Chapter 32: Truth Revealed
The one who killed my father was not the Son of Heaven.
The servant boy was also extremely thin and carried no weapons, posing no threat, so Xie Qianli released him.
The servant tremblingly lit an oil lamp in the cellar.
Although the cellar remained dim, the interior outlines were at least distinguishable. However, the flame illuminated half the servant’s face while the other melted into shadow, appearing miserable and terrifying.
Sweet Tub hypnotized itself like chanting a sutra: “I’m not scared, there are no ghosts. Big Wolf Dog is very reliable.”
Because of that sentence, Ying Xi cast his gaze toward Xie Qianli, swept a glance, and said nothing.
The servant boy sat by the bed where the corpse lay: “My master’s name was Tang Rou. A native of Pingling Village. He knew General Feng for many years, and their relationship was very harmonious.”
A clear look of doubt flashed through Xie Qianli’s eyes. But he didn’t interrupt.
The servant continued: “When Master was young, he contracted consumption (laobing). This disease is contagious, so Master had to leave the crowds and return to his hometown, Pingling Village.”
Those with consumption suffered fevers and coughing, their bodies wasting away, unable to do heavy work ever again.
Xie Qianli turned his head slightly, wanting to change the spot, then listened to the servant’s report again.
The servant seemed to understand his thoughts: “Master passed away some time ago. This lowly one aired out the cellar and sprinkled pepper and cypress water. These cleaning supplies were always kept at home; Master cared very much about General Feng and was terrified of infecting him.”
“Does the General know how much silver it costs to treat consumption?”
Xie Qianli possessed an extraordinary physique; of course, he didn’t know.
The servant then laid out the accounts:
“To treat consumption, one must first hire a famous doctor. The consultation fee is at least one tael of silver per visit. This lowly one also had to bring the doctor into Pingling Village, so carriage fees were another expense. Just the consultation fees were dozens of taels a year.”
“The cost of medicinal ingredients is even more ridiculously expensive.”
“Top-quality ginseng, cordyceps, donkey-hide gelatin, goji berries, fritillaria bulbs… not a single one of these supplements could be skipped. A month’s medicine cost at least five taels of silver. That’s over a hundred taels a year.”
“Besides that, someone was needed to provide care. This lowly one signed a deed of servitude, so my share doesn’t count. But sometimes when I was too busy, the household had to hire people to boil water, cook, and do laundry, at one string of coins a month. That’s over ten taels of silver a year.”
“Then look at the daily food expenses. Master had to consume tonics to sustain his life, costing at least five taels of silver a month. Dozens of taels a year.”
“All told, it cost several hundred taels of silver every year. And this is a conservative estimate; if the illness relapsed, the costs would go up.”
“Furthermore,” the servant paused, “Master had long lost the strength to support himself. These were purely expenses. It was General Feng who couldn’t bear for Master to die young and bore the entire cost of this place every year.”
The servant’s voice was hoarse.
Every sentence revolved around money, stating that Feng Ze secretly carried a debt of several hundred taels every year.
Ying Xi had a vague premonition, as if many dark threads floating around him were about to connect and penetrate. He held his breath.
Xie Qianli said in a deep voice, “Where did he get that much money?”
One had to know, by the current material standards of Great Qin, a high official like Prime Minister Su Xueyi had an annual salary of about a thousand taels, but he was the only one.
Below Su Xueyi, Vice Ministers like Feng Yong saw their salaries decrease.
Further down, the Ministers of various boards had salaries only half that of the Right Prime Minister, and attendants decreased further.
Civil officials were treated slightly better than military officials. Feng Ze belonged to the high-ranking military officers; he only made fifty or sixty taels a year.
Even if Feng Ze ate and lived entirely in the military camp and threw all his money at Tang Rou, he would still run a deficit of dozens of taels!
Dozens of taels of silver…
For Ying Xi, the funds approved by him were usually in units of ten thousand; this wasn’t much. But Ying Xi’s capital came from the money and grain of the world gathering in the National Treasury.
Feng Ze was only one person. With this little money, he wanted to save his beloved.
During this time, Ying Xi had dealt with corrupt officials in the court and visited the common folk in disguise, gaining a clearer concept of the importance of money.
When money equals life, and death means never seeing the other person again, a man will inevitably collapse into madness.
Ying Xi’s cold, clear voice lingered in the cellar: “Feng Ze walked a crooked path for money?”
The servant’s lips trembled slightly.
But he immediately shook his head in denial: “No! The General was good at business; every sum of money was obtained through proper channels!”
“He was in charge of logistics for the Dragon Martial Army. Money and allocations passed through his hands first. He borrowed silver, invested it in profitable shops in Chang’an, and used the dividends to make up the deficit. He moved military funds without authorization, but he never embezzled.”
But if Feng Ze was completely innocent, why would Tang Rou’s servant wait bitterly for someone from the Duke of Ying’s residence?
And what about the spirit tablet of Xie Ji secretly worshipped in Tang Rou’s cellar?
When linking the sensitive figure of Xie Ji…
When bringing Feng Ze’s lack of money and Xie Ji’s strange defeat and death together…
Those scattered clues seemed to turn into bone-piercing cold needles. The truth was starkly in sight, making one’s hair stand on end.
Ying Xi took a secret breath.
He saw Xie Qianli’s broad, upright back—the man who stood immovable under the force of six or seven steel blades—suddenly look like he couldn’t stand.
Xie Qianli forced himself to maintain composure, his fists clenched deathly tight. In the darkness, a crack of joints popping was heard.
The servant’s voice lowered, saying: “General Feng’s investment activities attracted the attention of people with ulterior motives who knew he needed money.”
“It just so happened that the Green Ox rebels were causing trouble, and the court issued a decree to send troops to quell them. Someone said they could provide iron ore at a lower price to cast military weapons.”
“That person had a passable reputation and spoke earnestly. Using the excuse of helping the court tide over difficulties, the price of the ore wasn’t too far below market price.”
“General Feng calculated that purchasing this batch of raw materials would not only save silver for the army but also earn him a sum of money to continue saving my Master. So he agreed.”
“The ore was transported directly to the iron workshop and delivered there. General Feng specifically went to check the quality of the ore before feeling reassured enough to cast.”
“But who knew.”
“Of the fifty carts of ore, only the surface layer was good material. High-quality iron ore is jet black in texture; the color of the ore underneath was dyed!”
“Under the same craftsmanship, inferior ore cannot withstand forging and quenching. Although the finished products looked no different, when put into actual combat, these military blades broke extremely easily.”
“If soldiers could previously fight ten against one, holding these inferior blades was like being unarmed. Walking into the chaotic army, they became fish on the chopping block…”
“When this batch of brand-new weapons was transported to the front lines, they were naturally distributed to the Duke of Ying’s original subordinates first. Afterwards, they encountered the main force of the Green Ox Army.”
“So, with equal forces, Commander-in-Chief Xie was defeated and died.”
No one could describe the oppression in the cellar right now.
Gloomy, dim, only the oil lamp jumping flicker by flicker. Time was dead silent and long.
The oil lamp plated Xie Qianli with a silhouette like bloodstains.
The silver armor reflected orange-red, reddish hues.
Xie Qianli was like a statue.
He stood numbly. His tightly pursed lip line twitched with difficulty. He lost his soul, falling into the most painful memories.
A general dies in a hundred battles.
However, his father once said that dying for home and country was the highest glory.
But who knew that his father actually died tragically because the weapons used by his subordinates were of poor quality!
Half his body was trampled into bloody mud by horse hooves.
Did he feel unwilling before he died?
Those soldiers who shouldn’t have died in battle, and their families—why did they have to bear this grief that they shouldn’t have had to bear?
The one who killed my father was not the Son of Heaven.
Once, he hated Ying Xi, believing he killed the hound once the rabbit was caught.
He believed Ying Xi was always suspicious, fickle, and good at lying.
When the truth was revealed before him, Xie Qianli broke down: “—Feng Ze had a family. He needed money, he wanted to treat his wife’s illness—why didn’t he tell me?”
“Why go mess around blindly by himself!”
“Did he think I wouldn’t lend him money? Worried that I help the emergency but not the poor?”
The servant said, “It wasn’t that…”
“Then why?”
“Did even he think my parents exhausted the family assets to raise private soldiers and plot treason, afraid of delaying my great cause!!!”
Xie Qianli was usually calm, but he exploded because he couldn’t accept the truth. These words were too direct.
He even forgot Ying Xi was right behind him.
Ying Xi felt a brief moment of shame. Indeed, he often thought that way.
Did the Xie family not plan treason?
That would be wonderful.
The servant said with difficulty, “It… it was not so. General Feng always respected you. But my Master could not be brought back to Chang’an to see you.”
“He had seen you, knew you, but you had too many soldiers under your command; you surely wouldn’t remember.”
“Dragon Martial Army, Fifth Squad Leader, Tang Rou.”
He was a man.
Once, a soldier of Great Qin.
The Department of State Affairs was brightly lit all night.
Su Xueyi’s face was as dark as iron.
Below him, the officials were all waiting for Su Xueyi to speak, but no one dared to look up at Su Xueyi’s expression.
Just moments ago, near the Golden Light Gate of Chang’an City, a private iron smithy caught fire.
The fire swallowed half the street.
Casualties in Jude Ward were severe, and the fire was still spreading with the wind.
Su Xueyi reported to the Emperor but was warned by Yu Jing: The Emperor had been sick for days. If the lords handled things poorly and made His Majesty get up to clean up the mess, don’t blame him for not warning them when the Dragon Face became furious later!
Su Xueyi had to coordinate overnight.
Water dragon teams from various streets and wards were dispatched to support. The lords waited at the Department of State Affairs for news of whether the fire was extinguished.
Except for Feng Yong who took leave… his residence was in Jude Ward. He was probably packing his valuables for fear of being burned.
A straw bag was useless even if present!
Su Xueyi disdained thinking about Feng Yong.
His thoughts paced boundlessly:
“Why didn’t it catch fire at another time? Why tonight? Why an iron workshop?”
His thoughts were wild and fanciful, complaining about the fire, feeling this fire came suspiciously.
But because he possessed too little intelligence, he couldn’t say anything specific.
Su Xueyi gritted his teeth and urged, “Send someone to ask, is the fire out yet!?”
Outside, a clerk stumbled in to report, causing the candlelight to flicker, shouting loudly: “Prime Minister Su, the Dragon Martial Army is supporting, the fire situation is somewhat under control.”
Su Xueyi was stunned, as if burned scorched-head and rotten-forehead by an even fiercer fire: “Do you think I dare move the army while His Majesty sleeps!?”
Since ancient times, rulers adopted the separation of military and government to concentrate power.
As the Right Prime Minister, his identity was sensitive. If he laid a finger on the Emperor’s Dragon Martial Army, he couldn’t imagine how the little Emperor would rage when he woke up.
The clerk hurriedly explained: “Prime Minister Su, it’s said that General Lian Qing heard Jude Ward was on fire and dispatched soldiers to deliver firefighting equipment. It was only material support; the army didn’t move!”
Only then did Su Xueyi breathe a sigh of relief.
But thinking of the Dragon Martial Army… they didn’t really have much to do with firefighting, and Xie Qianli didn’t seem like one to meddle in others’ business.
Su Xueyi: “What excitement is the Dragon Martial Army joining in for?”
“General Lian Qing said the Dragon Martial Army once cooperated with this iron workshop. Moreover, everyone is in Chang’an; when compatriots are in trouble, one should help.”
That which burned was clearly a private workshop.
Great Qin had a government-run Iron Bureau, yet the Dragon Martial Army chose elsewhere to customize weapons.
Su Xueyi was so clever he didn’t even need to think about the reason. All government-run businesses couldn’t escape the curse of low efficiency and expensive fees.
The Dragon Martial Army was poor.
Suddenly, another clerk ran into the Department of State Affairs. That clerk was covered in ash and dirt, completely lacking dignity, shouting as he ran:
“Prime Minister Su! The fire is out!”
“Prime Minister Su, Jude Ward is saved!!!”
Heaven have mercy, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.
Even the possibility of the sleepy dragon in Weiyang Palace waking up in a rage was reduced by more than a star and a half.
But Su Xueyi’s doubts, born of intuition, increased rather than decreased with the extinguishing of the fire.
“Then why did no other private workshop burn, but specifically the one the Dragon Martial Army cooperated with suddenly caught fire?”
“What is this trying to burn away?”
Outside the Department of State Affairs, a great wind rose.
Translator’s note: Enjoy the read!!! Have a great day everyone!
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