With the Minister of Personnel, Tao, escorted back to the capital by the Imperial Guards, the absence of this meddling official led Commander She to conduct his affairs with more restraint, at least no longer fixating on Zhan Feiyu with the intention of coercing He Sheng and He Nuan into confessions through torture.
However, the one hundred and two items remained unfound. If these items were packed into boxes, a single person would be unable to move them. For the past few days, officials and constables had scoured the entirety of Qianzhong Circuit, digging three feet deep, yet still found nothing.
"My lord, the craftsmen who built the house have all been found..." Assistant Commander Xu reported, his voice hoarse. For the past few days, he had led the men of the Qianzhong Garrison in a relentless search, but these hundred-odd items had vanished into thin air.
Coupled with the fact that the house was destroyed by the villains, it all pointed to a cover-up of the crime. Therefore, the most plausible reason for the disappearance of the items was the existence of secret passages or mechanisms within the house.
Unfortunately, Assistant Commander Xu had located the craftsmen from that time. After detaining them separately, although the final interrogation was handed over to Lord Ge of the Surveillance Department, Assistant Commander Xu had also attended the entire process. The house truly had no mechanisms, leaving the one hundred and two missing items an unsolvable mystery.
"I am aware. Assistant Commander Xu, you may take your men to rest," Lord Qiu stated gravely. From the day the items were stolen, Lord Qiu knew they would not be recovered.
However, Lord Qiu and his subordinates needed to report to the imperial court, so the investigations, searches, and interrogations had to be carried out. The outcome was not important.
"Yes." Assistant Commander Xu bowed and retreated. It wasn't until he exited the gates of the Provincial Administration Department that the exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave, causing his formerly upright posture to instantly stoop.
"My lord." Deputy Commander Zhu, who had been stationed at the entrance, immediately stepped forward. Seeing that Assistant Commander Xu only looked tired, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Zhan Feiyu had managed to keep Commander She occupied. Otherwise, they would have had to report the situation to the Commander's Office. With the items unfound, Deputy Commander Zhu had worried that the Qianzhong Garrison might be made a scapegoat. Fortunately, Commander She was now preoccupied with his own troubles, so they only needed to report to Lord Qiu.
"We'll discuss it when we get back." Casting a cautious glance around, Assistant Commander Xu mounted his horse. He wondered how many spies and informants were present in Qianzhong Prefecture now, with ears behind every wall and words leading to disaster.
Deputy Commander Zhu understood. After the few of them mounted their horses and departed, a young man in the corner withdrew his watchful gaze. He then glanced at the Provincial Administration Department not far away before striding off to the side, eventually blending into the crowd, his figure disappearing after a moment.
...
Since the authorities could not find the items, they could not indefinitely detain Zhan Feiyu, Qiu Huaixin, and the others at the yamen. Therefore, everyone was free that morning, though still unable to leave Qianzhong Prefecture. It was likely they would have to wait for news from the capital before Lord Qiu made any further decisions.
"I will call on you again another day to express my gratitude," Qiu Huaixin said sincerely, referring to the life-saving grace he had received from the Imperial Guards at Hesheng Xuan previously. Otherwise, that blade would not have merely left a bloody gash on his neck; Qiu Huaixin estimated his head would have been severed.
"Third Young Master is too kind. I shall take my leave," Zhan Feiyu replied with a smile and a bow. Having stayed at the yamen for several days, although He Nuan had taken care of her, the accommodations and meals were inconvenient. She was now eager to return to her courtyard to wash up.
After watching He Sheng ride away with the carriage, Qiu Huaixin boarded his own carriage. Shi Song also followed him in. The driver flicked the whip, and the carriage slowly moved towards the city gates.
Qiu Huaixin leaned against the carriage wall like a boneless creature. "Shi Song, who do you think stole those items? The yamen officials truly searched the place top to bottom, and we were in the carriage at the time. It was impossible for anyone to have stolen those items after they were brought into the house."
The only possibility was that there were secret passages or mechanisms within the house, but the mechanisms were so ingenious that even Lord Ge could not discover them. Afterward, the house was destroyed, and the clues were completely severed.
"The craftsmen who built the house have all been found," Shi Song replied. Although he had also been confined to the yamen with Qiu Huaixin for the past few days and could not go out, he was aware of all the news. "Perhaps Hesheng Xuan installed new secret passages or mechanisms in the house afterward."
It was normal for the craftsmen not to know. In this case, the true suspects would be Hesheng Xuan and the shopkeeper Jia, who was detained in prison.
"Hesheng Xuan is an enterprise of the Liu family, the imperial merchants. The Liu family is based far away in Jiangnan Circuit. I heard from my elder brother that Zhan Feiyu visited Huaian Prefecture the year before last and had dealings with the Liu family. All the assets of Liu Hefeng, the deceased third son of the Liu family, were given to Zhan Feiyu. At that time, she donated most of the money to the army, and the remaining fixed assets provided an annual income."
Qiu Huaixin hailed from an official family. Even though he had little talent for studying, he still held a poor impression of merchants.
Previously, Qiu Huaixin had been quite disdainful of his third branch's use of the Qian family, their in-laws, to amass wealth. After the third branch encountered trouble, he heard that the Qian family's businesses were also maliciously suppressed. Madam Qian sold her assets at a low price and then purchased land and estates, taking her children to seek refuge in the countryside.
"The Liu family, the imperial merchants, do not have their roots in Qianzhong Circuit. If these items were indeed stolen by Hesheng Xuan from within, then it must have been the work of those behind the Liu family," Shi Song reasoned. He did not believe that a mere merchant family like the Liu family would dare to interfere in the power struggles of Qianzhong Circuit.
The Liu family was merely a tool. Even if this token fell into the Liu family's hands, the master of the Liu family would absolutely not dare to keep it. For a merchant, this token was akin to a death warrant issued by the King of Hell.
"Perhaps the old master or a certain imperial prince from the palace is behind the Liu family," Qiu Huaixin thought. For the first time, he realized the lack of intelligence within the Qiu family. If he had thoroughly investigated the Liu family's background earlier, he might have been able to trace the stolen one hundred and two items and recover them, rather than engaging in such speculation and suspicion.
Qiu Huaixin's deductions were shared by Lord Qiu, Lord Ge, and Commander She. However, the Liu family, the imperial merchants, was indeed deeply hidden. They had not uncovered the forces behind the Liu family over the years, which was a result of their underestimation. They had assumed the Liu family was merely an ordinary merchant family and had not thoroughly investigated Hesheng Xuan, thus leading to the current oversight.
"My lord, shopkeeper Jia still has not confessed, nor have any abnormalities been discovered," Lord Ge reported to Lord Qiu after emerging from the prison of the Surveillance Department and interrogating shopkeeper Jia again. "Therefore, there are only two possibilities: either shopkeeper Jia has undergone special training and thus endured the interrogation of the Surveillance Department, or shopkeeper Jia is indeed innocent and did not know about any secret passages in the house."
Ultimately, shopkeeper Jia was merely a subordinate. The Liu family might have bypassed shopkeeper Jia and built secret passages in the house, so it was possible that shopkeeper Jia was unaware.
Lord Qiu rose and poured Lord Ge a cup of tea. Compared to Assistant Commander Xu, who had just left, Lord Ge's complexion had not improved much, and the fatigue on his face was almost impossible to conceal.
It was understandable. The imperial court would not care how these one hundred and two items mysteriously disappeared. All the officials in the court would simply consider the officials of Qianzhong Circuit incompetent for allowing the items to be stolen right under their noses.
Lord Qiu, being a trusted confidant of the Emperor and supported by the formidable Qiu family, meant that those officials in court would have to weigh their options before making any accusations.
However, Lord Ge, who came from a humble background, had some influence and connections in Qianzhong Circuit, but in the capital, Lord Ge, as a local official, was not significant. The censors in the Censorate could certainly impeach Lord Ge and have him removed from office.
As for Commander She, his situation would not be much better. Lord Ge was a civil official, and at that time, everything related to Hesheng Xuan was orchestrated by Commander She. The hundreds of soldiers were also under Commander She's command. If the imperial court pursued accountability, Commander She would undoubtedly be the first to be punished.
"It is also possible..." Lord Qiu lowered his voice considerably, dipping his index finger into the remaining tea in his cup and writing the words "Imperial Guards" on the table.
To steal one hundred and two items so stealthily, if it wasn't an inside job by Hesheng Xuan, then only the Imperial Guards possessed such capability. If the token was indeed among these one hundred and two items, it was normal for the Imperial Guards to be determined to obtain it.
Lord Ge held his teacup, staring at the three characters written in water on the table, lost in thought. Minister of Personnel Tao had initially intended to seal these items, but Zhan Feiyu had suggested auctioning them off.
Minister of Personnel Tao also knew that this box of items was a hot potato, even a death warrant. At the very least, he did not have the ability to safely transport this box of items from Qianzhong Circuit back to the capital.
Rather than being ambushed and attacked midway, risking not only the theft of the items but also his own life, it was better to adopt Zhan Feiyu's suggestion and sell them to the highest bidder. The proceeds would go to the Ministry of Revenue, which would be a great achievement.
Minister of Personnel Tao ultimately chose Hesheng Xuan, as only Hesheng Xuan was most suitable for the bidding. Subsequently, the items were lost.
Lord Ge looked out the window. This was the Provincial Administration Department, Lord Qiu's territory. There were undoubtedly Lord Qiu's personal guards hidden in the shadows. He then said in a low voice, "Zhan Feiyu had dealings with the Liu family, the imperial merchants."
In this way, Zhan Feiyu was indeed the most suspicious. Moreover, she held a token that could command the Imperial Guards. Of course, it was also possible that the Imperial Guards used Zhan Feiyu to instigate Minister of Personnel Tao to send the items to Hesheng Xuan.