Chapter 213: The Wind Rises (Part 1)

The next day.

Vice Minister Yu, his eyes bloodshot from a sleepless night, was utterly distracted and absent-minded throughout the entire grand court assembly.

As soon as the assembly adjourned, he eagerly sought out Minister Geng Hetong of the Ministry of Justice and reported the results of his overnight investigation.

The trail was not hard to follow.

With the dates and locations in the account book fully documented, one only needed to search the case files using keywords and phrases.

Vice Minister Yu even found the signature Rao Gaoming had left when he confessed and affixed his seal, and upon comparing it with the handwriting in the account book, they were a perfect match.

The case file for the Huangzhou counterfeit treasure case clearly recorded: the offender, Rao Gaoming, had passed off fakes as genuine, having sold ten paintings to the government, five of which were forgeries—an act of fraud. The sentence was one hundred lashes with the cane and exile to a place three thousand li away.

Appended to the case file was a list of the five forged paintings, which matched exactly the authentication certificates tucked inside the old account book.

Moreover, the five fake paintings Huangzhou had sent as "evidence" were stored in the archives alongside other exhibits.

Vice Minister Yu had also retrieved and examined them closely.

The paintings were utterly crude and shoddy in quality, as if someone had spent a few scraps of silver to hire a third-rate painter to dash off copies in a hurry.

Forging paintings was far harder than counterfeiting gold, jade, or jewelry.

Looking only at the Huangzhou case file in isolation, Vice Minister Yu might have concluded that the Huangzhou authorities had set a tight deadline for the tribute gifts, pressing the merchants so hard that, unable to procure genuine items, they resorted to such disgraceful measures.

But this Merchant Rao clearly had the genuine pieces in his possession.

One must understand that these gifts were wedding tributes presented by officials from various regions to the Crown Prince of that time—who was now the reigning emperor.

Knowing full well the stakes, and with genuine pieces in hand, what audacity—what sheer nerve—did Rao Gaoming have to pass off such crude imitations as genuine?

...

As he listened to Vice Minister Yu's report, Minister Geng's brow furrowed deeply.

As a seasoned old hand at bureaucratic maneuvering, he saw far deeper implications than Vice Minister Yu did.

This was ancient history from eight hundred years ago—who in their right mind would want to dig this up now?

The official who had handled the Huangzhou counterfeit treasure case back then was Zhang Yue—now the Minister of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

He had risen to the third rank and never advanced further in all these years, which suggested limited ability. Taking him down would not be difficult.

But on deeper reflection, this case was a tangled web.

First, it was connected to the current emperor himself.

After all, the prefectures across the realm had scoured for treasures specifically for his wedding.

Second, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices oversaw multiple departments, including the Imperial Observatory, which was dedicated to astronomy.

Sixth Prince Xiang Zhijie had always been fond of astronomy, divination, and the study of yin-yang and the eight trigrams, and was quite familiar with the people at the Imperial Observatory.

...Who could say whether Zhang Yue wasn't aligned with the Sixth Prince's faction?

The more Minister Geng thought about it, the more his head throbbed. He decided to wash his hands of the whole affair, saying, "Xiaoyuan, with the metropolitan examinations coming up, I have other matters to attend to. I'll leave this case in your hands for now. An old account book and a few old receipts don't constitute conclusive evidence. Give it some thought."

Believing he had hinted enough, he flicked his sleeves and hurried off.

He needed to tip off Zhang Yue.

With the examinations imminent, the last thing anyone needed was another storm brewing.

Vice Minister Yu stood there dumbfounded for a long moment, then, with a crestfallen expression, clasped his hands toward the retreating figure and said, "Yes."

Alas, with an old case like this, finding evidence would be no easy task.

Having completely missed Minister Geng's implication, Vice Minister Yu picked up two jars of tea leaves and, with a heavy sigh, went to see Zhang Yuanye.

However, the Zhang residence had another visitor today.

When Vice Minister Yu was ushered in, a man was already seated across from Zhang Yuanye, holding a cup of the fragrant tea Vice Minister Yu had delivered the night before, deep in conversation with his host.

The two exchanged greetings and names, and Vice Minister Yu couldn't help but smile.

Zhang Yuanye chuckled as well: "Speak of the devil—we were just talking about you last night, and here you are today."

Zheng Miao, seated across from them, raised an eyebrow slightly.

According to the regulations for reviewing and rotating officials, every three years, the governors, provincial judges, and provincial governors from across the realm were required to come to the capital to report on their duties.

This round of reports was scheduled for after the metropolitan examinations.

Zhang Yuanye: "Speaking of which, why did you come rushing over so early?"

Zheng Miao said, "One of my subordinates insisted I deliver something to a candidate in this year's exams. He said he'd acquired a consecrated amulet, and that it was extremely efficacious—hang it on the door, and no evil spirits would dare come near."

Zhang Yuanye teased, "What kind of subordinate dares to order you around like that? Sounds more like your boss."

Zheng Miao replied without batting an eye: "It's the one who looks just like Le Wuya."

Zhang Yuanye choked on his tea, coughing: "..."

Wiping the table, Zhang Yuanye grumbled, "You really don't mince words, do you?"

"Hold back what?" Zheng Miao said frankly. "He's dead. Let me mention him a few times—it won't cost him anything."

Zhang Yuanye stole a glance at Vice Minister Yu, worried he might notice and spread rumors, but saw the man staring blankly ahead, seemingly lost in thought. He quickly tried to change the subject: "Xiaoyuan, you look unwell. Did something go wrong with that case from last night?"

In Vice Minister Yu's view, this case couldn't be handled by the Ministry of Justice alone—it would likely escalate to a joint review by the Three Judicial Offices.

Since the Grand Court of Revision would eventually find out anyway, it was better to share information in advance.

So he laid out everything he had uncovered so far for Zhang Yuanye.

Zheng Miao quietly sipped his tea, saying nothing.

As Vice Minister Yu presented his deductions, Zhang Yuanye's brow furrowed more and more.

Unlike Vice Minister Yu, who was practical-minded and somewhat blunt, Zhang Yuanye keenly sensed the complex political entanglements lurking beneath the surface.

Finally, Vice Minister Yu sighed and said, "Minister Geng is right—even if this account book truly relates to the old Huangzhou counterfeit treasure case, a single piece of evidence can't stand alone, and overturning the verdict would be extremely difficult. ...However, this case has far-reaching consequences. How many Huangzhou merchants saw their families ruined and torn apart because of it? As ministers serving the Son of Heaven, if we cannot investigate to the very bottom, wouldn't we be failing in our duties while enjoying our salaries? Moreover, His Majesty is wise and discerning—how could he tolerate such treacherous villains at his side, deceiving him for so long?"

Zhang Yuanye was speechless: "..."

Vice Minister Yu was so guileless that he likely believed the only one deceiving the court was Zhang Yue himself, while the emperor was, of course, perfectly wise—merely temporarily deceived by petty men. Once the truth came to light, he would surely punish the wicked, clear the air, and see justice done for the innocent.

Among these intricacies, he found it difficult to explain, so he simply deflected: "Brother Sanshui, what do you think?"

Zheng Miao glanced at him sidelong and said calmly, "Simple."

Vice Minister Yu perked up: "How so?"

Zhang Yuanye: ...?!

Ancestor, you actually said that?!

Zheng Miao ignored Zhang Yuanye's frantic eye signals and said flatly, "Suppose Taichang Zhang really did frame the merchants for forgery—what would he stand to gain? Just a promotion? He'd have to skim some for himself, wouldn't he?"

Vice Minister Yu raised an eyebrow and lamented, "But so many years have passed—no matter how much silver and treasure, spending it bit by bit, he should have almost used it all up by now..."

At that, his voice trailed off, and he suddenly grew excited, getting up and pacing the room: "Exactly! Exactly! Lord Zheng makes sense!"

The "forged paintings" were confiscated by the authorities—so where had the real ones gone?

The five forged paintings involved were all renowned masterpieces.

According to the case files, the government paid a whopping three thousand taels for these five forgeries.

But Vice Minister Yu knew in his heart that this price must have been negotiated down.

At market price, each could easily fetch a thousand taels or more!

If the real originals existed, Zhang Yue must have kept them for himself!

As a result, these five high-value paintings had become five hot potatoes—too valuable to throw away, yet too risky to sell.

Selling them? Their value was just too high; any reputable dealer would be extremely cautious, demanding to know their provenance.

Selling them cheaply to a run-of-the-mill shop would be both embarrassing and a financial loss.

Even if he steeled himself and sold them at a price, he'd risk someone following the trail and catching him red-handed—Zhang Yue himself had risen by riding the Crown Prince's coattails, lacking real ability, and naturally attracted plenty of jealous rivals, all eager to see him make a mistake and bring him down.

So, to be completely safe, Zhang Yue had probably kept the paintings!

After all, as long as they were well preserved, the older the paintings, the more valuable they'd become.

Passed down as family heirlooms, there would eventually come a day when they could be laundered clean.

After a brief burst of excitement, Vice Minister Yu thought of a key problem, and his face fell: "What if he's already given them to relatives to sell, or simply burned them all to be done with it?"

"Then there's nothing we can do," Zheng Miao said bluntly. "If he truly has the guts to give up the wealth for safety, then it's just his fate to dodge this disaster."

Vice Minister Yu gritted his teeth: "How do we check?"

Zheng Miao said nothing.

He looked down and saw Zhang Yuanye pressing his knee on Zheng Miao's robe, signaling him not to get too involved.

But Zheng Miao slowly tugged his robe free, leaned over to Vice Minister Yu's ear, and whispered.

Zheng Miao's expression was so calm that no one could have guessed the turmoil inside him.

...

Days earlier, that Wen Ren Ming Ke had snuck back to the Provincial Surveillance Commission just before Zheng Miao was to prepare his report.

This time, surprisingly, he'd shown some manners—he'd brought a gift.

But the moment he opened his mouth, it was the same rude nonsense as always: "Hey, Lord Zheng, could you head to the capital a few days early?"

Zheng Miao gave him a look: "For what?"

The guy's eyes lit up: "Help me deliver something."

Zheng Miao: "No. I'm not your errand boy."

"Please, I'm begging you." The man shamelessly softened his voice, "And it won't be for free—I'll treat you to a good show, how about that?"

Zheng Miao's curiosity was piqued, and he took the amulet the man handed him, twirling it in his hand: "What show?"

"Smoking the snake out of its hole." Wen Ren Ming Ke spoke softly, sounding like a thoroughly sly, mischievous young man, "But this show needs someone to kick it off—if no one starts it, there's no show. So it's up to you to play it by ear, keeping a close eye on the capital's movements, especially the Ministry of Justice. Once someone makes the first move, you can make yours."

"...You might as well be clearer."

"Saying it outright would spoil the fun," he said. "In the capital's southern district, at Fujin Pawnshop on Guaizi Alley, there are five scrolls stored in five blue brocade boxes with circular patterns. Have Captain Wang go a few days early and keep a close watch on the pawnshop—someone will come to pick them up. When they do, have your men grab them."

"...You want me to commit robbery in the capital?"

"Yes."

"Have Wang Cheng, in the capital right before the imperial exams, commit robbery?"

"Yes."

Zheng Miao let out a long sigh: "What's so important about those boxes?"

"A matter of life or death."

"Whose life?"

"The lives of the common people."

Zheng Miao stared at the man before him, and after a long moment, he calmed his nearly ragged breathing: "You're in Tongzhou—how do you know what's going on in the capital? And how do you know that person will come to pick up the items?"

The man flashed a sly, fox-like grin and shook his head as he said, "Haven't you heard of strategizing in the tent and winning battles a thousand miles away?"

Zheng Miao: "..." Arrogant.

But with things as they were, he had no choice but to believe him.