His treasure was originally stolen from the Xi Liang dowry chest, and it was stolen before it could even warm up.
If he rashly sent people to search for it, it would surely arouse the suspicion of others. If it were known that she stole the Xi Liang dowry, it would be a crime punishable by nine generations of extermination. He knew which was more important.
If he pretended nothing had happened, it would just be like drawing water with a bamboo basket, a wasted effort.
"My lord, then we won't investigate?" the servant asked tentatively.
He was just angrily demanding to find out, so why did he change his mind now? Should he investigate or not?
"Let's not investigate for now..." Zhang Kun said reluctantly, unable to part with his treasure.
After a while, Zhang Kun felt more and more that something was wrong. That chest was not a small item. In his mansion, could anyone really take the chest away without anyone noticing and leave no trace? This was completely impossible.
This was very likely the work of a thief within the household. With this realization, Zhang Kun quickly gathered everyone and had his trusted subordinates search them one by one, but they found nothing.
"I'll give you one chance. If you confess, I'll be lenient, and I'll pretend this never happened."
As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere instantly turned cold. Not a single person spoke.
"Fine! You ungrateful dogs!"
Zhang Kun was filled with rage, grabbed the whip at his side, and lashed out fiercely at everyone.
"My lord, Lord Fan sent someone to invite you over."
Only then did Zhang Kun put down his whip, spit at the beaten individuals, and left directly.
...
When Zhang Kun arrived, Fan Shun, unlike his usual arrogance, stood there respectfully because the person in the main seat was Ling Mohan.
And why was his lost chest here?
Zhang Kun panicked immediately, his gaze constantly seeking help from Fan Shun, but to no avail.
Ling Mohan was too lazy to continue stalling and got straight to the point: "You are Zhang Kun?"
"This subordinate is Zhang Kun. Does General Ling have any instructions?" Zhang Kun's fawning nature kicked in again as he scurried to Ling Mohan, strongly making his presence known.
"Do you recognize this chest in front of you?"
Zhang Kun's heart sank, and he quickly denied it, "I don't recognize it. I've never seen it."
"But this chest was dug up from the backyard of your mansion. Are you sure you don't recognize it?"
Ling Mohan's tone was light, but it carried an unspoken pressure.
"I... I..." Zhang Kun was nervous, his lips trembling slightly, and he couldn't offer any defense.
"I already warned you not to have any crooked thoughts, but you insisted on doing this. Now that things have come to this, I can't protect you anymore!"
Fan Shun, worried that Zhang Kun might accidentally reveal other matters, stepped forward quickly and said, "I will take care of your elderly mother and your wife and children for you!"
Zhang Kun's face instantly turned pale. He looked at Fan Shun in disbelief, his heart burning with anger. However, remembering his elderly mother and wife and children, he finally chose to surrender.
Before Ling Mohan could interrogate him, he confessed all his wrongdoings.
The matter proceeding so smoothly left Ling Mohan somewhat at a loss. It had all developed too quickly; he had a stomach full of strategies but no way to implement them.
Fortunately, Lu Shi cooperated perfectly and continued, "Young General, your subordinate has checked. Half of this gold is fake; it's all copper inside, just coated with gold powder."
"Bang!"
Ling Mohan slammed the cup in his hand onto the ground with a loud crash, shattering it into pieces.
"Zhang Kun, I intended to spare your life for your honest confession and cooperation, but I never expected you to resort to deception. You truly deserve to die!"
"General Ling, little one truly did not. I kept these gold and silver in the chest after stealing them and never opened it. It's absolutely impossible that I swapped them."
Zhang Kun explained urgently. After stealing these things, he had been apprehensive, how could he dare to steal and swap them? He didn't know why the gold inside had turned out to be fake.
"Stubborn mouth. Lu Shi, go and re-inventory the gold and silver in the dowry. I want to see exactly what is missing from this dowry chest, and how many thieves there are in Yuncheng!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Lu Shi cupped his hands in assent and then looked at the people beside him, "You few, come with me to inventory."
Although it was a staged play, Lu Shi was very dedicated, checking meticulously, not missing any corner.
After a long pause, Lu Shi re-entered, and the attendants carried two large chests.
"Reporting to the Young General, your subordinate has completed the inspection, and the numbers are exactly as per the gift list."
Hearing this, Fan Shun finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, nothing was missing.
"However... your subordinate was concerned about the possibility of fake gold. During the inspection, I specifically had goldsmiths brought in. After examination, a total of two chests of fake gold were found, all of which were in different boxes."
Lu Shi's words were like a lifeline to Zhang Kun, who immediately said, "General Ling, General Ling, you've also seen that the gold here is fake. I absolutely did not... did not swap the gold, absolutely not..."
"Has Baili Xuan arrived?"
"Reporting to the Young General, Baili Xuan has reached the city gate."
"Have all those dowries carried over to Baili Xuan."
"Yes, Young General."
Lu Shi cupped his hands in assent and busied himself with having the dowries carried over.
Baili Xuan waited at the city gate for nearly an hour before people finally arrived.
"What is the meaning of this?" Baili Xuan looked at the dowry chests before him, bewildered. "Your Dong Chu accepted the dowry, and now you're returning it? Are you not taking me, Xi Liang, seriously?"
"I want to ask you Xi Liang people, your skill at passing off fakes as genuine is truly outstanding."
Ling Mohan gestured behind him, and the people behind him carried out those two chests.
"This is the dowry from your Xi Liang, made of brass coated with gold powder, passed off as gold!"
Baili Xuan's brow furrowed deeply, his face filled with confusion. He had never been aware of these matters.
After a pause, Baili Xuan questioned Ling Mohan, "This dowry belongs to the princess of our Xi Liang. How can you presume to open it without authorization?"
"It is indeed the dowry of your Xi Liang princess. However, this alliance is a matter of state, concerning the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Your Xi Liang's deception with the dowry is an insult to our Dong Chu that cannot be tolerated. Guards, return the dowry."
"Yes, Young General!"
"Ling Mohan, you!"
Baili Xuan gritted his teeth and pointed at Ling Mohan, his chest burning with a fiery rage.