Chapter 114: One Hundred Thousand Taels of Gold

Inside the Yangzhou Governor’s Office, Wei Tao was sitting at his desk handling official matters. He seemed distracted. That morning, he had received a hurried letter from Prince Di, his son-in-law. Although the letter did not blame him for matters in Yangzhou, there was an underlying tone of dissatisfaction toward him.

Wei Tao was in a terrible mood. He had never approved of using such despicable tactics as assassination. Last time, under Prince Di’s insistence, he sent Colonel Luo to deal with Li Qing’an, but it failed. Now, Prince Di was blaming him for his incompetence, which really angered him.

“Bang!” Wei Tao threw his pen down angrily. With a gloomy expression, he paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. After a while, his anger subsided slightly. Glancing at the pen on the floor, he shook his head and picked it up.

At that moment, a report came from the door. “Chief Wei, I have important news to report.”

“Come in!”

Wei Tao sat back down. The door opened, and Colonel Luo Wu stepped in quickly. He bowed and said, “Saluting Chief Wei!”

“Speak! What important news is it?”

Luo Wu closed the door and lowered his voice. “Chief Wei, I have a distant relative who works at Prince Qing’s residence. He came to my house last night and told me that Prince Qing has lost one hundred thousand taels of gold. Prince Qing’s advisor, Yan Kai, is searching everywhere, near Yangzhou. Chief Wei, what do you think we should do…”

Wei Tao sneered and asked, “What does your relative do at Prince Qing’s residence?”

“He is the head of the kitchen.”

“Hmph! Can a mere kitchen supervisor know about one hundred thousand taels of gold? Colonel Luo, you’ve been used.”

Colonel Luo was stunned. “Are you saying it was Yan Kai’s plan?”

“Of course! Li Qiu escorted over a hundred ships full of treasures north, taking most of Prince Qing’s warriors from the Jianghuai region. With insufficient men, Yan Kai wanted to use me to help him search. Does he really think I can’t see through his scheme?”

“But why can’t we play along with his plan?”

Wei Tao thought for a moment. That made sense. If he could get those one hundred thousand taels of gold, he could also deal with Prince Di.

“Hmm! You’re right. Alright! Leave this task to you. Remember, no one must suspect that we were behind the last assassination attempt.”

“I understand. I’ll go right away!”

Colonel Luo left in a hurry. Wei Tao picked up his pen again. “One hundred thousand taels of gold,” he murmured to himself, his eyes gradually lighting up.

The spring rain fell steadily, with droplets as fine as needle tips. The entire Jianghuai Plain was shrouded in a misty haze. In Jiangdu’s southern market, He Yanming, Li Qing’an’s trusted man, along with two of his subordinates, was scanning the surroundings. “Keep your eyes wide open—don’t stare at women. Hurry up and find a bronzeware shop,” he ordered. Yet his gaze secretly drifted toward a beautiful Hu girl attracting customers at the tavern entrance. Unable to resist, he added, “My leg was injured in the last battle against the Small Bulei. It hurts whenever it rains. I need to rest. You go find the bronzeware shop and call me when you find it.” The two soldiers disdained him but had no choice but to leave. As soon as they were out of sight, He Yanming rushed to the tavern, smiling broadly. “Little beauty, I’m here.” “Oh! The military officer has arrived. Please come in quickly.” The wine-selling Hu girl affectionately took his arm and led him into the tavern. “Would you like some Gaochang wine?” He Yanming pinched her face and laughed, “As long as you accompany me, I can drink as much as I want.” The tavern was soon filled with the Hu girl’s bell-like laughter. “You’re such a scoundrel, flirting with someone like this!” He Yanming had just sat down and hadn’t even ordered food or drink when his two subordinates returned. “Captain, the bronzeware shop is right next to the tavern.” He Yanming was stunned for a moment before shouting in annoyance, “Damn it! If you wanted to drink, just say so! Hey! Bring in two more beauties. I’ll reward you generously for making me happy.” The two soldiers grinned and sat down as well. “Working for the captain is great—there’s wine to drink and Hu girls to keep us company.” After drinking for half an hour, He Yanming paid for the wine and gave them tips. Satisfied, he went to the bronzeware shop next door. It was a large store filled with various bronze items. Since copper was used to make coins, the prices were relatively high. Ordinary household items like bronze mirrors and basins, weighing eight or nine jin each, cost as much as one guan. Artistic bronze items such as Buddha statues, copper flowers, and trees were even more expensive. As He Yanming entered the shop, a clerk approached and asked, “Sir, are you looking to buy bronzeware?” He Yanming raised his chin arrogantly and said, “I need a large quantity. Do you have it?” “Yes! Yes! Our owner owns three bronzeware shops. We have hundreds of items here, and even more in the warehouse. You can have whatever you want.” He Yanming raised one finger. “I want a thousand pieces. I need them today.” “A thousand pieces!” The clerk’s eyes widened. He immediately turned around and shouted, “Boss, we have a big customer!”

A middle-aged man ran out. His companion whispered a few words in his ear. The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up, and he immediately bent down with a smile, saying, “General, please come in.” The shopkeeper invited He Yanming into the back room and had tea brought in before asking, “I wonder what kind of bronze wares the general needs—one thousand pieces in total. They don’t need to be too large. Four hundred of them should be for use in temples, to be delivered to the places I specify.” He Yanming took out a piece of paper and handed it to the shopkeeper, saying, “It’s these two places. Someone will come to pick up the goods, and payment will be made on the spot.” “Understood! I’ll get started right away. But transporting one thousand pieces of bronze ware will require more than a dozen ships, and the shipping cost will be high. Could the general pay me an advance?” “No problem!” He Yanming took out two silver ingots from his bag and placed them on the table, saying, “This is one hundred taels of silver, enough to cover the shipping cost. Also, I don’t want you to transport the goods during the day; set off tonight.” The shopkeeper took the silver with a beaming smile, saying, “No problem! I’ll get ready right away!” …… These days, the situation in Yangzhou has been quite peaceful. Du Bosheng and the stolen money and goods had already set off two days ago, escorted personally by the governor Lu Huan to the capital. However, discussions among the people about the salt scandal were intensifying, with various theories emerging. Among them, the most talked-about was the wealth of the Du family. The Du family had been selling smuggled salt for at least five years, and no one knew exactly how much huge profits they had made. But one theory that many people believed was that not all of the Du family’s wealth had been discovered. Inside the Prince Qing’s private residence, Yan Kai sat in the room, carefully examining pieces of intelligence that had been sent during the peak of the salt scandal. Now, they were all worthless, but Yan Kai still hoped to find some clue related to the hundred thousand taels of gold. With few people at his disposal, he couldn’t launch a full-scale investigation. Yan Kai picked up a report on Du Liangshan and fell into deep thought. It was written by one of his subordinates after interrogating several bandits from Du Liangshan. That night, the third son of the Du family was transporting valuables to board a ship at the inspection post in Xuyi County, but he was ambushed by Li Qingan, and all of the Du family’s goods were seized. The report mentioned hundreds of iron boxes, but among the goods Li Qiu stole from the prefectural warehouse, there were no iron boxes—only wooden ones. Could the problem lie here?

Yan Kai frantically searched through a pile of documents and found the list that Li Qingan had given to Li Qiu. At the bottom of the list was a line of text: “The battle that night was fierce; some items sank into the river.” This matched exactly with the reports they had received earlier. There were 120 boats at the Xuyi inspection office, but after the intense battle that night, only 116 boats remained—four missing.

Discovering this clue, Yan Kai trembled with excitement. He stood up and shouted, “Someone!” A servant entered and asked, “Is there something you need, sir?” “Prepare a horse for me immediately—I must set off right away.”

Fifteen minutes later, Yan Kai led a group of servants on horseback toward the north of Jiangdu City. About an hour later, another group of twenty-odd people, led by Colonel Luo Wu, quietly followed behind them.

…

In the military camp, Li Qingan was receiving an important guest—a man from the capital, Chen Zhong, the personal bodyguard chief of Li Linfu. “The prime minister’s orders are that Du Boseng must not enter the capital; he must be dealt with along the way. I’ve been sent here to ask you to send men to assist me.” After reading Li Linfu’s order, Li Qingan replied, “Since it’s the prime minister’s order, I must obey. Please wait a moment; I’ll arrange it right away!” He went out and spoke with Li Fei Shouyu. Li Fei Shouyu was surprised and immediately became excited. “That’s perfect! If we get rid of Du Boseng, no one will ever know about those 100,000 taels of gold.” “I thought the same. This is a good opportunity to eliminate this threat. Take a dozen men to assist Chen Zhong.” “I understand. I’ll go right away.” “Wait!” Li Qingan called him back. “How’s the situation in Xuyi County?” “Don’t worry! With Cui Ping’s help, we’ve made all the arrangements. Everything will be seamless.” Li Qingan nodded. He had just received news that Yan Kai and Colonel Luo from the Grand Commandery had headed north. If he wasn’t mistaken, they were going to Xuyi County.

After arranging everything, Li Qingan sighed in relief. He looked up at the light drizzle—it was already afternoon. He immediately ordered, “Prepare a horse for me!” Li Qingan mounted his horse and rushed toward Gaoyou County with a few trusted followers.

…

Like Yangzhou, Xuyi County also had light rain these days, with rain falling nonstop from morning to night. There were few people on the roads, and the same was true for the rivers. Since the Du Boseng salt scandal had temporarily come to an end, the work at the inspection office had become much easier. They no longer inspected every boat. In the continuous rain, they preferred to stay indoors drinking and gambling. None of the dozen or so clerks wanted to go outside.

“Sir, it seems there are boats coming from outside,” said a clerk after seeing several small boats approaching the river. The official glanced over and kicked one of the clerks. “Qin San, go take a look!” “Why do I always get sent?” grumbling, Qin San got up and went outside. He went to the riverbank, shaded his eyes, and saw four boats with figures moving inside. “Hey! What are you guys doing?” “Are you blind? We’re from the Prince Qing’s mansion,” someone on the boat replied coldly. The clerk was startled and rushed back inside, shouting softly, “Sir, they say they’re from the Prince Qing’s mansion!” The official was puzzled—how could people from the Prince Qing’s mansion come here? At that moment, another clerk shouted, “Sir, look! There are more boats over there.” The official leaned out of the window and saw several small boats on the other side of the river, but they weren’t moving, as if waiting for something. He inwardly feared the worst—something bad might happen tonight. “Everyone, listen to me! Slip out one by one. Run as far as you can—saving your lives is the most important thing.” After saying that, he himself rushed out through the back door and ran desperately into the darkness. The dozen clerks followed one after another, and soon they were all gone. On the river, Yan Kai watched the water nervously. The surface rippled as someone dived underwater. Suddenly, there was a splash, and a fisherman surfaced and said, “Sir, there are several sunken ships below, filled with iron boxes.” Yan Kai was overjoyed and ordered, “Hurry! Pull up a few of those iron boxes to take a look.” The fisherman dived back down with a rope, along with two other hired fishermen. They searched the bottom, and after a while, one fisherman surfaced and said, “It’s done. Pull the rope.” Yan Kai grabbed the rope and slowly pulled it up. His hands trembled with excitement. Gradually, an iron box was pulled up. Several attendants carried it onto the boat, wiped the water off, and one of them lit a torch and approached it. “Open it!” Yan Kai said shakily. With a click, the iron box was pried open. The attendants took out several small bronze Buddha statues. “Sir, they’re all bronze statues.” At that moment, another iron box was pulled up. When opened, it contained several bronze wooden fish. “Sir, these are also bronze items.” Yan Kai was stunned for a while. Suddenly, he remembered something, drew his dagger, and slashed heavily on one of the bronze Buddha statues, leaving a deep mark—still bronze inside. Yan Kai sat down helplessly. “What’s going on? Why are they all bronze?”

Suddenly, the attendant holding the torch let out a scream as an arrow pierced his chest and he fell into the water. The people around were stunned. Realizing what had happened, they all shouted, “Someone is attacking us!” Everyone lay down, and Yan Kai was also pushed to the ground on the boat. But after shooting an arrow, the attacker became silent. Yan Kai struggled to get up and looked in the direction of the arrow. In the darkness, several boats appeared, each carrying twenty or thirty people armed with crossbows. They were dressed in black and covered their faces. At the head was a tall officer. The faint light from the government building illuminated his face. Despite the black cloth covering his face, his triumphant smile could not be hidden. “Lieutenant Luo.” Yan Kai recognized him at once. He punched the boat hard and cursed under his breath, “Damn you, bastard!” “Sir, what should we do?” Unwillingly glancing at the copperware on the boat, Yan Kai ordered, “Hurry! Get away from here!” The fishermen in the water pushed their small boats, and slowly they left the river channel and headed toward the Huai River. Seeing them escape, Lieutenant Luo sneered and said, “This is what they call ‘the mantis catches the cicada while the oriole waits in the background’!” He waved his hand and ordered, “Dive down and retrieve all the boxes!” … Caijia Village in Gaoyou County is a small fishing village located on an island in the middle of Fanliang Lake. With thirty to fifty households, the villagers are simple and honest, living by fishing. There is no land route here, and access is only by boat. Due to its remote location, government officials rarely come to inspect it. About half a month ago, several small boats began to moor in a bay to the north of the village, loaded with goods. Dozens of soldiers guarded the shore, preventing anyone from approaching. The night before last, another dozen boats arrived, bringing a large amount of copperware, which was packed and piled up on the shore. That afternoon, a fleet of boats entered the bay of Caijia Village. The villagers were used to it and no one came to watch. Li Qing’an stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the several boats in the bay with a smile. Who would have thought that these boats were filled with the salt profits of Prince Qing over the years? At that moment, He Yanming on the shore waved his hands at the small boats, “General, this way! This way!” Li Qing’an’s fleet slowly approached the shore… About half an hour later, all the copperware was loaded onto the newly arrived boats, and the fleet left Caijia Village. The villagers watched the fleet go away, finally feeling relieved after half a month of anxiety.

On the ship, Li Qing’an handed the official document prepared by Du Gu Haoran to He Yanming, instructing him, “Yanming, this time you’re escorting the precious goods back to the capital. Be careful throughout the journey and don’t be the least bit careless.”
“General, rest assured! I know what I’m doing and won’t let anything go wrong.”
Li Qing’an nodded and added, “Also, if there’s an inspection, be firm in your attitude—don’t allow anyone on board.”
“Who would dare board? It’s clearly stated in the document—that this is a gift for Gao Lishi. Unless they’re desperate for power.”
The ship entered the Cao River, and Li Qing’an disembarked. Waving his hand, he said, “Good luck on your journey. I’ll be returning to the capital soon as well.”
“General, see you in the capital!”
Volume 4: Shi Bao City