Chapter 170

Wei Jun settled down in Luo Chuan.

Like a catfish that had slipped into the water's depths, he began to stir with all his might.

He did not believe that under Chen Wen's rule there could truly be no loopholes.

Nor did he believe that this seemingly monolithic system could completely thwart his 'detailed inspection' as an Imperial Commissioner of Bian Liang.

First, he zeroed in on the link that seemed most prone to problems—grain and tax revenue.

He demanded to review the tax collection details and treasury silver inflow‑outflow records for the past two years for all three counties.

Even including local miscellaneous income.

When the order reached the county office, Wang Ru received him personally, her attitude respectful, without the slightest evasion.

"If the supervising commissioner wishes to inspect, we will certainly cooperate fully."

Wang Ru spoke calmly, then turned and ordered the clerks.

"Go, bring all the related ledgers from the Class A and Class B files, together with the original drafts and storage receipts."

"Move them all to the West Flower Hall for the supervising commissioner and his attendants to examine."

Soon, a dozen or so clerks carried in one heavy wooden chest after another into the West Flower Hall.

Inside the chests, the ledgers were piled like mountains, the vouchers and tickets sorted and bound, the order so clear it was astonishing.

The two accountants Wei Jun had brought were seasoned veterans skilled at calculation; seeing this, they could not help but frown.

Such a display was, frankly, overly thorough.

Over the next two days, the sound of abacuses clacking in the West Flower Hall hardly ceased.

The two accountants bent to their work, checking page by page, verifying entry by entry.

Yet the deeper they went, the tighter their brows furrowed.

The accounts were too clean.

Tax collection strictly followed the quotas issued by the Imperial Court, down to the last detail; exemption records were clear and traceable.

Treasury silver expenditures, from military pay allocations to office stationery purchases, were signed off by the handlers and double‑checked by the supervising officials.

The procedure was rigorous, leaving virtually no trace of embezzlement.

Even the segments most prone to leakage—'fire loss' and 'shortfall'—

were also kept within extremely low and reasonable bounds, duly recorded.

"Lord Wei, these accounts… are watertight."

One accountant rubbed his throbbing temple and reported quietly to Wei Jun.

"Unless truly talented individuals have governed this place to pristine clarity, then… the bookkeeper's skill must be extraordinary, having reached the pinnacle."

Wei Jun's face darkened; he leaned toward the latter explanation.

He simply could not believe that a frontier garrison under a martial commander could be so "honest and self‑disciplined."

"And the miscellaneous items? Local levies and gentry‑merchant donations—surely there must be some?"

He pressed on, unwilling to let it go.

The accountant gave a bitter smile.

"They do exist, but every entry is logged in the books with a clear purpose."

"Either for repairing bridges and paving roads, or for relieving refugees, each is jointly guaranteed by village elders or merchant guilds."

"Indeed… there is nothing to fault."

Wei Jun snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve as he departed.

Finding no fault in the accounts, he turned his gaze to the army camp.

He returned to the Jing'an Army's main camp, this time not content with merely watching the drills.

Instead, he demanded a random inspection of the armory stock and a verification of the military registers.

He even wanted to see with his own eyes whether the soldiers' pay was being issued in full.

The one receiving him was Han Tong, whom Chen Wen had already briefed in advance.

Although Han Tong inwardly loathed this eunuch, he still kept up basic courtesy on the surface.

"If the supervising commissioner wishes to inspect, let him inspect."

Han Tong waved his hand and led Wei Jun straight to the armory.

Inside the storehouse, various swords, spears, bows, crossbows, and armor were arranged by category, neat and orderly.

Wei Jun casually picked up a bow, drew it hard—the limbs were resilient, the string taut, a fine war bow.

He then walked to the arrow storage area, casually pulled out an arrow—the shaft was straight, the head sharp, showing no sign of crude manufacture.

"Check the numbers!" Wei Jun ordered his attendants.

The attendants took the armory ledger and, together with the storekeeper officer, began to tally.

The result was still exact down to the last item, and even the loss reports for certain consumables were clear and traceable.

Next came the verification of the military registers.

Wei Jun randomly selected a few companies' registers, then personally went to the drill field and called the roll according to the lists.

The result: all who should have been present were present, with no vacancies, no sign of phantom soldiers drawing pay.

He even covertly observed the soldiers' uniforms and footwear, which, though not splendid,

were neat and intact, their complexions ruddy, their spirits high—certainly not the look of men whose rations had been docked.

Finally, he requested to observe a pay‑distribution procedure.

Han Tong had no objection and arranged it at once.

At the distribution site, order prevailed; soldiers stepped forward in turn, verified their identities, and signed and sealed.

They received their full pay or equivalent grain and cloth; the whole process was open and transparent, with no deduction or delay.

Wei Jun's face grew increasingly grim.

He felt as if he had punched cotton, with nowhere to exert his force.

This Chen Wen, how could he make his superficial work so seamless?

He refused to believe it, and turned his gaze toward the populace.

He changed into plain clothes and brought two sharp attendants.

He lingered in teahouses, taverns, market streets and alleys inside and outside Luo River City, trying to gather the true situation from the people's mouths.

For example, whether Chen Wen had increased taxes, whether he indulged his subordinates in harassing the people, whether he had committed any illegal acts.

However, what he heard was.

Most were praises like 'The Defense Commissioner is an upright official,' 'This year we can finally eat our fill,' 'The soldiers follow the rules, they don't steal things,' and similar.

Occasionally there were complaints, but only that the government organized water conservancy and land reclamation projects too diligently.

It was tiring, but meals were provided and wages paid, so one could hardly speak of any great wrongdoing.

Once, at a roadside tea stall, Wei Jun deliberately guided the conversation and sighed.

"Alas, Luo River City is fine, but the taxes and levies are probably heavier than elsewhere, right?"

"Otherwise, where would the money come from to support so many troops and build such neat city walls?"

The tea stall owner was a talkative old man, but upon hearing this he glared.

"Sir, you must not speak nonsense! The taxes set by Defense Commissioner Chen are levied exactly according to court regulations, not a single cash extra!"

"The money for maintaining troops and building walls is managed by Your Excellency the Prefect."

"We have opened the monopoly bureau, organized the artisan workshops, and also contributed voluntary labor!"

"Don't tarnish the reputation of the Great Upright Lord."

Wei Jun suffered a setback and left in annoyance.

He felt as if he had fallen into a meticulously woven net.

What he saw and heard on the surface were flawless 'loyal to the ruler and patriotic,' 'diligent in governance and loving the people.'

But secretly, there was a powerful, efficiently operating force.

Blocking every possible loophole tightly, and resolving all his probes invisibly.

This kind of 'outward compliance, inward defiance' is not mere surface-level duplicity.

But rather a deeper-level 'soft resistance' based on absolute control and efficient execution.

They show cooperation with all your demands, yet you cannot find any genuine leverage.

Returning to the post station, Wei Jun angrily smashed a teacup.

He realized that conventional surveillance methods would likely be ineffective here.

Chen Wen and his subordinates had already governed these three counties as tightly as an iron barrel.

"What a fine Chen Wen Zhong... what a fine Defense Commissioner of Chan Prefecture!"

Wei Jun gritted his teeth, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.

"If the open way won't work, then don't blame us for resorting to covert means."

"We just don't believe that your tens of thousands of subordinates are all tight-lipped with no gaps!"

He decided to change strategy, employ more covert means, and seek that possible breakthrough.

All of this fell into the eyes of Qian Gui, who was secretly monitoring his every move.

"Tell the Prefect, this eunuch is likely going to use some despicable tactics."

Qian Gui gave a low-voiced order to a subordinate, his figure silently blending into the night of Luo River City.