

Chen Dahai dismounted and walked slowly to Wang Shi, revealing a gilded waist token in his hand.

"His Majesty has decreed a thorough investigation into the theft of rice seeds during the Zhenguan era. Li Song is suspected of embezzlement and is ordered to search his residence. Anyone who dares to obstruct the search will be punished as an accomplice!"

The four golden characters "Hundred Cavalry Captain" on the waist badge gleamed, and Wang Shi turned pale at the sight. She dared not cry or make a fuss anymore and collapsed to the ground.

"Divide into three groups: one for the front yard, one for the back yard, and one for the study. Search thoroughly!"

Wen He gave the order.

The 100 riders immediately sprang into action, searching through boxes and cabinets in an orderly fashion. Each suspicious item they found was registered, numbered, and placed in an evidence box by a designated person.

Wen He then went straight to Li Song's study.

This is the most likely place to find clues.

In the past, when watching TV dramas, these kinds of places seemed to be where the most clues were found.

Li Song's study was decorated quite elegantly, with bookshelves filled with classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections, and writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on his desk, seemingly without any unusual features.

Wen He walked around the study, her fingers tracing the books on the bookshelf, and suddenly stopped on a copy of the Analects.

This book is bound slightly thicker than the others, and the edges of the pages show no signs of wear, indicating that it has been rarely read.

He brought the thread-bound books to the Tang Dynasty, and many households still use scrolls today.

Very few people use thread-bound books.

After all, many of the things that have been passed down from the past are scrolls.

Since this copy of the Analects is a thread-bound book, it must be new.

He pulled out the Analects, gently squeezed it, and sure enough, felt a foreign object inside the spine.

Chen Dahai immediately stepped forward and carefully used a knife to cut open the spine of the book, revealing a land deed and a letter hidden inside.

"Fifteen hundred acres!"

Chen Dahai was taken aback when he saw the amount on the land deed.

"Fuss."

Wen He took the land deed from his hand without thinking much of it, but when she looked at it, she found that it was still near Chang'an City.

That's quite a big move!

No wonder Li Song dared to take such a risk.

Fifteen hundred mu—that's worth far more than five hundred shi of grain seeds.

Then he picked up the letter.

The letter was unsigned, and the handwriting was messy. It simply said, "Payment has been paid. Do not contact me again."

It seems the other party doesn't want to do business for the long term.

Just then, a guard's voice came from the backyard reporting the news.

"Lord County Magistrate! Ten earthenware jars were found in the cellar in the backyard, filled with gold and silver jewelry and copper coins!"

Wen He rushed to the backyard and saw ten large earthenware jars in the cellar. When she opened them, she found gold and silver glittering inside, and copper coins packed in sacks.

Immediately, a hundred riders brought it to weigh.

This title is worth at least five hundred strings of cash.
As a fifth-rank official, Li Song's annual salary was only eighty strings of cash. Even with subsidies in addition to his salary, it would have been impossible for him to accumulate so much wealth.

"Everyone gets the stolen goods."

Wen He sneered.

“Bring Wang back to the imperial prison and interrogate her severely.”

After escorting Wang away from the Li residence, Wen He rushed to the residence of Liu An, the person in charge.

Liu An's residence was in Pingkang Ward, much smaller than Li Song's, but more secluded.

Just as the hundred riders arrived at the gate, they saw a servant carrying a bundle slip away through the back door. Chen Dahai reacted quickly, shooting an arrow through the servant's bundle and shouting sternly.

"Stop! Run again and you'll be killed on sight!"

The servant was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, and the contents of the bundle spilled out, revealing several letters and a stack of land deeds.

Wen He picked up the letter and was overjoyed.

These letters are correspondence between Liu An and a man named Zhao Dechang, and they explicitly mention [the person in question].

"The rice seeds have been delivered as agreed; please make the final payment as soon as possible."

The message included phrases such as "The two hundred bushels of grain from last month have been properly handed over, and there is no need for further contact."

"Zhao Dechang!"

Wen He gripped the letter tightly.

He immediately ordered a search of Liu An's residence. Although no more money was found, an account book was discovered under the bed in the bedroom. It detailed the quantity, time, and amount of money received from each private sale of rice seeds, which perfectly matched the contents of the letters.

"It seems that Zhao Dechang is the key figure, Yufeng Grain Store, huh..."

Wen He handed the account book to Chen Dahai.

"Immediately send men to the West Market to investigate Yufeng Grain Store, and find out Zhao Dechang's identity, background, address, and acquaintances! I'll take the rest of the others back to Baiqi to interrogate Wang Shi and Liu An's family!"

When they returned to the Hundred Riders, it was already dusk.

Su Dingfang sent someone with a message saying that five more irregular records had been found during the audit of the ledgers, all of which were related to the signatures of Li Song and Liu An.

Without taking a break, Wen He went straight to the interrogation room and first questioned Li Song's wife, Wang.

Wang was locked in the interrogation room, and her previous arrogance had long since vanished. When she saw Wen He enter, she trembled with fear.

Wen He placed the land deed and letter in front of her and said in a deep voice.

"Do you recognize these coins and letters? Li Song colluded with Zhao Dechang to illegally sell rice seeds. Can you say you know nothing about it?"

Wang's lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

"Lord, spare my life! I... I know that you have dealings with a grain merchant. Every time he comes, he brings some money. But you say it's just a business transaction. I really didn't know it was about selling rice seeds privately!"

"What's the grain merchant's name? Where does he live? What does he look like?"

Wen He pressed on relentlessly.

"His name seems to be Zhao Dechang, and he is the manager of Yufeng Grain Store in Xishi."

Wang choked up as she spoke.

"I don't remember what he looks like, but I do remember that he speaks with a Youzhou accent. He always comes with four attendants. On the fifteenth of last month, he came to the mansion and talked with the master in the study for half an hour. When he left, he left a brocade box, which contained the land deeds."

Wen He then interrogated Liu An's steward, who quickly confessed in the face of the evidence that Zhao Dechang would come to the mansion to meet with Liu An every month.

The two usually talked in the pavilion in the backyard, and Liu An would receive a package after each conversation.

Just then, the 100 riders who went to investigate the West Market hurriedly returned, bringing with them detailed information about Zhao Dechang.

Zhao Dechang, 35 years old, is from Youzhou. Ten years ago, he came to Chang'an and opened Yufeng Grain Store. The grain store has a large business scale, mainly engaged in grain wholesale, and has business dealings with many families in Hebei, including the Cui family of Qinghe in Chang'an.

More importantly, the guards discovered that Zhao Dechang had a residence in Chongrenfang, where he lived a secluded life and few people had ever seen his true face.

"Chongrenfang is not far from here. We should not delay and must arrest Zhao Dechang immediately!"

Wen He acted decisively. He knew that since Zhao Dechang was the Cui family's middleman, he would definitely run away as soon as he sensed something was wrong.

He personally mustered thirty cavalrymen, and led Chen Dahai and several guards familiar with Zhao Dechang's appearance, and rushed to Chongrenfang overnight.

Chongrenfang was a bustling area in Chang'an, still brightly lit at night.

Zhao Dechang's residence was located deep in the market town, with high walls and a large courtyard, guarded by two servants at the gate.

Wen He signaled the guards to split into two groups: one group would go around to the backyard and block the back door, while he would lead Chen Dahai and the others to break through from the front door.

"Open the door! There's a fire!"

Chen Dahai stepped forward and knocked on the door, his voice loud and clear.

"What are you shouting about? What nonsense are you talking about? Where is there a fire?"

The servants at the door had just poked their heads out when they were pinned down by a hundred riders and were unable to move.

"You, who are you!"

The servant immediately panicked.

Wen He kicked open the gate, and a hundred riders swarmed in, shouting loudly.

"Don't move! Hands on your heads! Hundred riders, investigate!"

(End of this chapter)