Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

That night.

A long queue formed outside the inn where Li Chengqian was staying.

Wang Renzhe emptied almost half of the county government's treasury and his own private storehouse, and even sent more than a dozen servants to carry a mahogany box and wait respectfully outside the door.

"Young Master Li, my master said that he has offended you greatly during the day and has frightened you."

The head steward bowed and scraped as he looked at Li Chengqian.

"These are just a small token of my husband's appreciation, meant to calm your nerves. Please be magnanimous and don't take offense at our husband's actions."

Xiao Shunzi stepped forward and casually opened the box.

Hey!

This corrupt official really went all out.

Li Chengqian curled his lip in disdain:

"You think you can make me forget what happened today with just this little bit?"

This young master travels all over the country, doing business worth millions of strings of cash.

I almost lost my life today in your Longmen County. Can this debt be repaid with gold?

The butler knelt down with a thud:

"Young master, please calm down. Our master said that as long as you ask, we will provide whatever compensation you require."

He assured you that you would be absolutely safe from any further danger within Longmen County.

"A guarantee? What guarantees do you have?"

Li Chengqian scoffed.

"I'm a coward, and I'm most afraid of dying."

If it weren't for the skill of my guards, I might be dead here today.

This business is unworkable. It's too dangerous.

I'll take my men back to Chang'an first thing tomorrow morning.

The feng shui of Hedong is bad; it's bad luck for me.

The butler was terrified when he heard this.

Is the God of Wealth leaving?

Is this okay?

He quickly kowtowed and said:

"No, Young Master Li! Please don't go. Today's events were truly a misunderstanding."

My husband guarantees that you will absolutely not have any more problems in Longmen County.

"Alright, alright."

Li Chengqian waved his hand impatiently.

"Go back and tell Wang Renzhe to keep a close eye on everything inside and outside the county town for me."

For every extra day I stay here, he'll send another box of gold as security fees.

"I'll discuss business again when I feel safe."

"Yes, yes, yes! I will go back and report to the master right away."

The butler hurriedly led his men out.

"Master, this Wang Renzhe is really a spineless coward."

After Cheng Chumo and the others left, he came up to them and said.

"He's not spineless, he's just guilty."

Li Chengqian walked to the table and lightly tapped the location of Longmen County on the map with his fingertip.

"What does it mean when someone is afraid of death, greedy for money, and has no bottom line in their greed?"

Everyone looked at each other.

"This means he's holding a huge treasure trove in his hands."

Li Chengqian sneered.

"There was so much stuff in this basin that he felt his life was more valuable than anything else."

Xue Rengui's move today terrified him; he's afraid we're some outsiders after his treasure bowl.

"Does Your Highness mean that this corrupt official is hiding all the wealth he has amassed over the years in the county government office?"

Fang Yi'ai's eyes lit up, and he almost drooled.

"pretty close."

Li Chengqian's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Fang Yi'ai and Xiao Shunzi.

"Tonight it's time for our raiding captain to take the stage."

"Yiai, Xiaoshunzi, you two sneak into the county government office and find that treasure bowl for me."

"Alright!"

Fang Yi'ai said excitedly,

"Mission accomplished! I'm an expert at raiding homes."

"Silence is the essence of benevolence."

Li Chengqian then turned to the other two and gave them instructions.

"You two keep watch around the inn, just in case."

"yes!"

At midnight, when all is quiet.

Two dark figures silently crossed the courtyard wall of the Longmen County Government Office.

The county government office was quiet, with only a few night watchmen carrying lanterns, wandering listlessly around the courtyard.

Fang Yi'ai and Xiao Shunzi exchanged a glance and, following Li Chengqian's directions from earlier in the day, avoided the patrols and headed straight for the inconspicuous granary in the far corner of the backyard.

A rusty brass lock hung on the granary gate, which to Xiao Shunzi was no different from a paper lock.

The two slipped inside, and a musty smell mixed with the odor of stale grain hit them.

"The master said that the most dangerous place is the safest place. This Wang Renzhe really knows how to hide."

Fang Yi'ai began to look around.

He didn't rush to search the grain sacks, but instead carefully searched the corners and floor of the granary.

Upon reaching the northwest corner of the granary, Fang Yi'ai suddenly stopped.

He pointed to a barely visible drag mark on the ground and gestured to Xiao Shunzi.

There are traces here.

The two of them worked together to move the several bags of grain piled in the corner.

Sure enough, the bluestone slabs below had subtle differences in color and gaps compared to the surrounding ground.

Fang Yi'ai took out a dagger from his pocket and gently pried along the crack in the stone slab.

"Click".

With a soft sound, the stone slab rose up, revealing an opening.

A stone staircase leading underground appeared before the two of them.

Without hesitation, the two sneaked down the stone steps.

The tunnel wasn't long; after walking about a hundred steps, the view suddenly opened up before us.

At the end of the tunnel was an enormous cellar.

Inside the cellar, dozens of giant tallow candles illuminated the entire space as bright as day.

When Xiao Shunzi, who was used to seeing the royal treasury, saw the scene in the cellar, he couldn't help but gasp.

Gold, silver, and all kinds of jewelry and jade artifacts were piled up like garbage, forming several small mountains.

The walls are covered with calligraphy and paintings by famous artists from previous dynasties, and various rare and precious antiques are casually placed in the corners.

In the very center of the cellar stood a solid gold Buddha statue, about half the height of a person.

"My goodness..."

Fang Yi'ai's eyes widened instantly. He pounced on the golden Buddha statue as if in a dream, grabbed its leg, and rubbed his face against it.

"We're rich! We're rich! This must weigh fifty pounds, right? No, at least a hundred pounds. How much is this worth...?"

It took Xiao Shunzi a lot of effort to pull Fang Yi'ai, who was growing up with Jin Fo, away.

"Getting down to business is the priority."

The two searched the cellar quickly and finally found a separate stone study in the deepest part.

On the rosewood desk in the study, there was a locked black leather ledger.

Xiao Shunzi stepped forward and pried open the copper lock in a few quick movements.

As they opened the ledger, the shocking words on the title page made their hearts skip a beat.

"List of Counties and Prefectures in Hedong Province that Show Filial Piety".

Xiao Shunzi quickly flipped through the pages, becoming increasingly alarmed with each reading.

This ledger details how Wang Renzhe, in collusion with officials from various prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of Hedong Circuit, has been ruthlessly exploiting the people with all sorts of unheard-of exorbitant taxes, such as bandit suppression taxes and river repair taxes, over the past few years.

More than 70% of the ill-gotten gains plundered from the people were continuously "gifted" to the same person through various channels.

Wang Gui is the current head of the Wang family of Taiyuan.

Xiao Shunzi didn't dare to delay. He immediately took out specially made thin paper and rubbing tools from his pocket and quickly copied the most crucial pages of the account book. At the same time, he memorized the mechanisms and layout of the cellar.

Mission accomplished, prepare to evacuate.

Fang Yi'ai kept turning back to look at the golden Buddha, his face full of the pain of parting from life and death.

"How about we move it?"

"Are you crazy?"

Xiao Shunzi almost kicked him.

"This thing weighs over a thousand pounds, how are we going to move it? Let's go!"

In the end, Fang Yi'ai was dragged and pulled by Xiao Shunzi before he reluctantly left this mountain of gold and silver.

Back at the inn.

As Li Chengqian looked at the copied account book, the murderous intent in his eyes grew stronger.

Fang Yi'ai, standing nearby, was still muttering to himself in a daze:

"Golden Buddha...my golden Buddha..."

Li Chengqian raised his leg and kicked Fang Yi'ai in the buttocks.

"Promising!"

He threw the ledger on the table.

"A broken Buddha statue has mesmerized you like this?"

Don't rush. In a couple of days, I'll let you sleep while hugging that Buddha statue.