Chapter 168: It Is Ours

The next day, Clerk Fang and Clerk Lu arrived at the study with dark circles under their eyes.

It wasn't that they had stayed up too late reading case files—they hadn't looked at them at all after nightfall—but they couldn't help but keep thinking about them in their heads!

Tossing and turning, unable to sleep through the night, they still hadn't figured out the reason behind it all.

The time Cheng Zhi turned off his lights was about the same as theirs, but he had absolutely no psychological burden, and he was as spirited as ever in the morning.

When it was time to start work, Wen Gu called Cheng Zhi over.

The two clerks present followed with their gazes.

Wen Gu said, "If the two of you are interested, you may come over as well."

Fang and Lu didn't act coy at this moment; they bowed and hurriedly followed.

Wen Gu came to the office study and took out a large sheet of paper used for calligraphy and painting.

Beside it, a custom-made wooden frame was nailed to the wall, and the paper could be embedded in the frame to be fixed.

He then took out a tube of brushes; these were brushes he had custom-made from Qingyi Daozhang, featuring four or five different colors.

Picking up a brush, Wen Gu quickly drew several main freight routes, towns, and mountain ranges of Xinzhou.

There was no artistry to it, just a few simple strokes to mark the approximate locations for easy viewing.

The location of Caishan County Town was also marked.

Clerk Fang and Clerk Lu didn't understand what Wen Gu was going to do at first, but they soon found out.

Wen Gu called out keywords and requirements, having Cheng Zhi filter the case file records and mark them one by one on the drawing in reverse chronological order.

Focusing primarily on Cai Mountain and its surrounding areas, there were records of reports made to officials, as well as records left by merchant caravans passing through towns.

With each question and answer, the lines on the drawing grew more numerous.

Using brushes of different colors, he marked symbols and lines that others could not understand.

As Clerk Fang and Clerk Lu watched, their eyes gradually grew tired and their heads ached, and they became increasingly confused.

Clerk Fang closed his eyes to recover for a moment; when he opened them, he didn't look at that dizzying drawing, but instead looked at Cheng Zhi.

Yet Cheng Zhi wasn't looking at the drawing at all; his eyes were vacant, as if he were daydreaming, yet he kept answering Wen Gu's questions. He only paused slightly to recall things occasionally, then continued.

Of that massive pile of case files from yesterday, what Wen Gu was asking about today might just be a small, easily overlooked paragraph of text recorded on an inconspicuous page in some obscure file!

Who the hell could remember that?!

Clerk Fang stared blankly for a while, then raised his hand and slapped himself.

One shouldn't compete with this kind of natural-born freak!

This man Cheng Zhi, although his other skills were very poor, was unrivaled in the race of memory!

As long as Cheng Zhi didn't make any major mistakes in the future, there was no need to worry about being replaced!

While Clerk Fang's thoughts were wandering, Wen Gu up ahead had already circled a key point.

He asked Cheng Zhi, "Who is the owner of this merchant caravan? Is he in Xinzhou City?"

Cheng Zhi searched his memory and replied, "The caravan owner's surname is Qiao, named Qiao Yuan, a man from the South who just arrived in Xinzhou City at the beginning of this year."

Wen Gu asked again, "Did he come alone, or with others?"

Cheng Zhi paused slightly; this time he was searching the records of Xinzhou City, not the case files he had read yesterday.

"Qiao Yuan came with seven other merchants from the South..."

Cheng Zhi stated the information already recorded by Xinzhou City.

If one were to simply classify the scale of those merchant caravans as large, medium, or small, they could only be considered medium-sized.

They didn't have much of a presence upon coming to Xinzhou City.

Clerk Lu, standing to the side, felt no less complex emotions than Clerk Fang, but he was better at keeping his composure and asked at this moment, "Deputy Envoy, should we summon that Qiao Yuan for questioning?"

Wen Gu thought for a moment, waved his hand, and said, "There is no need to disturb Qiao Yuan for the time being."

The three clerks present simultaneously marked the word "temporarily" in their hearts.

Wen Gu sat back at his desk, took out paper and brush, quickly wrote a letter, and called over a running Clerk: "Bailuo Deputy Envoy is interrogating the horse bandits in the prison; send this to Bailuo Deputy Envoy."

The Clerk respectfully took it: "Yes!"

He was very enthusiastic about running errands.

Based on his experience, it seemed there was another task of raiding a house!

In the study.

Cheng Zhi was still puzzled.

He recalled the case files he had read once more. The several events involved in the area Wen Gu had circled showed no abnormalities. So he asked his question: "Deputy Envoy, is there something fishy here?"

Wen Gu said, "The merchant caravan concealed the truth."

Clerk Lu and Clerk Fang also walked over to take a look, holding the case files in their hands. Working together, they quickly found the record Wen Gu and Cheng Zhi had mentioned. "This Master Qiao's caravan had its goods robbed by horse bandits, and the caravan went to report it to the officials, but, according to the record above... spices, condiments?" Clerk Fang read those few records word for word.

It was indeed written as only a few common food seasonings.

If he had just seen it casually, he wouldn't have noticed the fishiness here, but now that Wen Gu had pointed it out, they stared at it to analyze. "Qiao Yuan is a merchant from the South; if he deals in spices, he can obtain huge profits just by running sea transport in the South. Why run to the North?" Clerk Fang did not shy away from malicious speculation: "Past the border customs, further north are the various tribes of the grasslands. What does this man surnamed Qiao want to sell to the grasslands?" Wen Gu corrected him: "Or rather, what does he want to sell to the nobles of the grassland tribes?"

The goods recorded in the case file as lost by the caravan were only preserved fruits, candied fruit, and spices—things found in ordinary small towns.

Cheng Zhi didn't understand, but the other two were lost in thought.

Their family backgrounds were much better than Cheng Zhi's, and they knew what kind of temperament merchant caravans had.

If there weren't huge profits, it would be impossible to run that route.

It was far and arduous; what were they after?

Clerk Lu stroked his beard, concentrated, and said, "Looking at the case records of the local county office, the merchant caravan was sincere and very urgent about wanting to recover their losses. That batch of goods was indeed of extraordinary value!"

Based on the time and place of the incident and the characteristics of the bandits, it was very likely those Caishan Horse Bandits who had just been captured.

And Caishan Horse Bandits generally intercepted only large hauls!

"Military equipment is unlikely," Clerk Fang said.

He is a relative of the Zhao Family and has a better understanding of the past situation in Xinzhou.

"Qiao Yuan has no major backing; it is absolutely impossible for him to run to the north to smuggle military equipment! He wouldn't dare report smuggling military equipment to the officials either!"

"Then it must be something lighter, yet of extreme value..."

Something that can be exported.

It is very likely something to be sold to the nobles of the various grassland tribes.

Clerk Lu said: "Salt? Tea?"

Clerk Fang said: "Possible, but unlikely. I repeat, he is a merchant from the South, without major backing, and not part of a large merchant caravan; why would he run all the way to the north to get involved in the tea and salt trade? Can't he sell them for a good price in the South?"

Salt is absolutely controlled by the imperial court.

Tea is also considered a strategic material and is related to politics. Tea merchants also have their own circles, and they differ between the North and the South.

Iron involves weapons and cavalry equipment, so it is controlled even more strictly!

Salt, iron, and tea are none of them easy goods to handle. Does Qiao Yuan have such great courage?

Clerk Fang gritted his teeth: "Could it be a spy, colluding with the enemy and betraying the country?"

Clerk Lu reminded him: "Then his merchant caravan wouldn't have reported it to the officials."

Setting aside those controlled materials, what other goods are there? Silk? Porcelain? Or is it really spices?

Wen Gu reminded them: "Is there anything that doesn't touch the most sensitive red lines, doesn't belong to bulk controlled commodities, is still often smuggled by civilians, is related to food, and can still yield a large price difference between the North and the South?"

Cheng Zhi was still deep in thought.

Clerk Lu and Clerk Fang said simultaneously: "Sugar!"

Cheng Zhi turned his mind rapidly: "You mean those horse bandits have the merchant caravan's sugar?"

Once these words were spoken, the three people in the room looked at him at the same time.

Cheng Zhi:???

What did I say wrong?

Clerk Fang's eyes were full of disapproval, and he corrected him sternly: "What merchant caravan's? That is *our* sugar!"

It all belongs to us!

It has nothing to do with the merchant caravan!

In this era, sugar is a luxury item.

When it comes to the topic of sugar, one can clearly see the difference in the backgrounds of the three clerks at this moment.

The malt sugar common in the marketplace, or the honey produced by ordinary farmers, were all considered luxuries for Cheng Zhi's former family; if they wanted to buy some to taste, they had to be very calculating.

Studying costs money.

His family wished they could spend every single copper on studying for the imperial examinations.

Cheng Zhi could only taste a little high-end dessert when his wealthy classmates treated him.

But for Clerk Lu and Clerk Fang, sugar is already one of the seasonings they frequently come into contact with!

In this era, sugar made from sugarcane is already very common in the homes of wealthy families and great clans.

From relying on imports a long time ago to exporting now, driven by huge profits, there are more and more sugarcane fields in the South, and sugar-making technology is constantly improving.

High-grade refined sugar can indeed fetch a huge profit when sold to nobles.

As soon as Clerk Fang and Clerk Lu mentioned sugar, their mouths began to water.

When they found military supplies and food a while ago, they didn't actually have very deep feelings about it. They don't use iron armor and weapons in their daily lives and basically don't come into contact with them. They have food at home, too, so they won't starve.

But they were truly craving sugar!

Plague Ghosts are currently running rampant in the South, and the sugarcane fields have all been abandoned; the fields being reclaimed in the North are all being used to grow food. Sugar will only become scarcer. There isn't much stock left in their homes, and they can only ration it for daily consumption, occasionally begging for a little from wealthy relatives to satisfy their cravings.

As for salt, Xinzhou is no longer short of it, and Lao Zhao even set up a Production Line.

Last year, one of the Xianshou Army units of Xinzhou went to the seaside and jointly operated a new Town with the Four Great Families of Maritime Trade that came from the South. That place is a salt-producing area!

But, sugar?

It is not a necessity, nor is it armor or sharp blades that can kill Plague Ghosts, but it can be one of the items that nobles pine for!

There are quite a few nobles who are fond of sweets!

Wen Gu thought to himself: If that gang of horse bandits really did rob a batch of sugar, according to the existing clues, that batch of sugar is likely still there!

"If we can find it, we can get some welfare items for everyone," Wen Gu said with a smile.

The three clerks couldn't help but laugh along, full of joy.

Under the heavy pressure of a survival crisis, sugar can both replenish calories and soothe emotions, regulating the body and mind.

Even Clerk Fang, who had previously had conflicts and filed a complaint, looked at Wen Gu with gratitude at this moment: Wen Gu is actually a pretty good person. Wen Gu, meanwhile, was thinking:

The quantity of that batch of sugar should be quite large; leave a portion for everyone as welfare items, and use the rest to empty the pockets of the wealthy!

I wonder what the quality of that refined sugar is exactly?

If the quality isn't high enough, he will have to go and spur Qingyi Daozhang on again.

Use limited resources to extract more food from the pockets of the wealthy!