Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

The official who received them from the Shaofujian (Imperial Household Department) was Shaojian Wang Zaifeng, which was called equal reception. The official from the Dalisi (Court of Judicial Review) was Shaoqing, so naturally, the official who received them was Shaojian.

"There's not much to investigate in that case. There are no witnesses or physical evidence, not even a crime scene."

Wang Zaifeng pointed to a newly built warehouse in the distance, "That's it. It was burned to the ground, and the current warehouse is newly built."

"Burn it all to ashes, where's the silver?"

Wang Zaifeng shrugged. "I don't know. I was transferred here from the Ministry of Works three years ago."

"Are there any retired officials who know the situation?"

Wang Zaifeng shook his head. "Let me tell you this! All the officials and clerks involved in the treasury were dismissed and exiled. There were twenty-five people in total, without exception. I heard that only two people are still alive now. In just six years, twenty-three people are gone."

How did you know?

"I heard it from someone."

"Who told you that?" Xue Wei immediately asked.

Wang Zaifeng pointed to an official who had just come out of the warehouse, "That's Yuan Jiancheng. He's also involved, but he wasn't a warehouse worker at the time. He was a Dali Temple official who participated in the investigation back then. Because too many officials in Shaofu Temple had been purged, there was an urgent need to replenish the ranks. This Dali Temple official was left behind and appointed as Shaofu Jiancheng. He's currently the only person who knows the truth. You can ask him."

This Assistant Director of the Imperial Household Department was named Yuan Renjing. He had a bitter look on his face. Judging from his resume, he was only about thirty years old, but his hair was already gray, making him look as old as fifty.

Xue Wei presented his Dali Temple gold badge, saying, "My name is Xue Wei, Vice Minister of the Dali Temple, and I am here by order of the Emperor to reinvestigate the case of the missing silver from six years ago."

Yuan Renjing said coldly, "Young Master Xue, I've watched your polo match. It was very exciting, but it cost me ten strings of cash."

"That's not my problem, nor is it my topic today."

Yuan Renjing snorted. "I know you want to investigate the silver disappearance case from six years ago. You should look at the case files. The case files are a summary of our three months of auditing, and they contain much more information than what's here."

"I've looked through it, and the file doesn't contain what I'm looking for."

"What do you want? A bucket of lime? We have some in the warehouse. I'll give you as much as you need to cover up the truth."

Seeing that the other party was as stubborn and unyielding as a rock in a latrine, Xue Wei couldn't help but feel annoyed.

He suppressed his anger and said coldly, "Supervisor Yuan, I'm investigating a case right now and don't want to argue with you. I hope you can cooperate. I need to ask you a few questions."

Yuan Renjing squinted at Xue Wei, "Ask away! If you believe I'm telling the truth, feel free to ask."

"I've reviewed the case files, and I've found inconsistencies in what many people have said."

"That's normal!"

Yuan Renjing sneered, "We asked three times, but the answer was different each time."

"So how reliable is the information in the case file?"

"At most 20%!"

Xue Wei gritted his teeth and said, "But you just made me look at the case files, and you knew perfectly well that everything in them was fake."

Yuan Renjing calmed down. "If I'm not mistaken, you were looking at the Ministry of Justice's files, not the Court of Judicial Review's files. I've heard that the Court of Judicial Review's files have been destroyed. So, you looked at the Ministry of Justice's files yourself, and now you're blaming me for misleading you?"

"But you yourself said that the Dali Temple's files have been destroyed."

Yuan Renjing remained silent. Xue Wei did not understand his meaning, but seeing that he had calmed down and was no longer as hostile as before, he also softened his tone.

"Supervisor Yuan, may I ask you some questions?"

Yuan Renjing sighed, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"What do you want to ask? I was involved in the entire investigation back then. Just when we were about to make some progress, the case was halted by the higher-ups. Six years have passed, and I'm not sure how much I can still remember."

"I want to know, are any of the people who saw this batch of silver back then still alive?"

Yuan Renjing shook his head. "I asked the same question back then. Seventeen people met with him, but all seventeen of them were dealt with. None of them are alive now."

"How did they die? In just six short years, twenty-three out of twenty-five people have died. Doesn't Supervisor Yuan find this suspicious?"

"There's nothing suspicious. Of the twenty-five people, eighteen were sentenced to exile in Lingnan, one committed suicide, and the remaining six were all quite old and died over the years. Last year, there was a general amnesty, and two of the eighteen exiled people returned. The other sixteen all died within five years due to acclimatization issues. Moreover, the two who returned were both minor officials who knew nothing about what happened back then. They were just implicated."

"Are the warehouse records from back then still there? They weren't found in the case file; it's mostly just testimonies, with no physical evidence."

"It should still be there. I'll try to look for it! If I can find it, I'll give it to Commandant Xue tomorrow."

...........

Around noon, Gao Yuanli handed over the city government's transaction registers for the past two months to Xue Wei.

The city government office is under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu (Ministerial Office), so it is very convenient to investigate the city government office.

"They were very cooperative. As soon as I showed my badge, they obediently handed over all the records."

Xue Wei knew things wouldn't be that simple, so he asked with a smile, "What did you say to them? Tell me, I want to learn too."

Gao Yuanli smiled smugly, "I told those officials in the municipal government that I was just conducting a routine inspection, going through the motions. Everyone's just trying to make a living. If they hide things and don't cooperate, making Captain Xue uncomfortable, then it won't be a routine inspection anymore. Then it will be a special investigation, an investigation into corruption."

"So they obediently cooperated?"

"That's right! The city government is notorious for being a lucrative department. Everyone there has a dirty secret. Once you investigate, no one can escape. They won't go looking for trouble."

"It seems that Director Gao understands their weaknesses very well," Xue Wei praised.

Gao Yuanli said modestly, "You flatter me, Commandant. This is an unspoken understanding in officialdom. We should try to go through the motions and never invite a special investigation."

Xue Wei carefully reviewed the city government's records and found only thirteen records of Shangguan Wan'er selling shops, but no records of her buying shops. It seemed that she bought shops in Chang'an, so he had to check the city government's records in Chang'an.

At this moment, Yuan Mao said dejectedly, "Captain, find me something to do! Everyone's been bored these past few days with nothing to do."

Just when I was feeling sleepy, a pillow appeared on my head. Xue Wei said happily, "Then take a few brothers on a business trip to the Chang'an Municipal Government to check the registration and transfer records for the past two months. Bring me back a complete copy. Travel expenses will be reimbursed as usual, and the additional allowance will be doubled."

Yuan Mao was overjoyed. "I'll go back and make preparations. I'll lead a group of brothers to Chang'an tonight."

Xue Wei then said to him, "Also, you should be aware that Wan Guojun and his men are searching for a man named Luo Rui. The search in Chang'an is also very thorough. It is said that a batch of silver handled by Luo Rui is the same 300,000 taels of silver that we are currently investigating, so it has something to do with us. Just be aware of this, but don't get involved."

"Understood, sir!"

That afternoon, Yuan Mao led five officials from the Dali Temple to Chang'an.