Chapter 1012: Who Does the Money Belong To?

Guangzhou was lively all night.

By the time Cao Rong woke from his drunken stupor, it was already the second day, the hour of Si, and the early-rising birds had already finished half a day's work, as had the early-rising people.

Song Hao had barely slept all night; when An Chen and the others returned at Chen hour, he had already washed and dressed and was waiting in the main hall since Mao hour.

The suspects had all been arrested, but their assets had not yet been seized—first, there weren't enough personnel, and second, there wasn't enough time.

But the main culprits had already been captured; seizing assets was merely a follow-up—the priority was solidifying the evidence, ensuring those arrested could not turn the tables.

When Cao Rong awoke, he was already nailed down.

Ledgers, letters, and the testimonies of his subordinates—unless Cao Rong could defy heaven itself, his crimes were settled.

Song Hao finally exhaled in relief and hurried to report to Jiao Tong: "My lord, Cao Rong and his accomplices Jiang Cheng, Xu Jing, and six others have all been apprehended; their families have also been placed under guard. What do you say…?"

Jiao Tong: "Are you certain the evidence uncovered can convict Cao Rong?"

Song Hao said: "I carefully examined the evidence An Chen brought back—all of it was seized from Cao Rong's bedroom, obtained legitimately, with no signs of forgery; it is indeed sufficient for conviction."

Jiao Tong frowned: "Cao Rong has always been cautious; his mansion was no fortress, but it was as tightly sealed as a net—how could Xue Shao so easily catch him off guard?"

Song Hao said nothing.

Jiao Tong thought for a moment, unable to fathom it, and finally waved his hand: "Since it's been uncovered, submit the report."

Song Hao said awkwardly: "Xue Censor's instruction is that this case is jointly handled by the Censorate and the Northern Military Surveillance Office; the matter does not belong to the local administration."

Jiao Tong frowned: "Who doesn't need local cooperation for arrests, asset seizures, or transport? What do you mean it doesn't belong to the local administration?"

Song Hao said: "This morning, after waking, Xue Censor left only this instruction: we may send only a clerk from the Revenue Office to accompany the seizure, to record the seized items. Three copies of the inventory must be made—one for the local administration, one for the Censorate, and one for the Northern Military Surveillance Office."

Jiao Tong was displeased: "The embezzled goods all came from this region; by law, seized assets must be recorded by the local administration before being sent to the imperial treasury. Is he doubting me?"

Song Hao sighed and shook his head in silence.

Xue Shao was also speaking to An Chen about this: "If this were an ordinary embezzlement case, I would trust Jiao, the Provincial Administration Commissioner. But Cao Rong embezzled too much—not just the treasure vault full of gold, silver, and jewels, but even the warehouse Pan Yun later emptied—who wouldn't be tempted? Most importantly, I already have a plan for how to use this money, and I only await the Emperor's approval, so it cannot be handed over to the Provincial Administration."

An Chen asked: "How will you use it?"

Xue Shao said: "Take from the people, use for the people. Since the vast majority was taken from military households, it must be returned to military households."

Coincidentally, the court was currently auditing military affairs.

An Chen's gaze sharpened: "Will the Five Military Commissions allow the Censorate and our Northern Military Surveillance Office to handle this?"

"I've already asked Pan Yun to petition the Emperor, requesting the Five Military Commissions to send personnel to assist. The arrest of Guangdong's Regional Commander and numerous regimental commanders and battalion leaders involves wide-ranging connections; new military officers must be appointed to take over."

"Is the case limited only to Cao Rong?" An Chen asked. "The large sums that vanished from the ledgers—those funds clearly flowed to the Five Military Commissions and the Grand Secretariat in Jingcheng. Are we not investigating further?"

Xue Shao sighed: "The bow is drawn; there is no turning back."

He handed An Chen a sheet of paper: "This is my draft compensation plan for the military households. I've calculated the approximate cost—excluding the treasure vault, the contents of Cao's three warehouses, converted entirely to silver, barely suffice. So you must not only guard Cao's assets, but also strictly monitor the other estates slated for seizure."

An Chen took the paper, glanced over it, and saw that Xue Shao had compiled a list of all military households in Guangdong.

His eyes swept over the stacks of ledgers and rosters on the desk, and a faint smile curled his lips as he bowed: "Your subordinate humbly obeys your orders."

Xue Shao waved his hand, and An Chen turned to find people.

He found the military households: "Xue Censor says that after seizing the Cao household, compensation will be given to all military households who suffered injustice over the years, and he will petition the Emperor to reduce or waive your military grain rations. You must guard the Cao mansion tightly—every dirty silver coin inside will eventually go to you."

The ragged military households straightened their chests and drew in their bellies, roaring from their Upper Dantian: "Yes!"

The cry echoed across the heavens.

That cry made the ordinary officers who had once followed Cao Rong hesitate, then quietly stand still, accepting it.

These lower-ranking officers had never profited from Cao Rong or his cronies; they had merely suffered less than the common soldiers.

If Xue Shao could purge the army, they didn't expect compensation—only that the new commander not be like Cao Rong, squeezing them and forcing them to squeeze the soldiers and military households beneath them.

They had done wicked things, yet never reaped any benefit, only endured blame, their conscience weighed heavy—not just with guilt toward the state and Your Majesty, but toward themselves.

If they weren't forced to serve, they would have changed places and jobs long ago.

This damned job was more than enough to make them sick.

After rousing the military households, An Chen ordered them to send some of their number back to the military colonies to bring more soldiers—those who had suffered the same oppression, preferably those with some skill.

Those skilled in arithmetic, martial arts, or troop deployment were best.

Such people were not hard to find among the military households.

They happily returned to find their comrades.

So when Jiao Tong found Xue Shao and began: "You lack personnel—why not let Prefect Song lead men to assist you in seizing the corrupt officials' assets?"

Xue Shao said: "Assistant An has already gathered sufficient personnel."

Jiao Tong frowned.

Xue Shao said: "Uncle Jiao, Cao Rong is a scion of military merit. The Emperor is benevolent—he may not order his execution."

"Cut the grass, but leave the roots, and the spring wind will bring it back," Jiao Tong said meaningfully. "Precisely because he is a scion of military merit, you must eradicate him utterly, lest he rise again. If you cannot do it yourself, why not seek allies?"

"Forming factions inevitably leads to self-interest—that is not my wish," Xue Shao shook his head in refusal.

Jiao Tong sighed: "You are just like your uncle. That's why, when he fell, it was said Wang Zhen destroyed him—but in truth, he was abandoned by all, including the literati. The lesson is clear—will you walk your uncle's path again?"

Xue Shao smiled but said nothing.

Jiao Tong gave him a long look, then turned and left.

When he was gone, Pan Yun stepped out from behind the screen: "Times are different now—don't be afraid."

Xue Shao turned and smiled: "I know. At least you stand by me."

Pan Yun said: "The conflict between civil and military officials has never ceased since the Song dynasty, and beyond civil-military rivalry lies factional strife. If all actions are guided solely by factional interests, what becomes of the common people? They have no voice in the court."

Xue Shao: "The key lies with the Emperor—if he does not yield."

Pan Yun's lips curled slightly: "I cannot guarantee other emperors—but this one, I can assure you, will stand with the people now, and will not forget his original purpose in pursuit of balance." (End of chapter)