Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 66
Chapter 66
Old Minister
Luo Daozhang’s mansion was “small but complete.” More than 40,000 taels of gold and silver were seized, and thousands of jades, calligraphy, and paintings were also seized. Even if he was greedy, it was far more than a county magistrate could embezzle in this small Ji County.
He San had worked in the Northern Office for many years and seized at least a dozen mansions of all sizes, but after counting Luo Daozhang’s property, he was still shocked. He ordered his men to temporarily take Luo Daozhang and his family to the local prison, but he didn’t know where to move this pile of troublesome gold, silver, jade, and stones. Li Heming took a look and said, “Convert them into notes and take them back to Yingtian Prefecture.”
He San nodded and immediately gave orders, but there was no such a large bank in this county, so he had to ask someone to go to the state capital.
An Imperial Guard outside the door hurried to Li Heming and handed him two letters: “Chief.”
Li Heming took them, squeezed them through the thin envelope, and asked: “Where did they come from?”
The guard replied: “One is from the capital, and the other is from Luo Shan, the minor official being guarded at home by the brothers.”
After hearing the word “capital,” Li Heming raised his eyebrows slightly. He did not ask more questions but calmly ordered, “Continue to keep an eye on Luo Shan.”
“Yes.”
Li Heming lowered his head and looked carefully at the two letters. One was unnamed, and the paper was rough and plain, while the other had a thin gold “?” character on the precious gold paper and a small five-petal peach blossom seal on the envelope’s upper left corner.
Li Heming held the letter with the words on it close to his nose, lowered his eyes, and smelled it carefully. He behaved elegantly and did not change his expression. He curled his lips slightly after smelling a familiar fragrance on the letter.
When He San finished his orders and returned, he saw Li Heming’s smile. He paused and subconsciously looked up at the bright sun. He thought in confusion: What a ghost! This is the first time I saw Chief so happy after raiding someone else’s house.
Local government runners loaded money boxes onto the carriage inside and outside the gate. He San stepped aside to make way and asked Li Heming: “Chief, where did he, a county magistrate, get so much money?”
Li Heming was opening a letter from Lin Yu and said without raising his head: “Ji County has more official fields than private fields. If the people want to work, they must rent fields from the county magistrate. This alone is enough for him to make a lot of money. Wasn’t it the same in the Jiangnan area before?”
He San was still puzzled: “Didn’t the land policy implement it a few years ago? That’s why the land official should not occupy such a wide area. I saw the real estate found in the county magistrate’s office a few days ago. The land near the academy was all recorded in the name of the county magistrate, and the academy has been abandoned for many years.”
Li Heming said, “It depends on which court official was responsible for implementing the land policy here and who gave the order to disobey the Emperor’s order.”
He San was stunned and said: “You think it was someone above.”
Li Heming knew something but didn’t say it clearly; only absent-mindedly said, “Hmm.”
He opened the letter from Lin Yu with great expectation but frowned at first glance. This letter had traveled hundreds of miles and was delivered to him with great difficulty, but it was not even a short piece of paper. He continued to read but could not see any thoughts between the lines. When he read the last sentence, he even felt that he was clinging to others.
After reading it, Li Heming stared at the letter and sneered. He folded the letter expressionlessly, stuffed it into the envelope, and put it on his bosom. He needed to decide whether to put away the only letter from home he had received in many years or settle accounts with the writer when he returned.
He opened Luo Shan’s letter and glanced at it. Then he pulled He San’s horse at the door and got on it. He said to He San, “I’ll leave this to you. Investigate the people who contacted Luo Daozhang behind the scenes and closely monitor them. Don’t let them commit suicide like the county magistrate.”
He San saw that Li Heming had something to do and asked, “What about Luo Daozhang’s family?”
Li Heming said without turning his head, “Do it according to the imperial order.”
According to the imperial order, it meant confiscating the property and exiling, becoming an enslaved person or a pr*stitute. He San sighed in his heart, raised his hand, and said to Li Heming’s figure who was going away, “I obey the order.”
Luo Shan was over 40 years old and a minor official in Ji County—not even a ninth-rank official. However, he risked his life to report the matter of Ji County to the court and handed over the account book of the county magistrate and the county magistrate’s bribery to Li Heming. He also gave away most of his wealth to shelter more than 200 homeless people through the cold winter. He was worthy of being called a loyal and righteous man.
The Ji County Unsolved Case was so complicated that no one knew which minister or prince was under the mud. After learning that the local magistrate committed suicide on the night when the Imperial Guards first arrived in County Ji, the Imperial Guard immediately guarded Luo Daozhang and Luo Shan day and night.
Luo Shan lived in an ordinary brown-walled alley. Although he was an official, he was more like a commoner.
Li Heming passed the guards guarding the door and pushed the door open. He saw Luo Shan in the yard holding a crying b*by and trying to comfort him while his daughter and wife were washing clothes.
Seeing Li Heming, Luo Shan hurriedly handed the child to his wife, bowed his head, and invited Li Heming into the room: “Chief, please.”
He was tall and robust, with strong limbs, and his words and deeds were like those of a famous general, but his left leg was limp when he walked. Li Heming took a look and asked: “Lord Luo, why do you want to see me?”
Luo Shan seemed embarrassed and said, “You can just call me Luo Shan.”
Li Heming did not respond: “I was young and just entered the barracks. I learned two sword techniques from you. You can accept this title.”
Luo Shan opened his eyes in surprise and then smiled honestly: “So you still remember? My swordsmanship is far worse than the general’s. I was showing off my skills at that time.”
The general refers to Li Heming’s father, Li Yunqi. When he mentioned Li Yunqi, Luo Shan’s mood dropped. He was silent momentarily, as if he was deciding, and slowly said: “I asked you to come here because of an old matter many years ago. When you first came to Ji County, I wondered whether I should tell you. Later, I missed the opportunity because of hesitation. Now that you have returned here, I think it may be God’s will that you must know.”
Li Heming said: “Please speak frankly.”
Luo Shan clenched his fist and asked Li Heming: “Over the years, have you ever doubted the general’s death?”