Chapter 1016: A Mysterious Letter

Editor: Henyee Translations

The young woman was overjoyed as she walked towards the treasury, greed etched on her face. She quickly began to strip off her clothes to carry the gold bricks. If she could, she would undoubtedly empty the entire vault.

Who wouldn’t have the same thought? Chu Tang watched her silently, thinking that taking ten or so bricks would ensure a lifetime of wealth. However, the young woman was too greedy, grabbing a pile she couldn’t carry. As she struggled, the door to the study opened.

Chu Tang quietly sympathized with her. The one who returned was Wen Family’s head, who caught her red-handed.

The young woman turned pale and fainted in fright.

The Wen Family head’s face darkened as he closed the door and took a whip from the rack, mercilessly lashing at the young woman.

The whip fell repeatedly, waking the young woman who began to scream in pain.

Such sounds were not uncommon, and the Wen family showed no reaction.

Chu Tang, tired of the noise, stepped out of the shadows. “Stop hitting her. It’s just a bit of gold. Do you really need to beat her to death?”

His voice brought a sudden silence to the room.

The Wen Family head, recognizing Chu Tang, asked warily, “Chu Tang? Why are you in my study?”

Chu Tang sat behind the desk, waving his hand to cast a spell that ensured no sound would leave the room. He pointed at the young woman, and she immediately fainted again.

The Wen Family head, now trembling with fear, asked, “What do you want?”

Chu Tang, looking relaxed, replied, “Sit down. I just have a few questions. I don’t intend to harm you.”

Unable to resist, the Wen Family head sat down. “What do you want to know?”

Chu Tang got straight to the point. “Two questions. First, was your brother transporting military supplies? Second, where did the money from selling them go?”

Struggling, the Wen Family head admitted, “Yes, the money was sent to Lord Yun.”

Chu Tang leaned forward slightly. “To Xiasang Country?”

“Yes,” the Wen Family head confirmed.

So, the silver had been sent to Xiasang Country. Could it still be retrieved? Chu Tang continued, “Are you people from Xiasang Country?”

The Wen Family head, looking defeated, said, “Our ancestors were. We’ve lived in Shu City for many generations. Later, Lord Yun found us and forced us to follow his orders, threatening to expose our identity. We had no choice but to comply.”

A suspicion arose in Chu Tang’s mind. He squinted slightly and asked, “Are you one of Yun’s elders?”

The Wen Family head reluctantly replied, “I’m the second elder.”

So, the second elder was right in front of him. Chu Tang felt pleased. “Close the treasury door.”

The Wen Family head returned the gold bricks taken by the young woman and closed the door to the treasury, his mind racing with thoughts of impending doom.

Chu Tang took the young woman and the Wen Family head away, planning to move the gold bricks later and then release the young woman.

Back at Tao Mansion, Chu Tang quickly informed Tang Jinghong of the situation. He then instructed the people at the teahouse to find an opportunity to move the gold and to do it swiftly before others could transfer it.

The teahouse staff mobilized that very night, transporting over 8 million taels of gold, which took a long time to move.

Seeing such a large amount of gold, Tang Jinghong came personally to oversee the situation.

At the teahouse, Tang Jinghong was speechless upon seeing the full storeroom. How much public wealth had been plundered to amass so much gold? Besides this, there was also the silver sent to Lord Yun in Xiasang Country. It was unimaginable.

Tang Jinghong decided to use half of the gold to buy food and distribute it to the people around Shu City. The other half was sent to General Chen to pay the overdue soldiers’ salaries.

General Chen was moved to tears upon receiving the boxes of gold.

Had the matter of unpaid soldiers’ salaries reached the imperial court, he would have been guilty. Not only he, but his family would also suffer. Now, there was no need to fear; everything was settled, and he planned to impeach the eastern border King, already thinking of the charges. He requested Tang Jinghong’s help to submit the memorial, fearing it might be intercepted otherwise.

With the gold issue resolved, the case of the missing soldiers’ salaries was closed, and Tang Jinghong returned to the camp.

…

The hot summer season arrived.

Jiang Zhaoyong and Shang Zixing arrived in Shu City. Shang Zixing, skilled in tracking, quickly found Chu Tang.

On the second floor of the teahouse, Chu Tang sat by the railing, feeling the warm summer breeze and watching the bustling street below. He asked, “What brings you here?”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shang Zixing rubbed his nose and said, “We want to ask you about the ancient family.”

Over a month had passed before they came to him. They must have been desperate. Chu Tang sipped his tea. “Couldn’t you find any clues?”

“We found some, but not many. Whenever we found a clue, it was erased. We didn’t know what to do,” Shang Zixing explained, his voice growing quieter.

“Was it Lu Ziming?” Chu Tang guessed.

“With just the two of us, our power is limited,” Shang Zixing stammered. For some reason, despite being taller, he always felt lacking in presence in front of Chu Tang.

“Why didn’t you come to me sooner?” Chu Tang asked, looking at the two.

The question made them uncomfortable. Jiang Zhaoyong lowered his head slightly. “We heard some information about the ancient family on the way to see you, so we decided to check it out before coming to you. We didn’t expect it to take so long.”

Chu Tang didn’t say more and told them what he knew about the ancient family, then directed them to find Su Liangwei.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Su Liangwei and Duan Ting were secretly helping Chu Tang track down the ancient family. The information Chu Tang had came from them.

Jiang Zhaoyong and Shang Zixing thanked Chu Tang and left hurriedly with the information, heading to Su Liangwei’s city.

Chu Tang sent a letter to Su Liangwei, asking them to assist Jiang Zhaoyong, but to notify him immediately if they found the family’s location.

Su Liangwei replied, acknowledging the request.

…

“Chu Tang, the Xuan family sent a letter.” Zeng Huo handed a black, mysterious-looking letter to Chu Tang.

Chu Tang took the letter, examining it. The envelope was black with gold embossing. This family had money. He opened the letter, finding only one line: “August 1st, the new family head inauguration ceremony, all Xuan family members must return to attend.”

August 1st? That was ten days away.

Chu Tang handed the letter to Zeng Huo. “Take a look.”