Chapter 200: Getting to the Bottom of Things

But whether old or new, having these things was already enough to convict He Weiyuan of a capital crime. Throughout the Ming dynasty, control over folk sects was at its strictest; even the slightest involvement meant death by a thousand cuts. Yet despite such harsh laws, folk sects flourished most during the Ming — an irony in itself.

The most valuable item, however, was a roster. He Weiyuan was a scholar by background, after all, and liked to record everything in writing. The names and addresses of every major and minor sect leader in Xuzhou City were all listed on it. From this, one could see that He Weiyuan's attitude toward the Smelling Incense Sect was just that casual. If he were ever captured, someone else could use this roster to round up every Smelling Incense follower in Xuzhou. For something so critical, He Weiyuan had not even written it in code.

The hiding places for the money and weapons had all been revealed by the servants and maids, but it was Zhou Xuezhi who found the roster and the account books. Judging by Zhou Xuezhi's attitude, the account books were clearly the more important items.

The account books were equally unconcealed. Income was recorded as rice and wheat, outlay as wine. After Zhou Xuezhi got hold of these books, a look of pleasant surprise actually appeared on his face. Bending low and bowing his head, he said to Zhao Jin, "Great Master, there's a mountain of gold in here!"

The phrase "mountain of gold" was something Zhao Jin had heard far too many times since opening his winery. Hearing it from this spineless Zhou Xuezhi, he merely nodded indifferently and gestured for the man to explain.

"... Great Master, the He family wine makes money, but the grain makes even more..."

He Weiyuan's first sentence did pique Zhao Jin's interest somewhat. In a sense, the money earned by Fragrance Drifting Winery also came from cheap sorghum. Could it be that the He family had the same trick? But without his own family's method, any wine the He family made that was drinkable could not use sorghum. Whether rice, wheat, or beans, none could yield such huge profits.

"... The tribute grain barges heading north — those grain transport laborers live off the water. Every year, huge amounts of tribute grain get siphoned off. Much of this grain is traded to He Weiyuan for wine. Top-grade rice sold at sorghum prices, then converted into wine prices..."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin drew a sharp breath. A picul of rice now sold for one tael of silver, or twelve hundred copper cash — and this was being sold at sorghum prices. The price difference was a full sixfold. Converted into wine prices, it meant earning yet another round of profit. His own wine had roughly tenfold profit per catty; the He family's wine likely had similar margins.

"... But before the New Year, the grain transport men in Yutou Town drank your wine, Great Master. The grain and such depend on the laborers to get out. Once they found it tasted better, they naturally stopped drinking the He family's wine. And your wine, Great Master, is priced even lower. So the bulk purchasing over there is going to shift to your side..."

In truth, the He family compound had only been searched a little over halfway, but when this topic came up, Zhao Jin simply stopped walking and focused on questioning.

"Who is that person over there?"

"Replying to the Great Master, that person is from the Shandong main altar of the Smelling Incense Sect. It's said he's quite an important figure. But every time He Weiyuan entertained him, this lowly one could only wait outside."

"Since you're all Smelling Incense followers, entangled in interests for so many years, why would they still choose based on price and taste?"

By all logic, goods of good quality and low price should sell well, but in reality, inferior and overpriced goods also find a market. The shady dealings behind this were the same in all times and places. Zhao Jin did not believe that some figure from the main altar would act out of public-spiritedness.

Hearing this, Zhou Xuezhi, who was bent over in reply, gave a bitter smile and answered, "Though this lowly one doesn't know the inner details, I can more or less guess. Among the grain transport laborers, a great many believe in the sect. They are fellow sect brothers. Traveling north and south by boat, journeys are measured in months. They need wine to relieve fatigue and pass the time. Most of the wine from the winery is drunk by the laborers themselves. They procure the grain themselves. If there's better wine, they'll just go trade for it and drink it on their own — there's simply no controlling them. So they had to bow to popular sentiment. Otherwise, that side wouldn't make any money. Who would care whether He Weiyuan lived or died?"

Zhao Jin let out a long breath. Hearing this, the whole sequence of events was more or less clear. Without realizing it, he had offended someone and cut off He Weiyuan's path to outrageous profit. And this business of trading tribute grain for wine was about to shift onto him.

Cutting off the money was one side of it. If someone seized Fragrance Drifting Winery, then He Weiyuan's profits would become even more staggering. This reversal, a matter of life and death, enormous gain — under the combined pressure of both sides, He Weiyuan had taken a desperate risk, and that had led to the current situation.

Zhao Jin stood there pondering. Zhou Xuezhi observed him cautiously, treating this as his own opportunity. Although He Weiyuan had kept him in the dark about the most critical core matters, Zhou Xuezhi had still gone to every length to ferret out quite a bit of information.

When Zhou Xuezhi had originally pried into this, he had intended to use it to make his own fortune. But now, speaking it out, he was using it to save his life. Such vital matters — He Weiyuan had always kept them from others. Every link was compartmentalized. Those handling grain collection, grain sales, winemaking, and wine transport all had no idea what the other links were doing. Zhou Xuezhi believed that in the entire He Family Village, aside from He Weiyuan himself, he alone could grasp the general picture and knew how the operation ran.

Such a huge business, and one that could be run in perpetuity — now he alone could keep it running. Offering it in exchange should be enough to save his life.

Seeing Zhao Jin's expression soften slightly, he knelt on the ground again and said with the utmost earnestness, "Great Master, this lowly one is willing to tell you everything, willing to work like an ox or a horse for you."

"You want to live?" Zhao Jin's indifferent tone chilled He Weiyuan to the bone. All he could do was nod.

"Go to the yamen and confess. Confess all the heinous crimes He Weiyuan committed in his devotion to the Smelling Incense Sect. Those statues, talismans, and such are the evidence. Witness testimony, material evidence, confession — you must make this an ironclad case. Can you do it?"

Zhou Xuezhi's body shuddered violently. In an instant, all color drained from his face. When he opened his mouth to speak, his voice trembled. "Great Master... Grandfather... this is a beheading offense. Even if this lowly one confesses everything, I still won't escape immediate execution. This lowly one is still useful to Grandfather."

Zhao Jin glanced down at him and said coldly, "He Family Village has been watching me for so long. I imagine you know my reputation for how I do things and conduct myself. Trust me, and you can live. Doubt me, and you must die. Weigh it yourself!"

Zhou Xuezhi's body trembled for a moment. Just when he seemed about to break down, he straightened up and asked, "Great Master, if this lowly one does as you say, can my wife and daughter's lives be spared?"

"As long as they don't cause trouble, they can live!" Zhao Jin's reply was very curt. After speaking, he turned and walked out the door. Immediately, several household guards came in and bound Zhou Xuezhi up.

After that, quite a few more things were found, but compared to the earlier haul, they were nothing much — for instance, the land deeds and house deeds inside He Family Village, along with many rent and debt collection slips. These things could be collected if you held a blade; without one, they counted for nothing. In Zhao Jin's hands, of course, they could be turned into ready silver.

Lunch was eaten at the He residence. The other households in He Family Village had also realized that something had happened to the He family, but seeing those sturdy men with weapons outside, no one dared say a word. Moreover, around lunchtime, constables from the city arrived. With government officials present, no one dared raise any objections.

By the time the sun was slanting west, everything of value in the He household had been loaded onto carts. All items that could be considered evidence of cult worship were also taken away. The roster and account books were placed in a separate horse cart, guarded by Liu Yong and Ji Xiang. As for the He family members, they were all tied up and taken away too. Even the truly infirm elderly and weak were given a cart.

Zhao Jin did not leave anyone behind in He Family Village, because it was too far from the city. If anything happened, they would not be able to respond in time.

As the sky darkened and the city gates were about to close, Zhao Jin's party arrived at Xuzhou City. Compared to the morning, everyone looked a bit tidier. They had washed up at the He residence and found fitting clothes to change into. On the return trip, they had also taken turns sleeping in the carts.

Before they even reached the gate, a group of people came forward to greet them: Zhao Zhentang, Chen Wu, Dong Jike, and Ji Xiang's father. The Wang family, however, had only sent a steward. Such official-gentry households always had more proprieties to observe than others.

Every elder, seeing their own child return, felt a sense of relief. Before they could ask any questions, Zhao Jin stood up in the cart, cupped his fists, and said, "I've made you uncles worry. Please return home first. We younger ones still have some matters to attend to."

Everyone present knew in their hearts what had happened on the official road the day before. Now, seeing them return safely, their joy went without saying. They only wanted to go home together and not go out again, but they had not expected Zhao Jin to say such a thing.

Some wanted to object, but the words would not come out. Zhao Jin's words were perfectly polite, yet no one dared utter a word of dissent.

They could only watch as the convoy drove through the city gate. Chief Constable Chen Wu, however, could not help shouting, "Dasheng, be careful."

Chen Sheng merely nodded. Everyone just sat in the carts as the household guards led the convoy toward the goods yard. Zhao Jin and the others sat woodenly in the carts. Chen Sheng suddenly spoke in a muffled voice, "Dalei's family probably still doesn't know. Our parents got to see us come back. Dalei won't be coming back."

Zhao Jin lowered his head. Dong Bingfeng covered his eyes on horseback. Chen Sheng tilted his head back to look at the sky. Shi Manqiang kept sniffling. Ji Xiang and Liu Yong wiped their tears incessantly. They rode on in silence for a while. Then Zhao Jin jumped down from the horse cart and said, "Zhang Hubin, lead the carts back. No unloading without me there."

Zhang Hubin hastily acknowledged. Zhao Jin had already switched to a long spear. After dismounting, he raised his voice and said, "Household guards, return to the goods yard and await orders. Brothers, follow me to Li Shun's place."

They split into two groups. Within the city, everyone naturally knew the way like the back of their hand. By the time it was fully dark, Zhao Jin and the others arrived at Li Shun's house.

Li Shun's house was not large, so the fifty household guards surrounded it tightly. In the distance, a few figures could be seen craning their necks, though whether they wanted to watch the excitement or gather news was unclear. But no one dared approach.

Zhao Zhentang had kept watch in the woods all night the day before. Following Zhao Jin's arrangements, he had brought those horses back to the city early that morning. Over a hundred horses naturally had to be stabled outside the city. But such a huge commotion was bound to be noticed by those with sharp ears in the city. The yamen runners who had gone with Zhao Zhentang were not so tight-lipped either, so word had already begun to spread.