Chapter 187: A Tangled and Complex Situation

Empress Changsun said nothing, silently gently massaged Li Shimin's back, hoping to let him vent a little.

In fact, she was carefully pondering the news she had just seen.

According to the report sent back by the Jinwu Guard, once Chen Yan arrived at Weinan County, perhaps on a whim or simply out of curiosity about the dock, he then gleaned these pieces of information from a boatman's mouth.

It sounds reasonable, but on closer thought, one sees how absurd it is.

Weinan County is only a dozen or so kilometers from Chang'an; by carriage, one could make the round trip four or five times in a single morning.

Such a serious incident occurred there, and it could be casually probed; why did Chang'an receive no news at all?

Could it be covered up by the former Weinan County officials?

Or perhaps that so‑called Zhang?

Just thinking about it is laughable.

This matter certainly involves more than just that Zhang.

"Er Lang, calm down first. I think the Weinan County affair is probably not that simple; that Zhang may only be a surface figure."

After venting for a while, Li Shimin's anger had already lessened, and upon hearing Empress Changsun's words, he completely cooled down.

With the Empress's reminder, he quickly realized something was off: "Guanyin Maid is right; if this could be hidden for so long, a man named Zhang could never have done it."

"There must be someone behind it..."

Empress Changsun hinted, "Weinan County is a metropolitan county directly under the Jingzhao Prefecture, whose Prefect is Li Xiyu. I recall that among the two Jingzhao Deputy Prefects under him, one happens to be surnamed Zhang."

Li Shimin squinted, "Hmm, I recall Zhang Wenbo is indeed a strong suspect."

The mention of the name made Li Shimin somewhat angry.

In fact, Zhang Wenbo also came from a humble background, and it was Li Shimin who promoted him.

If Zhang Wenbo truly did this, Li Shimin would devour his heart raw.

Calming himself, Li Shimin's voice lowered, as if muttering to himself, "But who is the person behind this?"

"Not even a single Jingzhao Deputy Prefect, let alone a third‑rank official like Li Xiyu, could possibly conceal the Weinan County affair for so long."

"And why are they so brazen?"

"To extort the people outright under the guise of taxes is far too easy to expose; isn't that courting death?"

"Even if they used corrupt methods akin to tax‑collector monthly fees, the risk of exposure would be greatly reduced, and the consequences after exposure would be minor."

"Yet they chose a ridiculous pretext of a private boat tax and a fishing tax to skim money; what kind of foolish person could devise such a scheme?"

"Allow me to think..."

Having said that, Li Shimin lowered his head slightly and began to contemplate.

Empress Changsun merely gave a faint smile, sitting quietly aside, waiting.

She knew that once calm returned, the wise monarch would be back.

Just as Li Shimin said, even if those people were merely corrupt, the risk of exposure would be greatly reduced.

Because corruption can never be eradicated, when you wield enough power, others will devise every possible way to lure you with multiplied incentives.

Looking across the entire court, especially among the lower officials, how many have clean robes? How many are free of the smell of copper?

Li Shimin understood all this, but as long as it wasn't too extreme, he often turned a blind eye.

After all, the court needs incorrupt officials as well as corrupt ones whose levers can be held.

"......"

Empress Changsun read the Jinwu Guard's report again and found that neither Chen Yan nor Du Gou seemed to pay much attention to Wang Shikuan and the Axe Gang; they were strolling around Weinan County, discussing how to do business.

She thought to herself, "These two clever youngsters must have sensed something; otherwise Wang Shikuan and his men would have been caught outright by them."

"Discussing how to do business—have they decided not to take part and instead dump the trouble onto Er Lang?"

At that thought, Empress Changsun calmly glanced at the pensive Li Shimin and let out a mute laugh.

At that moment, Li Shimin suddenly looked up and asked, "Guanyin Maid, do you think there is a possibility that someone is setting a trap?"

Empress Changsun instantly understood his meaning, "Er Lang thinks someone wants to use your hand to eliminate certain people?"

"Correct," Li Shimin's voice grew colder, "To brazenly corrupt and extort the people under the pretext of taxes, and to conceal it for so long, there must be a tangled and complex network of relationships behind it."

"Such a person could never be a fool."

"Moreover, I granted Weinan County to the Crown Prince as a fief—everyone in the court knows that—and transferred Zi An, Du Gou, and Ma Zhou there; anyone can guess that I intend to fully control Weinan County."

"If it were merely simple corruption, everyone would know to stop when faced with such a situation to avoid exposure."

"Yet Zi An and Du Gou only took office half a month later, and even today they have not ceased, blatantly exposing the problem before Zi An's eyes."

"It is hard for me not to overthink..."

Earlier, Li Shimin's anger had clouded his mind; now that he is calm, he sees inconsistencies everywhere in this matter.

On the surface it appears to be a corruption case, but upon closer examination, it seems someone else is setting a trap, hoping to use his hand to eliminate certain people.

Yet Li Shimin still feels something is amiss.

If it is indeed a trap, the loopholes are far too many.

Not to mention that, like a free giveaway, it would expose the problem; even just calling it a corruption case seems a bit too simple, right?

Wang Shikuan, the Axe Gang, tax officials, and even the uncertain Zhang—possibly the Jingzhao Deputy Prefect Zhang Wenbo—can all be uncovered with a quick check.

The evidence is clear, the relationships straightforward, perhaps even the interrogation process could be skipped.

How to put it.

Li Shimin imagined a bunch of small fry hiring good cooks in advance, then the fry jump into the pot themselves, cook themselves, and the hired chefs plate them and serve them at the table.

He only needs to pick up his chopsticks and start eating.

"Then... what does Er Lang plan to do?" Empress Changsun asked softly.

"What to do..." Li Shimin tapped his fingers rhythmically on the desk, his eyes flashing, clearly deep in thought.

After a while, he exhaled a puff of foul breath, "First have Wushe send someone to investigate, to see whether that Zhang is Zhang Wenbo."

"If so, then continue to investigate following Zhang Wenbo."

"I believe that if the person behind it wishes to use my hand to eliminate some people, then by continuing to investigate following Zhang Wenbo, we will surely be able to find the people they want to eliminate."

"At that time, we will see whose path the person they wish to eliminate is blocking, and what enemies they have."

Empress Changsun nodded slightly; Li Shimin's line of thought was fine.

As long as this is a plot, and the goal is to use Li Shimin's hand to kill, then by finding the people they want to eliminate, and then continuing to investigate following that person, there will eventually be some clues.

"......"