Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 37
byChapter 37 Cold Blade Warming Wine
Story of the promotion of the No. 1 mole in Guzang
The turmoil at the Spring Festival seemed to have subsided, but the quarrels in the court did not stop.Xie Heng’s infamy for suppressing the Qing Dynasty and the Wang family’s scandal of selling officials and titles were at odds with each other, which dispersed the anger, but also made the already complicated situation even more confusing.
After this incident, Xie Heng stayed behind closed doors for several days, not entirely to avoid suspicion, but more to plan the next step.He knew that he had already gained notoriety, and if he could not produce results as soon as possible, all his sacrifices and patience would be meaningless.
And actual performance requires a breakthrough, and it also requires some less glamorous means.
At this moment, the fifth soldier Cao Yuanjing, a foreigner, handed over a greeting card through a secret channel.
The meeting was arranged in an inconspicuous side study room of Xie Mansion.Li Yuanjing was about fifty years old, with a thin face, but his eyes were as clear as a wash without any turbidity. He was wearing a half-worn official uniform, and his demeanor showed a coldness and a thorough understanding of the world that had been immersed in the laws of punishment for a long time.
He didn’t say any pleasantries and went straight to the point, “Thank you, I know a little about Pushe’s current situation. If you want to do great things, it won’t work just by following the right path. Some dirty water needs to be poured out by someone. Some shady roads have to be walked on first. I have seen a lot of scandals in the past few years in the Five Soldiers Cao, and I also know a lot about things outside the legal provisions. If Pushe doesn’t dislike it, you can use me.”
Xie Heng raised his eyes and looked at the old official in front of him, who was not well-known but was famous for being proficient in legal loopholes and gray methods, “What do you want, Li Yuanwailang?”
Li Yuanjing twitched the corner of his mouth and showed an almost cruel smile, “I am not from a high family background, and I have wasted half my life.I have seen too many nobles from aristocratic families lying in ruins. You are different from them.You are willing to endure it and dare to do it.What I want is to bet that Pu She can really lever this piece of iron and prevent those who come after us from going to the dead end.Of course, if he succeeds in the future, my old bones that have fallen into dust may be able to make a decent way out.”
Frank and almost naked, Xie Heng was silent for a moment and tapped his fingertips on the table: “In that case, there is a dirty job at the moment and we need the help of Li Yuanwailang.”
“But the Danyang granary case?” Li Yuanjing understood.
“Exactly. This case is very involved, especially with the Langya Wang family branch. I have asked the chief minister Xu Shuhuai to assist in the investigation. He is good at Qiangu and can control the overall situation. However, the intricate transfer of interests, the locking of evidence, and even communication with certain people require someone who is capable and secretive. Is Li Yuanwai Lang willing to go to Danyang with Xu Shuhuai?”
“Xu Shuhuai?” Li Yuanjing’s brows twitched slightly, obviously he had heard of this young senior farmer’s reputation for being unruly and unruly.
Xie Heng seemed to see his doubts, “Although Mr. Xu likes to play, he is extremely professional in his job and has a reliable position. He will be the best shield on the surface and the main force in the investigation. In addition, my sister-in-law is good at calculations. I will arrange for her to accompany me in the name of assisting in accounting. She is meticulous and can fill in the details.”
Li Yuanjing asked no more questions and bowed: “I accept your order. When will you leave?”
“Three days later. Everything needs to be done quickly, and we must get ironclad evidence.” Xie Heng’s eyes were heavy, “What I need is not only to convict a few silverfish, but also a bargaining chip that can leverage the situation.”
Li Yuanjing arrived at Danyang first, and as he expected, Xu Shuhuai’s arrival was rather ostentatious.He still behaved like a handsome nobleman. While investigating the case, he did not forget to look for local food and wine, and even occasionally visited the music studio, which caused some local officials to secretly sneer and lose their guard a little.
But once he entered the official room filled with account books, Xu Shuhuai seemed like a different person.He quickly clarified the context of the accounts and pointed out several key contradictions with a sharp professional eye.Li Yuanjing watched with cold eyes, and gradually put away the contempt in his heart, and began to cooperate closely with him, one focusing on the bright lines of accounts, and the other digging deep into the hidden lines of personnel.
Xie Nanqiao was the last to arrive, and her arrival was much quieter.She is immersed in numerous files almost all day long, her fingertips flying on the abacus at a dizzying speed, and she can always quickly find deliberately hidden errors, omissions and connections in the chaotic numbers.
She was taciturn and only communicated with the accounts. She usually only responded with a brief glance or a brief numerical conclusion to Xu Shuhuai’s occasional jokes. This made Xu Shuhuai feel frustrated that he had nothing to do, but he couldn’t help but want to tease her even more.
“Female Young Master, look at the changes and wear and tear. They are so neat every year. It seems that they were drawn with a ruler. It would be too careless to falsify them.” Xu Shuhuai came closer and pointed at the account book. The paper and ink mixed with the faint fragrance of his body hit him.
Xie Nanqiao didn’t look away from the calculation beads. He just said “Hmm”, moved his fingertips a few times faster, wrote a few numbers on an empty piece of paper and pushed it over: “Look here, sir, the loss rate in Yonghe’s five-year and seven-year years is exactly the same, but there are differences in grain prices, climate, and warehousing records in the two years. This is the first suspicion. In addition, when comparing the warehouse clerk’s rotation record and the time when the loss occurred, there are three obvious inconsistencies, which is the second suspicion.”
Xu Shuhuai took it and looked at it carefully, and the admiration in his eyes became stronger: “The young master looks very similar to Xie Pushe.” He then turned to discuss with Li Yuanjing in a low voice how to follow the clues and identify the specific person in charge and the person behind it.
With the cooperation of the three people, the shady story of the Danyang Granary Case was quickly revealed. The evidence pointed directly at Wang Yan, an important figure in the Wang family, and even implicated higher-ups.
The evidence is overwhelming and cannot be denied.
The evidence was secretly sent to Gu Zang, and Xie Heng immediately met with Wang Yuzong secretly late at night.
Xie Heng placed a copy of the dossier containing the key evidence in front of the other party.
“The matter in Danyang can be big or small. If we investigate thoroughly according to the law, Wang Yan will not escape death, and the reputation of the palace will be stained. The northern border is uneasy, and the court is at the time of employment. Your Majesty must not want to see the dignified Wang family of Langya in turmoil because of a few warehouses of grain.”
Wang Yuzong’s face was ashen, he looked through the files, and after a long while he slowly said: “What do you want, Xie Pushe?”
“Two ways.” Xie Heng said in a calm voice, “First, the case will be discussed, the three departments will review it, and the public will be announced. Second, Wang Yan will resign due to illness, his gang members will be cleaned up, and the embezzled assets will be filled back into the national treasury. Taking this as an opportunity, Danyang will try out the new land eradication policy, clean up the land, and settle the refugees. The royal family’s farmhouse in Danyang will be dealt with according to the new law, and the past will not be investigated.”
After a pause, he said again: “Danyang, give it to me.”
Wang Yuzong’s eyes flashed, and he gave up a branch and some local interests in exchange for preserving the core strength and temporarily calming down the incident.Xie Heng, on the other hand, got a test field for implementing the New Deal and an opportunity to resettle refugees and accumulate achievements.But the price is that he will gain a reputation for compromising deals with the family.
“Xie Pushe is not afraid of being punished by Qingliu Han at his door?” Wang Yuzong asked.
“If you’re afraid, you won’t do it.” Xie Heng’s answer was brief but firm.
Wang Yuzong finally nodded slowly, “Danyang can give it to you. But the details of the new policy need to be negotiated with the Danyang prefect. Wang Yan must die of illness.”
“Yes.”
Not long after, news came from Xuzhou that Wang Yan had died of a sudden illness, and several of his confidants committed suicide or disappeared.
The imperial court issued an imperial edict, citing that the Danyang grain case had exposed long-standing abuses, and specifically allowed the new policy to be piloted in Danyang, under the leadership of Xie Heng.Xie Heng quickly sent carefully selected operatives to Xuzhou and began to implement it vigorously and resolutely.
When the news spread, the government and the public were in an uproar.The Qingliu Han family was shocked and angry. They only saw that the Wang family lost their soldiers to protect their commanders. Xie Heng took the opportunity to make substantial profits, but failed to completely eradicate the Wang family’s influence in Xuzhou.
Compromise!trade!betray!
Xie Tu’s name has since become a lingering mark on Xie Heng.In the eyes of many people, Xie Langjun, who used to be a prosperous man, has become a butcher who does whatever it takes to achieve his goals and colludes with a wealthy family.
Wang Yuzong was reprimanded for his donation, and he closed his door to think about his mistakes. The pressure naturally passed on to Wang Xinlu, who had actively contributed suggestions.She was severely reprimanded by her brother and ordered to restrain herself, feeling extremely depressed.
“They are all those low-income bastards, how can they keep watching like flies, and find some flexible ways to raise funds for the country, but when it comes to their mouth, it becomes a heinous crime. If they hadn’t been making noise all day long, why would my brother be so cautious, and why would I be scolded.” Wang Xinlu broke his beloved hosta in his room, still unable to forgive his hatred.
Shen Youjin silently picked up the pieces and comforted softly: “Young Master, please calm down. Although there is a small setback this time, the foundation is not damaged. Moreover, Xie Heng cannot protect himself now. Once Xie Tu’s name comes out, the rift between him and Hanmen will be deep and difficult to mend. This is not a bad thing for the family.”
Wang Xinlu gasped, his eyes gloomy, “A good thing? Now that my brother and Concubine Zheng have asked me to live in peace, the way to donate is temporarily blocked. Should we just let those poor families be proud of themselves?”
Shen You lowered his eyes and seemed to be thinking. After a moment, he whispered: “The open road is blocked, or you can go through the culvert. The finances of state governments in various places are often in embarrassment. If you can secretly contact reliable wealthy businessmen in the name of the palace, lend money to the treasury at very low interest rates, and use the land deeds for shops or evenUsing tax revenue as collateral can not only solve local problems, gain favor from officials and gain practical benefits, but also secretly bind more local forces to the royal family’s interests.If this is done, the power will be ten times greater than the official donation, and the operation is secretive and difficult to be manipulated.”
Wang Xinlu’s eyes gradually lit up, “This method needs to be handled by absolutely reliable people.”
Shen Youjin bowed deeply and said, “I am willing to do my best for the young master and explore the path. Danyang, I still have some old friends to contact.”
“Okay! If this happens, I will ask for credit for you in front of my brother!” Wang Xinlu’s mood improved slightly, as if he saw hope of saving the situation and proving himself.
Shen Youjin accepted the order and exited, his face still had that respectful and humble expression.But when he turned around the corridor and no one could see him, a cold sneer flashed across his eyes.
Greed and anxiety are always the best weaknesses to exploit.
The Wang family’s paranoia and short-sightedness are dragging themselves into a deeper quagmire, and the emperor is obviously happy to see this, and may even secretly encourage it.
He looked up at the gloomy sky, and the drizzle fell quietly again.Dark clouds were gathering over Guzang City, and a bigger storm was slowly brewing amid the calculations and games of all forces.
Danyang, the land that had just been torn open by Xie Heng, was about to become a key battlefield for the next round of confrontation.
The Danyang grain case was considered a deal, and Xie Heng, despite Xie Tu’s bad reputation, devoted all his energy to the implementation details of the Danyang pilot project.He knew that this was the first real thing he had gained with his reputation and compromise, and he must not fail.
At the same time, a more hidden undercurrent was quietly spreading through Shen Youjin’s hands.
The repression of the palace and Wang Xinlu’s impatience provided Shen Youjin with an excellent cover.He behaved more and more respectfully and diligently, handling the documents assigned by Wang Xinlu in an orderly manner, and even took the initiative to share some seemingly trivial and annoying tasks of checking accounts and sorting out gift orders.
Wang Xinlu was happy to be free and relied on him even more. Many documents related to the palace, farms and shops, and even some gray transactions, began to pass through his hands.
In the dead of night, the oil lamp in Shen Youjin’s room would always stay on until very late.He used his superb memory and the special paper and potions he had prepared to quickly copy down the key account numbers, land deed abstracts and personnel contact lists that he had passed during the day.
He was extremely cautious and never took away the original documents. The copied secret documents were also divided into several parts and sent through different channels. They were finally gathered in a small courtyard he secretly rented outside the city.
He also focused on a maid named Xiao Que who was next to Wang Xinlu.Xiaoque was often beaten for his clumsiness. When Wang Xinlu was in the worst mood, his arm was even scratched with a piece of porcelain.
Shen Youjin accidentally found her crying in a corner. He did not comfort her, but silently handed her a small box of effective medicine.From then on, he would often accidentally leave the snacks given by Wang Xinlu or some small but valuable but practical objects where Xiaoque passed by when no one was around.
There was never any communication, but a bond of mutual sympathy was quietly established.
After a night when Wang Xinlu was furious because his brother was pressuring him again, he smashed all the porcelain in the house and beat Xiao Que in anger, Shen Youjin met Xiao Que in the corridor, covering his face and crying.
He said nothing, just put a clean handkerchief and a small ingot of silver into her hand, and whispered: “If you want to leave, or if you are in trouble, go to Chenji Grocery Store in the west of the city and say that Shen San asked you to come.”
Xiaoque opened her eyes wide in panic, lowered her head and thought, and Shen Youjin turned around and left.A few days later, some fragmentary but true information about the inner house reached him and began to appear in Shen Youjin’s intelligence network.
The line run by Shen Youjin played a more fatal role.Although the low-ranking eunuch he befriended had a low status, he had access to some secrets because he worked near the imperial pharmacy.
Since Concubine Zheng became pregnant, information about her has been kept strictly confidential, but the emperor’s attitude was quite subtle, showing concern but also seeming to have a subtle alienation and scrutiny.
Shen Youjin judged from clues that the emperor would never want to see Concubine Zheng give birth to a prince with Wang’s blood.
The opportunity arose when Concubine Zheng caught a cold, and the prescription prescribed by the imperial doctor required the use of blood swallow, a rare medicinal material produced in the north.
Shen Youjin used the eunuchs to mix a batch of specially processed blood swallows into the tribute.The treatment method is extremely secretive. It is not directly poisoning, but uses the principle of mutual complementation of medicinal materials, and slightly changes the cooking temperature to make the medicinal properties become stagnant and violent. Long-term use will subtly damage the foundation of the mother’s body, and can easily lead to uneasy fetal movements and even miscarriage.
Even if it is checked afterwards, it will most likely be attributed to the imperial concubine’s weak constitution or the difference in the origin of the medicinal materials.
On this day, Wang Xinlu went to the palace to visit Concubine Zheng. After returning home, his temper became even more surly.
She was furious at Shen Youjin over a trivial matter. She grabbed a jade paperweight and was about to smash it at it. When she raised her hand, a jade hairpin slipped out of her sleeve and fell to the ground. On the head of the hairpin was a crystal clear peony carved from jade.
Shen Youjin bent down to pick it up. When his fingertips touched the cold and hard jade peony, his body suddenly stiffened for a moment.
A memory that had long since been integrated into his bones and blood came rushing back.
Three years ago, the same delicate peony hosta was held in the hands of a well-maintained girl.At that time, Wang Xinlu had just had her haircut, and she was at her most flamboyant and bright age.
He was brought to her as a gift by the emperor. She looked at his face, suddenly laughed softly, and said to the female companion next to her: “Look at this face, he is handsome. I just don’t know if he can bear to look at it.”
Before he finished speaking, the tip of the hairpin was slashed diagonally from the corner of his left eye to his chin with fierce force.The warm liquid flowed down, surrounded by the sounds of female companions exclaiming or laughing.
Wang Xinlu’s voice was filled with a kind of cruel innocence. He held up the blood-stained hairpin and smiled at his female companion: “Did you see it? The cheap blood contrasts with the peonies, which is quite unique.”
She threw the blood-stained peony hosta into the brocade box, as if she had just soiled an ordinary toy.The bone-deep wound on his face has since become a mark of shame that will accompany him throughout his life, and it is also a scar that repeatedly ignites the fire of hatred when he looks in the mirror every night.
“What are you doing standing still? Why don’t you take out the dirty things and throw them away.” Wang Xinlu’s impatient scolding brought Shen Youjin back to reality.
A frightened and humble smile instantly appeared on his face, and he said repeatedly: “Yes, yes, the villain deserves to die for dirtying the young master’s hairpin.”
He carefully picked up the peony hosta, which was the same as in his memory, and bowed out.
Until no one was around, he slowly opened his palms and looked at the red marks on his palms from the hairpins, his eyes filled with hatred.
Hatred drove Shen Youjin to weave his web more carefully. After confirming that Xie Heng had initially established a foothold in Danyang and established a solid connection with Li Yuanjing, he began the next step of exploration.
He anonymously passed on a piece of information through Rimoto Kei’s subordinate, Reishi, who was tightly controlled due to corruption.The content is not directly aimed at the Wang family, but some evidence about another aristocratic family, the Zheng family in Longxi, who is related by marriage to the Wang family, who cleverly created local names, usurped water conservancy, and exploited people.
These evidences are real and specific, but they will not immediately shake the foundation of the Zheng family, nor will they directly expose Shen Youjin himself.
This information was quickly submitted to Xie Heng’s desk through Li Yuanjing.
In the study room of the side courtyard, Xie Heng carefully looked through the information sent anonymously, while Li Yuanjing stood aside with his hands down.
“The Zheng family is the father of Concubine Zheng. The family is very close to the Wang family, but it is not the core.” Xie Heng put down the scroll and tapped his fingertips. “All the data in this thing is quite detailed and difficult to obtain without going deep inside. Is the message delivery channel reliable?”
Li Yuanjing said: “Through the report of one of Lao Cheng’s men who committed a crime, this person has been controlled and kept tight-lipped. According to his account, the person who contacted him was a man in black who had never seen him before. His face was covered and his voice was hoarse. He only said that if you give this thing to me, I will understand. Lao Cheng has already checked it, and the clues were cut off at that point.”
“The techniques are sophisticated, but the purpose is unknown.” Xie Heng pondered, “It seems like a surrender, but it is actually a test. He wants to see if we have the ability and courage to use this information, and also wants to test our reaction. On a deeper level, he may want to use our hands to attack the wings of the Wang family, or to lead us against more aristocratic families.”
Li Yuanjing nodded, “Your Excellency, you are aware of this. This person is very hidden, very thoughtful, and ruthless in his actions. He hates the Wang family deeply and does not hesitate to use any means. He is using us, and we may not be able to use him. But this person is like a poisonous snake. You need to set boundaries and hold them tightly, otherwise you may be backlashed, dragged into a more dangerous quagmire, and even become a pawn of his revenge.”
“What Li Yuanwailang said is true.”He turned around and said in a clear and calm voice, “We will accept this information for the time being and file it for future reference. There is no need to reply or trace the source. If he asks for anything or wants to cooperate further, he will show his signs again. The first priority now is to use the Wang family’s concession in Danyang to solidify the pilot and see practical results in everything. Only when Danyang makes a show can we have real bargaining chips in our hands, be qualified to talk about the next step, and have the confidence to deal with any variables, including this unknown undercurrent.”
He looked at Li Yuanjing and said, “In Danyang, Li Yuanwai Lang needs to worry more. Although Xu Shuhuai is talented, he is uninhibited and needs someone to take charge. Nan Qiao is simple and only knows arithmetic, so he needs Li Yuan Wai Lang to look after him.”
“I understand.” Li Yuanjing bowed, “Danyang is the foundation, I will do my best.”