Tang Chen: Starting from the Xuanwu Gate Incident

Chapter 22 Each Displays Their Unique Abilities

As the sun began to set, its scorching heat seemed to have had its fill of brilliance, and it reluctantly withdrew its power, hiding behind thick clouds and refusing to emerge.

The officials of the Eastern Palace, having finished their duties, walked briskly towards the outskirts of the imperial city. However, an official in green robes went against the flow, heading north towards the three temples of the Eastern Palace.

This person is none other than Manager Qian.

He paced back and forth at the courtyard gate, carrying documents and a thick stack of manuscripts. Suddenly, he stopped, a ruthless look appearing on his face. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I am a subordinate clerk in the Registrar's Office. I have documents to report to Lord Zhang."

The doorman standing at the entrance looked Zhang up and down, then lazily bowed and said, "My master and his family are all in good health. There's no need for your office to treat us. If Lord Zhang is unwell, he will go to the Imperial Medical Bureau himself. We wouldn't dare trouble you."

Seeing that he was being thwarted at the door, Manager Qian became anxious. Seeking medical treatment? Who wants to see a doctor? A few days ago, he came by himself and no one stopped him. What's going on today?

He immediately stepped forward, took out several dozen coins from his pocket, and forced them into the clerk's pocket.

The clerk had never seen such an open display of bribery before, especially in the bustling area of ​​the government office. He thought to himself, "If you want to give me money, just give me some loose change, even if you just throw it on the ground. I'll pick it up myself. How can this be acceptable?"

After a while, the two started arguing, which attracted the attention of the registrar of the local magistrate's office, who was also an official in green robes. He was much easier to talk to, explained his purpose, and let Qian, the clerk, in. Before leaving, Qian Yanxiu suddenly pulled his hand out of the clerk's pocket, along with the money that had been placed in the other's pocket.

The clerk watched the two officials leave with a fawning smile, then turned and touched his chest, only to find it empty. He immediately cursed under his breath, "***."

Inside the main hall.

Qian Yanxiu handed the document to the scribe with both hands, stepped aside, and said nothing.

Zhang Huaisu sat upright in the chair, spreading out all the items that Manager Qian had brought, and examining them one by one.

Only soft rustling sounds came from inside the room. Zhang Huaisu flipped through the scroll while glancing at Qian Yanxiu beside him. Then he pulled out a scroll from under the table, opened it, and compared the two. The numbers were almost identical.

He was both surprised and angry, and sneered, "Your registrar is quite capable, you can even calculate these things?"

Qian Yanxiu shook his head: "The two scribes from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices have been calculating for two hours without any results. It was my family's registrar who did the calculations."

Zhang Huaisu snorted lightly: "You adults are quite capable; your mathematical skills are even better than those of the students at the Imperial Academy under my tutelage."

After saying that, she picked up a scroll from the side and shook it a few times in the air: "Did your master also ask you to bring this for me to see?"

"Yes"

Zhang Huaisu unrolled the scroll, glanced at it twice, and roared, "Damn it, damn it! When has anyone ever dared to nitpick my budget like this? And they dare to offer me advice? They're not worthy!"

He then swept all the documents off the table, his gaze fixed on Qian Yanxiu: "My budget has been rejected, so you're out of money. Do you have any ideas?"

"The temple official should be thinking about how to prevent trouble from happening, not about this small amount of money."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Huaisu asked in a cold voice.

Qian Yanxiu picked up the documents scattered on the ground one by one, put them back on the table, and then recounted the situation in the Registrar's Office that day.

Upon hearing Yuwen Shiji's fish-shaped tally, Zhang Huaisu's hand visibly trembled, his eyes filled with struggle. After a long silence, he lowered his voice and asked, "Why so quickly? We didn't receive a single tip-off?"

"I don't know who pulled the strings for that Registrar Shen, but he was promoted several ranks in just a few days. He's only just taken office, and he's already spreading rumors about arresting people," Qian Yanxiu clenched his fists and said angrily, "I'm afraid it's because his superiors want to investigate thoroughly."

"Are your subordinates clean? Don't let them get caught red-handed."

Qian Yanxiu glanced sideways at Zhang Huaisu, cursing him inwardly for wanting the horse to run but not wanting it to eat grass.

He shook his head and said, "There are a few people, but there's no time to tell them all right now."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huaisu's face hardened, and he asked again, "Is there any way?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Yanxiu walked to the table, pointed to the scroll, and said, "This document was written by me, only the signature at the end was written by my master."

Zhang Huaisu exclaimed in surprise, glancing towards the end of the scroll: "Hey, your master's handwriting is indeed a bit ugly, but so what?"

"When I was writing this, I deliberately left space at the beginning and end of each column and at the end of the text, so that I could add one or two things as appropriate."

"Not bad, not bad, it has indeed been forged. But that's not enough. If you want to strike first, I'll give it a final push before you can actually use this thing."

.......

He inspected the Censorate.

The courtyard, which was more than two acres in size, was pitch black. In a corner of the side room, a sliver of light seemed to shine through the crack in the door. Pushing open the door, one was suddenly greeted by a flight of steps more than ten feet long.

Descending the steps, every ten feet along the five-foot-wide path, an oil lamp was lit. A gust of wind blew in, and the shadows on the ground swayed and appeared and disappeared.

Suddenly, a weak roar came from nearby: "Let me die, let me die, I beg you two superiors."

Shen Ce stood at the door, shaking the rainwater off his robes. The pungent stench of blood and urine still assaulted his senses. He quickly covered his mouth and nose, pushed open the door, and frowned, saying, "Imperial Censor Wen, why have you summoned me so late? Did you find out something?"

Wen Wuyin picked up the indictment he had just signed, blew on the bloodstains to dry them, held it above his head, and examined it closely by the light of the oil lamp.

"This fellow thoroughly explained his financial and food issues, opened the documents in advance, and passed them on to the officials involved in the matter in small notes so that they could make preparations in advance."

"It also involves laws and regulations in various industries, which were leaked to brokers in advance, allowing businessmen to make a fortune. They deserve to die."

Outraged, Wen Wuyin threw the testimony at Shen Ce for his amusement.

Shen Ce picked it up and saw that it was indeed a case of a petty official with enormous greed. A minor official without any rank had earned hundreds of strings of cash in just a few years by relying on his job of delivering documents.

But that's not enough. I've already obtained the fish talisman, and all I found in this mansion were small fry. Where will I put my face in the future?

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing dissatisfaction in each other's eyes.

"Registrar Shen, with this testimony, I have the authority to arrest his family. Now you won't stop me, will you?" Wen Wuyin snatched the testimony back and slammed it on the table.

Shen Ce gave a soft snort, not replying, and held the oil lamp close to the clerk. The clerk's once tight-fitting hemp clothing was now tattered and hanging loosely in all directions. Looking up, his nose and mouth were pointing to one side, and his tongue, no longer held back by his teeth, was spilling out.

"Ding San, think about it carefully again. When did you, a clerk delivering documents, start opening official documents from within the government office without authorization? Who else could it be but you?" Shen Ce grabbed his hair, forcing him to look at him. "If you don't speak up, this Imperial Censor Wen is eager to make a name for himself."

Wen Wuyin, standing behind him, immediately chimed in, "I heard that your five-year-old son has already started recognizing characters and is quite intelligent. It's a real pity that his potential has been wasted."

Upon hearing about his youngest son, he, who had already contemplated suicide, immediately opened his eyes again and struggled to say, "It doesn't have to be this bad, what crime has my son committed?"

"Hmph, you stole state secrets and profited thousands of strings of cash. Let me tell you frankly, you're dead, and your family will be implicated as well. However..." Wen Wuyin paused, his fingers lightly brushing over the testimony, and lowered his voice, "As the presiding official, I do have the right to petition for your family's life, but you need to show some results. This is not enough."

"Speak," said the official. "When the Dali Temple handles cases, only a few big shots in the Crown Prince's Palace can get involved. I don't believe that the person behind you can make connections."

"You scoundrel, you deserve to die!"

Seeing that the time was right, Shen Ce shouted outside, "Bring the person in."

Ding San looked up and saw his entire family, old and young, being led in from outside by a rope. He immediately deflated: "I confess, I confess everything..."