"Alright, then I'll wait here for your good news!"
"That..."
Wang Tie Zhu, speaking as he was, cast another glance at the gold ingots around him.
"It was meant for you originally. Take it and put it away properly. But I have a prior agreement: no using it for drinking and visiting courtesans! Times are tough, there's war everywhere, and it'll likely take a year or two to recover!"
"Sir, you can rest assured, I understand!"
After tucking the gold ingot into his embrace, Wang Tie Zhu quickly cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Shao You and turned to hurry back towards the yamen.
"Is this fellow reliable?"
Only after Wang Tie Zhu had walked far away did Yuan Xing Chi, sitting in a nearby corner, lift his wine cup and sit directly opposite Zhang Shao You.
"Please rest assured, sir. Although this fellow may not seem dependable, he is an honest person, and extremely filial. He has an elderly mother and young children at home, so controlling him is far too easy!"
"It's good that you are confident, sir!"
Since Zhang Shao You had already said so, Yuan Xing Chi did not press further. After bowing to him, he turned and walked out of the tavern.
The necessary arrangements had been thoroughly made, and the bait had been cast. Now, all that was left was to wait for the big fish to take the hook.
——————————————————————
After leaving the Kaifeng Prefecture, Yang Cheng Chou only returned home for a brief moment before quietly taking a carriage from the back door and traveling to Cai Jing's residence.
"Yue Shan, you've worked hard this time. What exactly is going on in Meng Prefecture, do you have a clear understanding?"
Looking at Yang Cheng Chou, covered in dust, even Cai Tao, who was usually arrogant, spoke with a bit more gentleness.
"These are the letters I copied from that fellow's study. The scholar will know everything upon reading them!"
As Yang Cheng Chou spoke, he reached into his sleeve and produced several sheets of paper, placing them directly before Cai Tao.
"What is this fellow trying to do? How did he get his hands on this stuff?"
Upon merely glancing at the contents of the letters, Cai Tao's expression drastically changed.
These few letters clearly detailed almost all the accounts of both their Cai family and the Pu family, to the point where they were practically comparable to their own ledgers.
If this fell into the emperor's hands, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves even if they had a thousand mouths.
"Scholar, now is not the time to dwell on these matters. The key is that they are watching this issue very closely. I believe that by tomorrow evening at the latest, the Kaifeng Prefecture will have completed the collation of all the evidence! For now, Scholar, you must quickly think about how to resolve this!"
When Yang Cheng Chou first saw these letters, he was himself startled by the numbers.
He had always known that the Cai family was as rich as a nation, but he had never imagined they could be this wealthy.
Since Emperor Huizong ascended the throne, the most prosperous year for the entire Song Dynasty had a total revenue of no more than fifty-eight million strings of cash. Yet, the Cai family alone had swallowed twenty-four million strings of copper coins in this single instance!
Considering the current situation, if the now impoverished emperor saw these letters, even with the deepest friendship between him and Cai Jing, he would likely raise his sword against them!
"Alright, you go back now and, no matter what, delay this matter for another day!"
After gritting his teeth, Cai Tao spoke again.
"That might be a bit difficult. I can only try my best, after all, my position..."
Yang Cheng Chou said this with a troubled expression.
After all, according to the normal judicial process, the case should first go to the Investigating Judge, who would be responsible for organizing the entire case and thoroughly examining it.
Only after the investigation was completed could he, the Judge, decide on the sentencing.
Once he had completed all the sentencing work, the final step would be to hand it over to the Acting Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, which was currently Du Chong, the Deputy Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture.
After he completed the final confirmation procedures, it would be reported to the Ministry of Justice for a third review.
He was currently a Judge in the Kaifeng Prefecture. For ordinary cases, he might still have some room to maneuver.
But this was an imperial case, an instance where the emperor had personally designated Du Chong to preside over it!
In such a case, it would be extremely difficult to tamper with the evidence.
"At least one day is needed, otherwise, there won't even be enough time to pass on the message!"
Although Cai Tao knew he was indeed in a difficult position, at this critical juncture, it concerned Cai Jing's very survival.
If Cai Jing were to fall, their Cai family would truly be scattered like birds and beasts.
He did not want the influence he had painstakingly gathered to be so easily handed over to his elder brother.
"I understand!"
With a bitter smile, Yang Cheng Chou could only walk out with a heavy heart.
"Father, that matter can probably no longer be hidden!"
After seeing Yang Cheng Chou off, a troubled Cai Tao could only go to Cai Jing to discuss the matter again.
Although Cai Jing was now deaf and blind, in matters like this, Cai Tao could only trust his father's judgment.
"Have you ever thought about how Huang Qian Shan came to know about this matter?"
After a moment of silence, Cai Jing slowly said.
"Does that even need to be said? It's either the Qian family or some other family! Anyone else certainly wouldn't dare to play these games with us!"
Cai Tao's eyes were filled with ferocity as he said this.
"You're thinking about this too simply! I actually feel now that the Qian family probably has nothing to do with this matter."
Cai Jing frowned slightly as he carefully chose his words.
"Is this very important?"
Cai Tao looked at his father with some confusion.
"Huang Qian Shan is already in Kaifeng Prefecture, yet he hasn't even had anyone greet him up to this point. Don't you think this matter is suspicious? Throughout the entire court, up to now, not a single person has spoken on his behalf, not even Wang Fu, who hasn't made a statement at this time. Haven't you noticed anything?"
"You mean, Wang Fu doesn't even know about this matter he's handling?"
Cai Tao suddenly realized. Thinking about it this way, it did seem rather peculiar.
After all, he was a Prefect of a state!
"If I'm not mistaken, this fellow Huang Qian Shan must have already defected to someone else! That's why he offended Wang Fu!"
"Could such a thing happen?"
Cai Tao's eyes widened. In the current court, besides his good elder brother, it seemed there was only Wang Fu left. This old fellow was originally Cai You's subordinate, but later, for some reason, he switched allegiance to Wang Fu.
If he were to defect from Wang Fu now, wouldn't that make him a slave to three masters?