The playboy county magistrate

Tang Zheng got out of the carriage first, took out the imperial edict and official documents, and handed them over.

"My master is an imperial censor in the capital, ordered to travel south to investigate old cases related to the canal construction in Nanjing. He is to enter the yamen immediately to handle matters. Please inform your master as soon as possible."

The two constables exchanged a glance, their eyes sweeping over the wrecked, dusty carriage. They then looked at the two men's slightly disheveled appearance, a hint of disdain flashing in their eyes, and hesitated to accept the order.

"Your Excellency the Censor?" The bailiff on the left spoke casually, with a hint of perfunctoriness, and continued after yawning:

"My master is busy with official business this morning and is not receiving guests at the moment. If you two are on official business, please register at the gatehouse and wait. You may enter when summoned."

Tang Zheng frowned, his temper starting to get out of control.

"With an imperial decree in hand and urgent official business, are you still putting on airs, sir?"

Upon hearing this, the yamen runner on the right instantly turned cold.

"That's the rule. Even high-ranking officials from the capital have to abide by the rules here when they come to our Jinling Canal Transport Office."

A gentle yet deliberately aloof voice suddenly came from inside the door, "What's all this commotion?"

A man dressed in dark-colored casual clothes walked slowly out of the government office.

She was fair-skinned and slightly plump, with a smiling expression in her eyes, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

He exuded the air of a worldly and sophisticated bureaucrat. This was none other than Gao Huai'an, the Assistant Magistrate of the Nanjing Grand Canal.

Although the initial impression is one of quick approach, the actual bow is merely a shallow one. While seemingly polite, it is in reality utterly perfunctory.

Gao Huai'an's gaze swept quickly over the carriages and horses, landing on Li Xuanzhi, and he feigned surprise.

"So it is Imperial Censor Li who has come from afar. I have failed to greet you properly. My apologies."

"I have been ordered to travel south to investigate the old case of funding for the Linghe River repairs and the Jiangnan canal transport two years ago. Immediately retrieve the river works records and procurement accounts from the past two years, as well as the employee roster and the silver stubs."

After Li Xuanzhi finished speaking, he immediately made a gesture of invitation, "Gao Tongzhi, lead the way."

There were no pleasantries, no beating around the bush.

Gao Huai'an's smile froze slightly, then slowly faded, and he raised his hand to smooth his sleeve as if in difficulty.

"Imperial Censor Li must be tired from his journey and should rest at the inn first. Why rush the investigation? The climate in Nanjing is damp and cold. You need to acclimatize after coming from the capital to avoid harming your health."

"Official business comes first, no need for rest." Li Xuanzhi's eyes darkened slightly. "Retrieve the files immediately."

Seeing this, Gao Huai'an knew he couldn't fool the situation, so he had to stop forcing a smile and looked embarrassed.

"To be honest, Censor Li, this matter is truly difficult. The warehouse is leaking and damp, and most of the paper volumes of the Linghe case files are moldy and damaged, with the handwriting blurred and illegible, making them impossible to consult. The remaining archived documents were sent to the Provincial Administration Commission for verification earlier, but have not yet been returned."

Tang Zheng, who was listening from the side, couldn't help but clench his fists.

This clumsy excuse is clearly a pre-prepared pretext. Rather than attributing the damage to leaks and dampness, it's more accurate to say it's a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence and obstruct the investigation.

The coldness in Li Xuanzhi's eyes deepened as he quietly looked at Gao Huai'an, and after a moment he slowly spoke.

"The warehouse is damp? The Grand Canal warehouse was built specifically for storing large amounts of documents, money, and paperwork. It has high walls and dense windows to prevent dampness and fire. It is repaired every year, so how can it be said to be damp and damaged?"

Gao Huai'an remained expressionless. "Things are unpredictable. This year has been rainy, and the dampness has permeated the house. I am helpless in the face of this. The damage to the archives is beyond human control. I hope Your Excellency will forgive me."

"Who handled the documents sent to the Provincial Administration Commission for verification? When were they sent out? And when was their return agreed upon?"

Li Xuanzhi pressed on relentlessly, exposing the flaws in his words with every sentence.

"Retrieve the handover records and verify them personally."

Gao Huai'an's eyes flickered slightly as he avoided direct eye contact, his tone becoming increasingly ambiguous.

"The officials involved have long been transferred and left the capital, the handover records are sloppy and cannot be verified. The return date is even more uncertain."

To put it bluntly, it's a clear message to him: if you want evidence, you don't have it.

The imperial court in the capital blocked testimonies, and local officials destroyed case files.

The officials inside and outside the court colluded to cover up this corruption scandal.

Seeing his silence, Gao Huai'an assumed he was helpless, which emboldened him even more. He maintained his gentle and polite demeanor, feigning sincerity as he advised:

"Imperial Censor Li, it is not that I am shirking my responsibility or obstructing the investigation. The case is old, the evidence is incomplete, and it is essentially an unsolved mystery. Forcibly pursuing it would be futile and a waste of effort."

"In my humble opinion, it would be better for you to return to the post station and rest for the time being. Report to the court that the case files are damaged and cannot be verified, and the case can be closed here. This will not damage the dignity of the court, nor will it save you from unnecessary trouble."

Li Xuanzhi raised his eyes, a cold, sharp smile curving his lips.

"The case files were damaged, the person in charge was transferred, and the records cannot be verified."

He slowly repeated the other party's statement, "Prefect Gao has certainly calculated everything thoroughly."

Gao Huai'an's heart tightened, but he still forced a smile on his face.

"I am merely stating the facts."

Li Xuanzhi took a half step back and raised his hand to reveal the imperial edict.

"With the imperial edict, I am hereby ordered to thoroughly investigate this old case. I am not subject to local control or personal favors."

"I'll make my point clear today." His eyes were sharp, and his words were firm and resolute. "If the case files are damaged, then we will re-examine the transaction records, re-verify the bank accounts, and re-interview the people who handled the cases back then. If records are missing, then we will hold each person accountable and trace the source layer by layer."

"I do not believe it. The huge sums of money spent on river works over the years, and the detailed accounts of countless laborers, can be wiped clean by a single damp tide and a single handover."

Gao Huai'an's fake smile froze completely, and a hint of panic finally flashed in his eyes.

He originally thought that the young censor was unfamiliar with the place and the people when he first arrived in Jinling, but he did not expect that the other party would not be swayed by either soft or hard tactics.

"Why is Imperial Censor Li so stubborn..." He still wanted to persuade him again.

"No need for further words," Li Xuanzhi interrupted coldly. "Open the yamen immediately, inventory the treasury, and summon the clerks who handled the old files. I will personally inspect them."

Gao Huai'an ultimately dared not openly defy the imperial decree.

After Li Xuanzhi coldly cut him off, the smile on his face vanished completely. A surge of anger welled up inside him, but he could only force it down. His fingertips subtly clenched the hem of his robe, and he turned to signal the yamen runners to open the door and enter.

The vermilion gate slowly opened inward, and the damp, musty smell of paper mixed with the stale smell of wood wafted out.

The warehouse of the Grand Canal Transport Office was spacious and deep, with layers of wooden shelves neatly arranged and piled high with files and books from previous years.

The cobwebs were thick with dust, and the place looked as if it had been rarely disturbed for years.

Li Xuanzhi ignored him and walked straight into the depths of the warehouse.

His gaze swept quickly across the documents categorized and filed on the shelf, his fingertips brushing the edges of each page.

Indeed, several stacks of old, damp pages were curled up, and the ink was blurred and indistinct. They appeared to be severely damaged, but a closer look revealed some clues.

The mold marks are uniformly deep, and the damaged areas are too neatly arranged.

Destroy only the main text, leaving no details. This neatly erases all the crucial accounts while perfectly preserving the irrelevant notes and fragments.

The artificial aging is too obvious.

Tang Zheng followed him inside, lowering his voice to whisper in his ear:

"Young master, I have just seen it. The complete records of the canal transport and the stubs of silver from the past two years have all vanished into thin air, leaving only unimportant archives."