Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 13
byChapter 13: Shadows of Cranes, Frozen Clouds
A major trouble had been dealt with.
Outside Lantai, the wind and snow showed no signs of stopping. Inside the duty room, the charcoal fire burned the air until it was dry. Xie Heng had just sat down after brushing the remaining snow from his shoulders when Xiao Jue brought in seventeen full boxes of account ledgers. These were the records of the national treasury’s silver ingot smelting from the tenth year of Yonghe to the third year of Yuanxi, spanning thirteen years.
The charcoal brazier burned a glowing red, reflecting off the dense rows of numbers on the pages.
Xiao Jue pushed the door open and entered, the snow on his shoulders still unbrushed. “The people from the Three Departments have arrived.”
“Let them wait in the side hall,” Xie Heng said without lifting his head. “Come here and look at this.”
His fingertip pointed to a specific entry from the autumn of the tenth year of Yonghe. “This batch of silver ingots was melted on the fifteenth day of the ninth month, and the purity was recorded as ninety-seven percent. However, the records for the twenty thousand taels of military pay sent to the Northern Frontier that same winter show a purity of only ninety-five percent.”
Xiao Jue frowned. “The two percent difference in value…”
“It went into the private coffers of the Smelting Office.” Xie Heng pulled a yellowed private ledger from the bottom of a box. “This was seized this morning from the home of the deceased Smelting Office Manager. It records that for every hundred thousand taels of ninety-seven percent silver melted, over two thousand taels of surplus material could be skimmed. These surpluses were remelted with lead and issued as ninety-five percent silver.”
He looked up, his eyes bloodshot. “Over thirteen years, this single scheme alone swallowed four hundred and sixty thousand taels.”
The sound of snow rustled outside the window. Xiao Jue gripped his sword hilt. “That is enough to feed the border armies of the Northern Frontier for two years.”
“It is more than that.” Xie Heng flipped open another scroll. “There are also false reports of grain transport, intercepted salt taxes, and old military equipment being passed off as new…” He suddenly began to cough, his shoulders trembling, yet he continued to write rapidly on the paper.
Xiao Jue poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over. Xie Heng’s hand shook as he took a sip. Once he caught his breath, he said, “Go to the Bureau of Equipment. Pull all records of military hardware released from the armory over the last five years. Focus on the items marked as battle damage.”
The joint trial of the Three Departments reached a conclusion ten days after Wang Chun had closed his doors to visitors.
The evidence was irrefutable, implicating twenty-seven officials of various ranks from the Bureau of Expenditures, the Bureau of Census, and the Bureau of Military Affairs. The primary culprit, Liu Wen, committed suicide in prison, leaving behind a confession that took all the blame upon himself.
Wang Chun was fined one year’s salary for his failure in oversight and demoted to Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, though he still retained control over some practical matters.
After reading the results of the punishment at the imperial court session, the Emperor looked at Xie Heng. “What does Minister Xie think?”
Xie Heng stepped forward. “Your Majesty’s judgment is wise.” He paused before continuing, “However, regarding the recovered stolen funds…”
“They shall be returned to the national treasury,” the Emperor said indifferently. “The Northern Expedition is imminent; this is precisely when we need silver.”
“I request Your Majesty’s permission to oversee this matter personally.” Xie Heng bowed. “The recovery, remelting, and transport of the stolen silver requires a dedicated official to prevent… further mishaps.”
The words were subtle, but the meaning was clear: he feared someone would tamper with the funds midway.
The Emperor remained silent for a moment before saying, “Granted. From this day forward, Xie Heng shall be in total charge of the recovery of stolen goods.”
As the court adjourned, Wang Chun and Xie Heng crossed paths on the palace walkway. Wang Chun said in a low voice, “A fine display of skill, Vice Director Xie.”
“It pales in comparison to yours, Vice Director Wang,” Xie Heng replied, looking straight ahead. “At the very least, I would not let my brother-in-law take the fall for a capital crime.”
Wang Chun’s face turned pale with rage, and he flicked his sleeves and walked away.
The real battle began with the recovery of the funds.
Xie Heng led the officials from the Ministry of Revenue to seize Liu Wen’s private residence in Guangling. The house was not large, but the cellar was deep.
After prying up three layers of green bricks, they found neatly stacked gold ingots. They were not of official minting but were private casts, with the faint insignia of the “Cui” family engraved on the bottom.
“The Cui family has their hands in this as well,” Xiao Jue whispered.
“As expected.” Xie Heng crouched down, picking up an ingot to examine it closely. “The melting is crude, showing they were in a hurry to get rid of it.” He stood up. “Count the amount. Transport it all to the official mint in Yangzhou to be remelted.”
“Remelted?” The Manager from the Ministry of Revenue hesitated. “This is already pure gold. Remelting it might cause a loss in weight…”
“There must be a loss.” Xie Heng turned around. “Melt it in front of everyone. Record exactly how much is melted. I want the people of the world to see that not a single tael of this stolen silver will fail to flow into the national treasury.”
That night, the fires at the Yangzhou official mint lit up the sky. Twenty-three craftsmen, seven officials from the Bureau of Expenditures, and thirty Beifu soldiers gathered around the furnace, watching as the gold ingots were recast into standard official ingots.
As each ingot was completed, it was branded, numbered, and boxed in public view.
The snowy night was freezing, but the firelight reflected on everyone’s faces. Xie Heng stood on a distant high platform wrapped in a heavy cloak, watching all night.
When Xiao Jue came up carrying a food box, he saw that frost had formed on Xie Heng’s eyelashes.
“Vice Director, eat something.”
Xie Heng took the warm porridge but did not drink it. “Tell me, how many of these people are truly happy to see the stolen silver returned to the public?”
Xiao Jue scanned the crowd below. “At least the brothers of the Beifu Army are.”
“Why?”
“Because three of their comrades starved to death last winter,” Xiao Jue’s voice was heavy. “Military pay was delayed for four months, and when it finally arrived, it was silver mixed with lead. It couldn’t buy grain, and it couldn’t buy medicine.”
Xie Heng’s hand tightened around the porridge bowl. After a long silence, he whispered, “It won’t happen again.”
The first batch of remelted official silver was dispatched to the Northern Frontier.
The escort consisted of fifty veteran Beifu soldiers personally selected by Xiao Jue. They traveled by the official roads, marching by day and resting at post stations by night. At every prefecture and county they reached, they opened the boxes to verify the silver, counting the amount in front of the local officials.
When the news reached Guzang, Wang Chun smashed a teacup in his manor, shouting in exasperation, “He is doing this for the whole world to see!”
An aide whispered from the side, “Xie Heng is still auditing the old records for grain transport. He has already reached the twentieth year of Yonghe…”
“Let him check,” Wang Chun sneered. “Accounts from fifteen years ago—I want to see how many tricks he can find in those old ledgers.”
And Xie Heng was indeed flipping through the old records. Not just flipping, but calculating.
The lights in the duty room of the Department of State Affairs stayed lit until dawn. Xie Heng leaned over his desk, the crisp clicking of abacus beads sounding exceptionally clear in the silence. When Xiao Jue pushed the door open, he saw three massive sheets of paper spread out before Xie Heng, covered in dense rows of numbers.
“It’s been cleared,” Xie Heng’s voice was hoarse. “From the tenth year of Yonghe to the fifth year of Yongyuan, the false grain reports, intercepted salt taxes, embezzled military pay, and inflated prices for military equipment… it totals two million, eight hundred and seventy thousand taels.”
Xiao Jue sucked in a breath of cold air. That amount was enough to provide a year’s worth of supplies for an army of a hundred thousand.
“How much can be recovered?”
“About four hundred thousand taels in cash. The rest is mostly land, shops, and treasures.” Xie Heng rubbed his temples. “The land will be confiscated, the shops auctioned, and the treasures sent to the palace.”
“Will His Majesty accept them?”
“He will.” Xie Heng’s lips curled slightly. “Because I will tell him that these are treasures specially offered by the people to show their gratitude for the Imperial Grace and to assist in the Northern Expedition.”
Xiao Jue understood. Once the stolen silver was “washed,” it became civilian donations. Once the stolen goods changed hands, they became tribute. Xie Heng was using the money embezzled by the aristocratic clans to silence the Emperor and sustain the soldiers of the Northern Expedition.
“The clans will not be content with this.”
Xie Heng stood up and walked to the window. The snow had stopped, and the moonlight shone on the accumulated snow, creating a cold, silver-white landscape. “Once this money begins moving toward the Northern Frontier, the Northern Expedition becomes a certainty. Anyone who blocks it is a traitor colluding with the enemy.”
He turned around, the moonlight casting a cold glow on the side of his face. “Xiao Jue, I want you to go to the Beifu Army camp.”
“Now?”
“Now.” Xie Heng took the military tally and a written order from his desk. “Take the first batch of four hundred thousand taels and deliver it personally to General Han. Tell him this is three years of back pay supplemented by the court, and order him to begin preparing for war immediately.”
Xiao Jue knelt on one knee. “This general obeys your command.”
“One more thing.” Xie Heng helped him up, his voice very soft. “Tell the soldiers that the court has not forgotten them. And it will never forget them again.”
Xie Heng personally saw him off at the Ten-Mile Pavilion outside the city. Neither said much, but as they were parting, Xie Heng took a jade pendant from his sleeve. It was not an expensive item, just ordinary green jade carved with simple cloud patterns.
“Wear this.” He tied it to Xiao Jue’s waist. “If you encounter an emergency, you can use this pendant to mobilize the Xie clan’s hidden agents along the way.”
“Vice Director…”
Xie Heng interrupted him. “Travel safely.”
Xiao Jue gripped the jade pendant; it still carried the other man’s body heat. He flipped onto his horse and looked back after riding a long distance. He saw that plain white figure still standing in the pavilion, snow falling upon his shoulders.
The horse team headed north, their carriage wheels carving deep ruts into the snow.
After Xiao Jue left, Xie Heng presented the final audit of the recovered funds to the Emperor.
The Emperor read for a full hour. When he looked up, his gaze was complex. He said in a heavy voice, “Two million, eight hundred and seventy thousand taels… My Southern Dynasty has been hollowed out by vermin to such an extent over these thirteen years.”
“Eight hundred and thirty thousand taels in cash have been recovered, and land valued at six hundred thousand taels is being processed. The rest is currently being sold,” Xie Heng said with his head bowed. “If we expedite the process, we should be able to gather one and a half million taels before March.”
“Is it enough?”
“It is not,” Xie Heng spoke truthfully. “But it is enough to last until the autumn harvest. As long as the Northern Frontier can win one battle to boost the people’s morale, the subsequent supplies and pay will be able to keep up.”
The Emperor remained silent for a long time before speaking. “Minister Xie, do you know how much trouble this action will bring upon you?”
“I know.” Xie Heng raised his head. “But Your Majesty should know even better that the enemy is about to cross the Yangtze River.”
These words were heavy, and the eunuchs standing in the hall all lowered their heads.
After a long silence, the Emperor waved his hand. “Go and do it. I approve the Northern Expedition.”
Walking out of the palace gates, Xie Heng stood beneath the palace walls, looking at the distant willow branches that were faintly turning green, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts.
Footsteps came from behind him; it was Wang Chun.
The two stood side by side for a moment before Wang Chun suddenly said, “You will drag the Southern Dynasty into the fires of war.”
“The fires of war have always been burning.” Xie Heng looked toward the north. “It is just that in the past, they burned the blood of the common people. Now, it is time they burned the silver of the aristocratic clans.”
He turned and walked away, his footsteps leaving a trail of wet marks on the bluestone floor.
Wang Chun stared at that retreating back and suddenly felt that this seemingly frail civil official was carrying the weight of the entire realm upon his shoulders.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Frontier, Xiao Jue had just arrived at the Beifu Army camp.
Looking at the boxes of silver, General Han, a veteran of a hundred battles, found his eyes reddening. He clapped Xiao Jue heavily on the shoulder. “Tell the Vice Director that the hundred thousand sons of the Beifu Army are willing to fight to the death!”
Xiao Jue knelt on one knee and cupped his fists. “The soldiers can finally have a good New Year.”