The playboy county magistrate

Gao Huai'an tried to maintain calm, saying, "These petty scoundrels are greedy and insatiable. They spread rumors and cause trouble to get more wages. It's all nonsense!"

He insisted that all testimonies were fabricated by others and that there was no way to verify them. As long as he refused to plead guilty, no one could convict him.

Li Xuanzhi watched him struggle in despair without asking any more questions. He simply turned his head slightly and ordered the guard beside him in a deep voice, "Take the men."

A moment later, two guards escorted the black-clad assassin into the study.

The assassin's hands were bound, his clothes were disheveled, and he looked dejected.

Upon entering, he looked up and saw Gao Huai'an. A complex expression flashed in his eyes, before he fell into complete silence.

Gao Huai'an swayed violently, and a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out from his back.

His most trusted confidant and his safest backup plan have now fallen into enemy hands.

"Look up," Li Xuanzhi said calmly to the assassin. "Who ordered you to infiltrate the inn tonight and assassinate two river worker ID cards? Tell the truth, and you may be spared a severe sentence. You don't want to spend your whole life as a shadow, living a life of hiding and danger, do you?"

The assassin lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, still refusing to say anything.

Li Xuanzhi shook his head helplessly, sighed, and snapped his fingers again.

"Some people, you think they're doing everything for your own good, but actually they just want to control you. For example, not only have your family members not had a good life, but now they probably don't even have many bones left."

Li Xuanzhi was also surprised that his third uncle was so successful in business, with connections everywhere.

As soon as he arrived in Jinling City, someone came to deliver messages and the things he needed.

For example, the guards who just walked in from outside are carrying the remains of the assassin's wife and children, as well as the items he personally prepared during his lifetime, which have now become his relics.

"Look at this, what can you get by working for someone like this?"

The assassin knelt in disbelief before the tray, his hands trembling as he touched this and that, his mouth agape, unable to close. His breathing was labored and uneven; he clearly had suffered a severe shock.

He looked up and stared directly at Gao Huai'an, shaking his head in disappointment. Then he turned to Li Xuanzhi, his voice hoarse, yet each word clear.

"It was Gao Huai'an, the Assistant Commissioner of the Grand Canal, who personally gave me the order late at night, instructing me to infiltrate the post station and eliminate the two old river workers as quickly as possible, making it appear as if they died in an accident."

The candlelight crackled softly, making Gao Huai'an's face appear ashen white. He staggered back half a step, barely managing to steady himself by grabbing the edge of the table.

Li Xuanzhi's gaze returned to him, his expression cool and aloof.

"Gao Huai'an, as the chief official in charge of the canal transport, you are in charge of the funds and provisions for river works, and the livelihood and water conservancy of the people. You should be conscientious in your duties and abide by the law. However, you have embezzled treasury funds, deprived the people of their labor, and used inferior materials to replace superior ones, thus neglecting the river defenses."

"They dared to be even more blatant, blocking the people's voices and obstructing the imperial envoy's investigation. They even secretly dispatched assassins in the dead of night, intending to silence witnesses and force them to recant their confessions."

"Each and every one of these acts constitutes a serious crime of deceiving the emperor and disregarding the law."

Every sentence of conviction felt like a heavy stone crashing down on Gao Huai'an's heart.

His lips trembled as he tried to speak in defense. But he found his throat dry and tight, and he could no longer utter a single word of excuse.

Li Xuanzhi raised his hand, his fingertips gently tracing the offering book on the table.

"Guards, remove Gao Huai'an's official hat and imprison him. Thoroughly investigate all his properties and businesses, as well as all his financial transactions over the years, verifying each one and getting to the bottom of it."

"yes!"

The guard responded and stepped forward, closing in.

The cold official hat was taken off his head and rolled to the ground, the slight sound particularly clear in the quiet study.

When Gao Huai'an was taken away by the guards, his knees were dragging on the ground, his back was hunched, and he no longer had any official demeanor.

Li Xuanzhi stood before the desk, bending down to personally organize the scattered evidence. His fingertips traced the pages of records as he spoke softly:

"Gao Huai'an has already been detained. To prevent the news from leaking out and causing unforeseen circumstances, Tang Zheng, you must immediately order people to seize all the businesses and properties under his name, and immediately summon all his relatives and accountants."

"Remember, there's no need to rush to kill small people."

Tang Zheng paused, then looked up at him.

"Gao Huai'an is just a puppet in the open." Li Xuanzhi slowly turned around, his gaze falling back on the evidence on the table, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"As a fifth-rank official in charge of grain transport, he had neither overwhelming power nor connections to the highest levels, so he dared not embezzle tens of thousands of taels of silver from the treasury. Nor did he dare to destroy official documents without authorization, nor did he dare to raise assassins to kill witnesses at night and defy the imperial envoy."

During tonight's interrogation, Gao Huai'an only dared to defend himself, deny the allegations, and evade responsibility, but dared not utter a single word about the person behind him.

This silence was not out of helplessness, but out of reliance, and even more so out of a deep understanding of the fear of bringing disaster upon the entire family.

Chess pieces can be discarded, but the chessboard is hard to break.

Removing Gao Huai'an today may seem like breaking the deadlock, but it only reveals the tip of the iceberg.

The real source lies far away in the capital, right under the emperor's nose.

"Immediately order the most capable person to interrogate Gao Huai'an and force him to confess the truth behind the scenes."

"No need," Li Xuanzhi shook his head slightly after hearing Tang Zheng's words. "He won't tell."

To have been able to sit comfortably in Jinling City for so many years, living such a good life, means that he has long been tied to the same boat as those who are causing trouble behind the scenes.

He understood this better than anyone: confessing meant death, but admitting guilt meant certain death.

Tang Zheng frowned. "But without a confession, how can we implicate the powerful and influential people in the capital? Based solely on the connection with the business, we can only convict Gao Huai'an, which is insufficient to shake the foundation of the noble families in the capital."

Li Xuanzhi lowered his eyes to look at the fragments of old river works accounts on the table, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"No confession is needed; financial records never lie."

"The purchasing companies monopolized by Gao Huai'an's relatives have been undertaking the construction of the canal in Nanjing for many years. The difference between income and expenditure and the blank accounts on the books must have accumulated over the years, with a large amount of silver anonymously flowing north and into the private treasuries of the powerful and wealthy."

"The common people are afraid to speak out because of their fear of death, but the trail of money is clear and there is nowhere to hide it."

"Don't waste any more time here. If we keep talking and they all run away, I'll hold you responsible if anything goes wrong!"

After Tang Zheng turned and left quickly, Li Xuanzhi glanced at the person who was still standing there, ostensibly sent by the emperor to protect and help him.

"I would like to trouble this young man to interrogate Gao Huai'an's subordinates separately. Seize all the previous accountants and check the income and expenditure records one by one. Record any large unexplained transfers out and anonymous deposits."

"Yes, sir!"

The royal guard bowed and accepted the order, then immediately turned and left the study.

Silence returned to the study.

Li Xuanzhi sat alone at his desk, raising his hand to extinguish the flickering candlelight.

Night seeped through the windowpane, and a cool breeze carrying the dampness of the river rushed in. It swept away the heat from my body, but could not dispel the heavy feeling in my heart.

He knew that removing Gao Huai'an was just the beginning of this game.

If there is any movement in Nanjing, the capital will inevitably be thrown into turmoil.

Beijing.

The newly appointed Left Chancellor, Ren Jianxiao, paced back and forth in the room, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "Has the princess not been found yet?"

Ren Jianxiao was furious. His wife was not a virtuous woman. After all these years, she still liked to keep male lovers and go out to play with male prostitutes.

Now that things are really urgent, why aren't you worried?