Chapter 856: Love Blossoms in the Heart

Love Shenjing, Court of Judicial Review.

Yang Yang Hongbin took these documents and read them, saying, "Jia Yuzhang, why did you pick these few?

I have carefully read the inquiry records of these people, and found nothing wrong."

Jia Cong said, "I picked these few, not because the inquiry records are wrong, but because of other reasons.

I just said that if the military stockpile leak is not intentional, it is an unintentional leak. It is difficult to find relevant traces in the inquiry record documents.

The inquiry records of these officials I picked are all perfect, and no flaws can be found, but these are just superficial articles.

But the details of their duties and their personal habits and temperaments should be paid more attention to and investigated in detail compared to other officials, and it is very likely that there will be gains."

Jia Cong picked out two of the documents and said, "These two are two warehouse officials of the Ministry of Revenue. Although these two are not responsible for specific grain requisition.

Yesterday I went to the Ministry of Revenue to inquire about how much grain was sent and how much grain was stored in the Donggui Town military stockpile, and they would regularly send letters to the Ministry of Revenue.

This letter is handled by the two warehouse officials. They will determine the amount of grain requisition for the next month of the Ministry of Revenue based on the monthly grain storage of the military stockpile.

So these two warehouse officials, although their official positions are not high, have great power in grain requisition. Even their superiors rely on their calculations for grain requisition."

……

Yang Yang Hongbin said, "They are familiar with the amount of monthly grain requisition, which seems to have no direct connection with the leakage of the military stockpile location. Why does Jia Yuzhang think they are more suspicious?"

Jia Cong said, "The day before yesterday, I was summoned to the palace by the Emperor and carefully read the Liaodong military report.

Liang Liang Chengzong, the Regional Commander of Liaodong Town, is proficient in military affairs and governs the army cautiously.

From the quantity and frequency of previous grain shipments, he roughly calculated that the military stockpile was close to full capacity around New Year's Eve.

At this time, major military towns delayed taking grain due to the New Year.

So Commander Liang went against the trend and let the Liaodong grain route arrive at the military stockpile on New Year's Eve.

Because in the case of full storage, it is easier to mobilize sufficient grain, and there is no worry about grain in the army.

At that time, the Liaodong Town grain team entered the warehouse to mobilize grain. The grain transport commander was a meticulous person and had talked with the warehouse guard, confirming that the military stockpile was full at that time.

But on New Year's Eve, the Remnant Mongol ambush launched a surprise attack, occupied the military stockpile overnight, and robbed 650,000 dan of military grain.

It was as if the Mongols knew in advance that the military stockpile was full, so they seized the timing and launched a surprise attack on New Year's Eve. This is too coincidental, more like a premeditated plan.

Among the three major government offices in Love Shenjing, these two warehouse officials of the Ministry of Revenue are responsible for the calculation of the military grain warehouse. They know best when the military stockpile is full!

So even if they didn't intentionally leak the secret, the possibility that the full storage time was probed by others cannot be ruled out.

They are more suspicious than other officials involved in secrets, so it is very necessary to investigate deeply..."

……

Yang Yang Hongbin looked convinced and said, "Jia Yuzhang's thinking is meticulous, and he is truly meticulous. He can see the realm that others have not reached, which is really admirable."

Jia Cong smiled, "You are too praised. You inquire about the officials of the three departments every day, and the affairs are complicated. Being in the game, it is inevitable that you cannot take care of everything.

I am just participating in the affairs, having the advantage of a bystander, and pondering more, there will always be some gains.

Whether these two are suspicious, investigating their interpersonal contacts around the twelfth lunar month, and whether there are suspicious points, will be able to distinguish between clear and turbid."

Jia Cong took out another two documents and said, "These two are officials of the Ministry of War, participating in the distribution of grain and fodder for each town. They don't know whether the grain warehouse is full.

But they know the location of the military stockpile like the back of their hand. I once observed politics in the Ministry of War and am very familiar with the officials of the Ministry of War.

These two officials of the Ministry of War are people of temperament, naturally open-minded, fond of drinking and feasting, and have broad contacts. The possibility of being probed for secrets is relatively large, and they should also be investigated more."

……

Jia Cong took out the last four documents and said, "These four are military officers of the Chief Military Commission, all serving as escorts for grain and fodder, familiar with the grain routes along the way and the location of the military stockpile."

Yang Yang Hongbin said, "One of these four military officers is from a cold family, transferred through military connections, and the other three are sons of noble families.

Chen Chen Ruichang, a fifth-rank military officer in charge of fields in the Right Military Commission, has the most prominent status. He is the grandson of the Duke of Qi, Chen Yi."

Jia Cong said, "Khan Anda Khan is a hero of the grassland, always ambitious, and his heart to go south is scorching. He has been abusing the north of the desert for a long time and is a treacherous person with deep schemes.

He brazenly sent troops to occupy the northern military stockpile, absolutely not just to solve the winter crisis, but must have other major plots.

If I were Khan Anda Khan, while taking advantage of the capture of the military stockpile, the grain in hand is abundant.

Going north can cut off the retreat of Qiu Xuanfu and Jizhou towns, and take the opportunity to capture them.

Going south can take advantage of the convenience of the grain route, with fast horses and elite cavalry, traveling day and night, straight to Love Shenjing, and can show the power of catching people off guard!"

Yang Yang Hongbin turned pale when he heard this and said, "If it is really as Jia Yuzhang imagined, Khan Anda Khan takes the opportunity to go south, the situation will be too critical."

Jia Cong said, "Since the day before yesterday, the Ministry of War and the Chief Military Commission have each selected elites from the Five Armies Battalion, sent two hundred scouts, and divided into teams to go north to investigate.

In two more days, there will surely be military intelligence sent back from the north. If Khan Anda Khan really follows the grain route, leads his army south, and presses on Love Shenjing.

The source of the military stockpile leak cannot escape the blame of the Chief Military Commission.

Because the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works know the location of the military stockpile, but the Chief Military Commission is responsible for the transport of military grain, and the planning of the grain route is decided solely by the Chief Military Commission.

Therefore, the surprise attack on the military stockpile by the Remnant Mongols, if there is no other unknown reason, is very likely that several government offices have leaked secrets.

The Mongols gathered the probed information, so they acted so accurately, launched a surprise attack on New Year's Eve when the military stockpile was full, buried an ambush in advance, and brazenly launched a capture."

……

Yang Yang Hongbin heard Jia Cong's analysis, which was meticulous, sharp and clear, thought-provoking, and even had a creepy horror.

He is an outstanding figure in the Court of Judicial Review in recent years. In just a few years, he has been promoted from an ordinary judge of the Court of Judicial Review to the Left Temple Justice of the Court of Judicial Review.

He is esteemed by Wei Wei Guanyao, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and is entrusted with important tasks in everything. He is capable and has handled many major cases, and his means are quite extraordinary.

But he could never do what Jia Cong did, being so meticulous, flawless, ingenious, and finding many paths.

Jia Cong's calculation of human hearts and worldly affairs, and his judgment on the military situation, were also differences that Yang Yang Hongbin could not easily bridge.

In his view, this is the gap in innate talent, and even more the limitation of broad knowledge acquired later, a difference that cannot be easily bridged.

Jia Cong said, "For example, the Chen Chen Ruichang you mentioned is the most precious among the several escort military officers.

It happened that the Remnant Mongols occupied the military stockpile, and he was lucky enough to escape and return to Love Shenjing to report the military situation. Even so, it cannot be said that he has no suspicion.

According to my calculation, the leakage of the military stockpile location was at the turn of the twelfth lunar month last year.

In Chen Chen Ruichang's inquiry record, at the end of the eleventh lunar month last year, until New Year's Eve, he transported military grain three times, just in the leakage period.

The grain transport before New Year's Eve was originally another military officer's trip, but he happened to get a sudden illness, so he replaced him temporarily.

During the period around the twelfth lunar month, among the four grain transport military officers, he transported grain the most times.

But the deeper one is involved, the greater the probability of a leak, so this person must also be strictly investigated."

……

Yang Yang Hongbin sighed in admiration, "The Emperor granting you the power to participate is a wise move, saving the Court of Judicial Review so much effort.

Your screening has reduced the scope of investigation for officials involved in secrets by more than half, and the investigation will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Jia Cong smiled, "One person's wisdom is short, two people's wisdom is long. The officials I screened out just now are inevitably missing something. Your subordinates have sufficient manpower.

"We can conduct a more thorough screening and fill in any gaps to ensure our subsequent actions are more sound. The investigation strategy for this case can basically be considered fully deliberated."

The two chatted for a few more moments before Jia Cong took his leave of Yang Yang Hongbin. He only held the authority of a consultant to assist in clarifying the investigation strategy; the specific investigative tasks were not his responsibility.

With a major battle imminent, the effectiveness of firearms against the swift horses and sharp blades of the Mongols had already been fully verified on the Liaodong battlefield.

Jia Cong knew better than anyone how much Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao valued firearms.

Currently, the responsibility of rushing the production of firearms was of the utmost importance. With the investigation case coming to a close, Jia Cong would shift his energy back to the firearms workshop.

By the time he walked out of the Sun Dali Temple official office, it was nearly noon. Thinking that he was quite close to his residence, he prepared to return home for a short rest before heading to the workshop in the afternoon to handle affairs……

……

Lady Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

……

Jia Baoyu feared Wang Wang Xifeng's severity; ever since she entered the hall, he had not dared to speak freely.

Although he felt stifled inside, he was helpless and reluctant to leave just yet. Even if he felt uncomfortable in the Western Prefecture, it was still better than returning to the East Wing and facing his father.

Seeing Jia Baoyu stop his nonsense, Xi Ren breathed a sigh of relief, hoping only to get through this occasion as quickly as possible and return to the East Wing early to be at peace.

By noon, Jia Mu set up a banquet in the flower hall and had someone invite Xue Xue Yima to join them. Xue Xue Yima was extremely good at conversation, and Jia Mu enjoyed chatting with her.

Seeing Yingchun thought of something and said, "Grandmother, I had breakfast in Cong's courtyard this morning and heard him say he was going to the Sun Dali Temple office on business. That place is very close to the Eastern Prefecture.

He might return at noon to rest. I will have Xiuju go back and check; if Cong has returned to the prefecture, it is rather quiet over there, so I will have him come to pay his respects to Grandmother."

Jia Mu smiled and said, "It would be perfect if he returns. I haven't seen him for two days; it will be livelier if he comes over."

Jia Baoyu had originally come over full of joy, only to end up with a belly full of idle resentment. Not to mention that, he was also restrained and intimidated by Wang Wang Xifeng; truly, nothing was going his way.

Hearing Seeing Yingchun send someone to look for Jia Cong made him feel even more uneasy; he wished he could flee right then, but he couldn't harden his heart……

In his heart, he only hoped that Jia Cong had not returned to the Eastern Prefecture and that Xiuju would find no one when she went back.

But in the end, things went against his wishes. Just as the cold dishes were set and the tea and towels were ready, he saw Xiuju lift the door curtain and lead Jia Cong into the hall.

Seeing that her prediction was correct and that Jia Cong had indeed returned to the prefecture, Seeing Yingchun couldn't help but beam with smiles, and the sisters were all in good spirits.

Jia Cong chatted with Jia Mu for a few moments and was just about to take a seat beside her when Shi Shi Xiangyun suddenly said, "Third Brother, sit beside me; I have something I want to say."

Although she addressed Jia Cong, her eyes glared at Jia Baoyu, looking somewhat indignant and relentless.

……

Seeing Yingchun and Lin Daiyu both knew the reason; they knew Shi Xiangyun had the temperament of a child and was not reconciled to Jia Baoyu's earlier words, so she was still sulking and showing off at this moment.

Although they found it somewhat amusing, neither took it to heart, as Shi Xiangyun's temper came and went quickly; once this moment passed, it would be fine, and it was nothing serious.

Wang Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "What private words does Sister Yun have that she must pull Brother Cong over?

He is the head of the household and should naturally sit beside Grandmother; it wouldn't do to disrupt the rules and etiquette."

Jia Mu was old and wise; how could she not see that Shi Xiangyun was acting out of pettiness? It was just the behavior of a young girl and didn't amount to anything.