gnovel Chapter 24 Arresting People
Chapter 24 Arresting People
Qian Yanxiu, who was watching the play, suddenly heard Shen Ce ask a question. His head went blank, his legs went weak, and he swayed slightly. After a long while, he stammered, "This humble official... does not know."
"Another one who won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin. I hope Imperial Censor Wen can enlighten everyone, so that they won't say that I executed him without warning." Shen Ce turned around, went to meet Wen Wuyin, and pulled him into the middle of the crowd.
Without a word, the four judges from the Dali Temple could no longer contain themselves and rushed towards Qian Yanxiu from four directions. The judge on the left raised his sword and struck at the bend of Qian's calf, while the judge in front pulled out an iron ruler and stabbed it into Qian's abdomen. The judge on the right pushed with his elbow and then untied an iron chain from his waist, looped it around Qian's neck, and locked his arms. In less than a breath, the arrest was complete.
Looking at the four people's coordination, Shen Ce clicked his tongue. It seemed that Yuchi Gong's personal guards had held back a few days ago.
Wen Wuyin held up Ding San's testimony and announced loudly to everyone present: "Last night, our Dali Temple received a report from the Crown Prince's guards that a clerk in the Crown Prince's residence had privately opened secret documents and informed others."
"Our Dali Temple has always upheld the law and dared not delay. We arrested the clerk Ding San at his home overnight. During the search, we found more than 300 strings of cash."
"During the questioning, Ding San accused Qian Yanxiu, the head of the Imperial Household Department, of being the mastermind behind it all."
"This morning, after the offending official went on duty, our Dali Temple searched his home and found one yi of gold, seventy taels of silver, and more than three hundred strings of cash."
"Furthermore, his wife secretly kept account books, and the amounts recorded therein were consistent with those found during the search of their home."
Shen Ce stepped forward, grabbed Qian Yanxiu's hair, and pulled his neck out to its maximum length: "Do you plead guilty?"
At this moment, Qian Yanxiu was heartbroken. He slumped down, letting the chains carry him without resisting. The account books found in the house were undeniable. "Foolish woman, silly woman, you're trying to kill me!" Qian Yanxiu screamed inwardly.
Suddenly, Qian Yanxiu exerted force with his feet and rammed into the direction where Shen Ce was. The two questioners grabbed the iron chains and pulled hard, the iron chains making a cracking sound. Qian Yanxiu ignored it and did not care about the deep bloodstains on his wrists.
"Shen Ce, do you suspect Wan Jigang? Why are you approaching me?"
Shen Ce smiled knowingly, walked up to him, and used the scabbard to support his chin: "Too clever by half."
"Yesterday in court I said that I would find one of you as a warning to others, and you behaved so uprightly and righteously that even I was almost fooled."
"Looking at Wan Lushi, he couldn't withstand intimidation. He started talking nonsense after just a few words. He's clearly not the kind of person who can accomplish great things."
Wan Lushi: "..."
"Just because of this?" Qian Yanxiu's face was contorted with rage.
Shen Ce laughed loudly: "Not entirely. Even someone as timid as Wan Lushi was able to calmly do arithmetic for two hours afterward. On the other hand, you were restless. You were originally the best at arithmetic in the hall, but you couldn't sit still for a moment."
If I don't suspect you, who else would I suspect?
"Haha, no regrets about losing," Qian Yanxiu said, giving up the struggle and letting Wen Shi escort him away.
Wan Lushi, who had seemingly watched the show long enough, noticed that everyone from the Dali Temple was attending to Qian Yanxiu and ignoring him. He mustered his courage and stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, and asked, "May I ask, Registrar Shen, what was found in my home?"
Having shown off his power, Shen Ce put away his smile, straightened his robes, and said apologetically, "I was just telling that thief what I was saying. I saw that when I asked questions, I only called on Steward Qian, so I knew that nothing was found in your house."
"Without any evidence or documentation, you dared to search the residence of a high-ranking official! How disrespectful!" Wan Jigang trembled violently, pointing at Shen Ce: "I will impeach you."
Wen Wuyin behind him sneered, "Just two tiled houses. My four men can't even turn around inside. What kind of mansion is that..."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Shen Ce took out a scroll from his robes: "Here, take this as compensation, how about it?"
Wan Lushi stared at the book, his small eyes darting up and down as if weighing the options. After a moment's hesitation, he reached out and took it.
Upon turning to the label, which read "Qimen Divination," he was immediately horrified. In front of everyone, he untied the rope, held one end of the scroll in one hand, and slowly unrolled it to the right with the other.
等差
Now there are items arranged in rows, and each item is added to or subtracted from the previous one, with the difference being equal.
The method is as follows: take the first number and the last number, combine them and halve them, then multiply by the number of terms to get the total.
If the initial value is 47, it increases by 7 each time, for a total of six times...
At that time, mathematics was still a profound subject, rarely seen by ordinary people. Most books on it were kept on high shelves, a closely guarded secret of aristocratic families and wealthy households. But this subject was different. If taught to the youngest son in the family, he could learn it from a young age, and it would not be difficult for him to enter the Imperial Academy to study mathematics later.
Upon seeing this, Wan Lushi had already put the matter of confiscating the house out of his mind. He quickly closed the scroll, tied it up, and stuffed it into his bosom. His family didn't have much money or grain to begin with, so they wouldn't be able to find much. Even if they ransacked the place, he could clean it all up in half an hour.
"Excellent, excellent, then there's no going back!" Without waiting for Shen Ce's reply, he turned and went into the side room, slamming the door shut.
Wen Wuyin was in a great mood. He had arrested the minor official overnight. The official not only implicated Qian, but also many merchants and low-ranking officials. It would be inappropriate for him to handle such a big case alone. He needed to find an accomplice. Seeing that the matter was settled, he decided to take his leave.
"Registrar Shen, thank you for your help these past two days. The person has just been captured, and there are many things to deal with. I have other important matters to attend to, so I will not bother you any longer."
Upon hearing this, Shen Ce turned to return the greeting and said, "Then I congratulate Imperial Censor Wen in advance. It would be best if you could add my name to the closing document in the future."
The previous unrest in the Prince's residence could not have been caused by a mere minor official. If too much is involved, the censor will be at fault, and the matter will end without any resolution. Wouldn't that be a waste of all his efforts?
However, Wen Wuyin was the eldest son of Wen Daya, the Minister of Works of the Shaanxi East Circuit. He came from a family of eunuchs, with three members holding high positions. As the eldest son of the family, he naturally needed to make contributions, and this matter was most suitable for him.
"This is inevitable. In my opinion, Registrar Shen deserves the most credit."
"No, this is a family scandal. If I take the credit, what will my colleagues think of me?"
As the two were exchanging pleasantries, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard. Looking towards the source of the sound, they saw a eunuch in green robes entering through a small gate. He looked around, and seeing the two men in official robes, he stepped forward and eagerly asked, "May I ask, which one of you is Shen Ce, the Registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"
Upon seeing that it was a eunuch seeking him, Shen Ce quickly replied, "This is I. May I ask what brings you here?"
Seeing that he had found the person, the eunuch breathed a sigh of relief, cleared his throat, and said, "Relay the Crown Prince's oral decree, summoning Shen Ce to an audience immediately."