Xuanqing Guard
Chapter 209: What a Coincidence
May 25th.
After making enough of a scene in Fengri City, Prince Shou, Yang Lin, finally left. Before leaving, he claimed it was to thank everyone in Fengri City for their hard work over the past days, so he hosted a banquet at the restaurant and invited nearly all the prominent figures of the city. Only Shen Hao was left out. For a while, word that Prince Shou despised Shen Hao was instantly cemented.
No matter how you look at it, being shunned by a Prince is never a good thing. The most obvious sign came the next day, when Shen Hao went on duty: along the way, except for those under the Black Banner Battalion who still greeted him respectfully, everyone else either avoided him or pretended not to see him.
Another reason was that after Yang Lin’s trip around Fengri City, both Wu Changhe and Xie Youlin were highlighted as top cards. The remaining minor players, whether or not they chose to take sides, would inevitably consider that the city’s jurisdiction was already backing Prince Shou in practice. Therefore, for those the Prince despised, even absent any conflict, it was best to keep one’s distance lest calamity follow.
Even Shen Hao’s deputy, Wang Yiming, looked at him differently, with a sense of wonder. He could not understand why his superior was so good at stirring up trouble yet had managed to become a Hundred Households Officer at such a young age. Logic would dictate that a man this prone to making enemies, who even dared to give the cold shoulder to a Prince, should have been killed a hundred times over by now, shouldn’t he?
Shen Hao was the only one who didn’t care that he’d been branded as "one despised by Prince Shou"—he was even secretly delighted.
Many things yield completely different conclusions when seen from another angle.
Take Shen Hao being shunned by Prince Shou and unappreciative; seen differently, it could just as well be explained as "not fearing power and upholding principle."
Besides, the Xuanqing Guard is His Majesty’s personal force by nature. Getting too close to these princes is hardly a good thing.
Upon entering his own Public Office, with tea just brewing and barely seated, he heard a knock at the door. In came Wang Yiming, carrying a Copper Rod.
"Sir, this is a note delivered early this morning from Li City Black Banner Battalion, top secret."
Top secret, but not urgent. Shen Hao guessed this was probably Zhang Liao’s department, dismissed Wang Yiming with a wave, and opened the Copper Rod. Sure enough, it was an update on the covert investigation into Xiaoshan Tielu Manor.
The content was brief. Shen Hao finished reading quickly. After processing it in his mind, he spread it out and went through it a second time.
According to Zhang Liao’s recent covert investigation, the embezzlement at Xiaoshan Tielu Manor was flagrantly obvious—they weren’t even bothering to hide it. With more than a dozen blast furnaces on the mountain operating around the clock, a rough estimate based on furnace output and operating hours shows that monthly output exceeds the amount reported to the Court by over fifty percent.
The craftsmen on the manor are paid hourly and are eager for work every day. Mostly, the craftsmen have no idea how much the manor actually reports to the Court; they’ve always assumed every pound of iron they produce goes to the Court. So, most have no complaints against the Steward or Chief Officer, since their wages have never been shorted.
Only after finding that person who had previously filed a real-name accusation did they learn some of the inside story at Xiaoshan Tielu Manor.
The informant’s name was Zhang Yue, an educated man from outside who came to Li City, skilled at arithmetic and thus hired at the manor to record piecework and hours. Sometimes he’d even help the account room tally wages.
In these times, educated men are rare, and those who can keep accounts rarer still, so the manor paid Zhang Yue handsomely—thirty-five taels a month, a high salary. As a bachelor, Zhang Yue easily found a wife, or rather, a matchmaker came to him with a girl from another manor.
Zhang Yue was young. Just one brief meeting and he couldn’t take his eyes off the girl. The betrothal was rushed, and within days, she was married and they spent their wedding night together.
But when Zhang Yue’s wife appeared in the manor, she reportedly stunned many—an exceedingly beautiful woman. The manor’s Chief Officer coveted her, and by manipulation first sent Zhang Yue away, and then forced himself on her. When Zhang Yue returned, he found his wife still crying. He rushed to confront the Chief Officer, only to be beaten. When he came home, his wife was gone; searching, he found her corpse in a well not far behind their house.
Zhang Yue sought justice everywhere, but was either turned away or beaten himself. The Chief Officer even said Zhang Yue would live as a beggar, better off dead. That night, Zhang Yue’s house was burned to the ground.
By the time Zhang Liao found poor Zhang Yue, the man had been starving for two days. Fingers broken so he could no longer keep accounts or work, already ill with cold, he huddled in a shabby hut awaiting death.
The hatred this fate bred in Zhang Yue was, as one can imagine, immense. Zhang Liao asked, and Zhang Yue told him everything.
Based on Zhang Yue’s account, Zhang Liao covertly investigated the transportation of carts and horses at Xiaoshan Tielu Manor. He found that the vehicles mainly went to two places: one, a pig iron warehouse inside the manor; the other, a warehouse outside.
Obviously, the warehouse inside holds the iron meant for submission; the one outside stores the siphoned portion.
Moreover, the external warehouse belongs to Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company, which is the firm Tielu Manor uses to ship goods out.
Due to time constraints, this is as far as Zhang Liao’s covert investigation has reached. Two things are clear: first, Xiaoshan Tielu Manor indeed seriously skims and conceals iron. Second, the iron they siphon off is sent out of town via Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
In addition, from leads dug up in the Black Market, the buyer of Xiaoshan Tielu Manor’s product is someone named "Ma San". Mysterious—only the name and appearance are known, nothing else.
Shen Hao, holding his tea, walked to the window, working his calculations, occasionally shaking his head.
As noon neared, Shen Hao summoned Wang Yiming inside, handed over his own calling card and said, "Send someone with my card to Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company to find their master, Liu Hengyi. Tell him I will host him tonight for drinks at the new Honghe Restaurant."
Wang Yiming took the order and went to arrange it.
When Shen Hao’s card arrived in Liu Hengyi’s hand, it startled him. He’d had friction with Shen Hao previously in the Blue Moon Association. Though he’d yielded and apologized to settle it, they could hardly be said to have a "friendship." Why the invitation all of a sudden?
There must be no such thing as a free banquet!
But not going was out of the question. So what if your business is big? In Fengri City, those two words—Shen Hao—still carry menace. Anyone who dare snub even Prince Shou isn’t someone you can afford to cross. If you want to stay alive, you have no choice but to show up.
Liu Hengyi actually arrived early, only to find two Xuanqing Guard Guards standing at the restaurant entrance. It looked as if the entire restaurant had been booked out.
Inside the private room, after a round of polite conversation and three rounds of drinks, Shen Hao set down his chopsticks and revealed the purpose of the invitation: "Old Liu, I have a favor to ask of you."