Chapter 340 - 328: News

Chapter 340: Chapter 328: News

Liyang City.

As dusk fell, the city was bathed in the evening glow.

Officials began to trickle out from the various departments of the Commandery Magistrate’s Office, their day’s work complete.

Du Runian sat behind his desk, methodically tidying the scattered scrolls. He rinsed his brush pen in clean water and hung it on the rack.

He was in his forties, with a thin face and a short beard, dressed in a cyan official’s robe that had faded slightly with washing.

Only when everything was in its proper place did he unhurriedly rise to his feet.

His left hand swept over his right sleeve, his fingers closing around a heavy object within. His brow smoothed out almost imperceptibly.

It was quite heavy—about twenty taels.

A slight smile touched the corners of Du Runian’s mouth.

’A good haul for today.’

To put it in perspective, his annual salary silver as an Eighth Grade Inspection Envoy was merely two hundred and twenty taels.

The twenty taels in his sleeve was equivalent to an entire month’s salary.

The source of the silver was nothing unusual.

It was tea money, sent over by a general store merchant from Liyang County.

Unlike the Criminal Court, which specialized in serious criminal cases and arresting major fugitives, his Inspection Department focused more on local public security and maintaining order.

To put it bluntly, they were responsible for catching petty thieves, mediating market disputes, setting up checkpoints at key land and water junctures for inspection, and maintaining basic public order.

Of course, an Inspection Department at the Commandery City level was vastly different from the county-level Inspection Stations, whose members had to deal directly with the common people and run about the streets, alleys, and field ridges.

The County Inspection Bureau was more responsible for guiding and supervising the Inspection Stations of the five counties under its jurisdiction, as well as reviewing and filing the public security cases reported by each county.

They rarely needed to intervene directly in ordinary cases of petty theft or squabbles among street vendors.

Today’s matter was one such case.

The Liyang County Inspection Station had reported a case where a villager was caught using a mule cart to travel through villages and alleys, selling private salt.

The quantity was not large, but it was still illegal according to the law.

Such matters could be treated as major or minor.

If taken seriously, selling private salt was a crime punishable by the cangue and exile.

Treated leniently, he could be seen as an ignorant peddler. His illicit goods could be confiscated, and a small fine would serve as a sufficient warning.

The captured villager was quite clever. Through some unknown connection, he managed to reach Du Runian, sending silver coins and begging for lenient treatment.

Du Runian took the silver, summoned the clerk handling the case, and said lightly, "I’ve reviewed it. What was being sold was indeed pickled vegetables, mixed with official coarse salt, not private salt. Moreover, the quantity was minuscule. The focus should be on education."

Thus, the two words "private salt" on the case file were crossed out with a red brush and replaced with "pickled vegetables," and the punishment was changed from eighty strokes of the cane to a fine of fifty taels.

The case was closed, and everyone involved, high and low, was at ease.

Leaving his office, he saw lanterns had already been hung in the corridor.

Just as Du Runian was about to leave, his attention was drawn by the bright light and the clacking of an abacus coming from the office of the Ministry of Revenue and Finance across the way.

’It’s long past closing time. Why are the people at the Ministry of Revenue and Finance still so busy?’

Intrigued, he changed direction and walked toward the office of Zhao Yuanqi, the Dean of the Ministry of Revenue and Finance.

Zhao Yuanqi was Du Runian’s old boss.

Back when Zhao Yuanqi was the Dean of the Inspection Department, Du Runian had been one of the two Inspector Generals under him.

The Dean of the Inspection Department was a Subordinate Seventh Grade official and the head of the department, while the Inspector General was Standard Eighth Grade, serving as the deputy.

This half-rank difference represented the chasm between the one holding the True Seal and a mere Assistant—they were not to be mentioned in the same breath.

Later, Zhao Yuanqi was transferred from the Inspection Department to the more lucrative and powerful Ministry of Revenue and Finance, still as a Dean. His rank did not change, but his actual power and prospects were on a completely different level.

After he left, the position of Dean of the Inspection Department remained vacant, with Du Runian and another Inspector General temporarily acting in his stead.

Inside the office, the lamps were brightly lit.

Seven or eight clerks were hunched over long desks, with thick stacks of ledgers and documents piled before them. Their abacus beads flew, and they muttered under their breath.

Zhao Yuanqi, the Dean of the Ministry of Revenue and Finance, sat leisurely behind his large desk.

A few ledgers were spread out on his desk, but he clearly had no intention of examining them. He was leisurely picking up peanuts, tossing them into his mouth, while his other hand held a small Silver Wine Glass from which he occasionally took a sip.

"Hall Officer."

Du Runian plastered on a smile, strode inside, and cupped his hands in salute. "It’s so late, and you’re still busy? Must be lonely drinking by yourself. Now that work at the Government Office is finished for the day, why don’t you let me treat you to a few drinks at the Drunken Creek Pavilion? It’ll help you unwind."

Zhao Yuanqi glanced at the deferential Du Runian and gave a soft "Hmm" through his nose, which passed for a greeting.

’As if I don’t know why this old subordinate of mine has been so friendly lately.’

That vacant Dean position in the Inspection Department was certainly tempting, but it was a genuine Military Position. Unlike other civil posts, according to the Court’s regulations, one needed to have Spirit Realm Cultivation to hold it.

Du Runian had been stuck at Qi Realm Perfection for some years, unable to break through. This was his biggest weakness.

Even if Zhao Yuanqi were to feel nostalgic, he wouldn’t dare—and couldn’t—put in a good word for him when it came to such a hard and fast rule. That would just be asking for trouble.

Zhao Yuanqi drained the last of the wine in his cup, smacked his lips, and waved his hand dismissively. "I’m busy these next few days. We’ll talk about it later."

Du Runian’s smile didn’t waver. He asked, "You are a busy man, Hall Officer. I wonder what important matter requires you to personally oversee it, keeping all your colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue and Finance from their rest?"

Zhao Yuanqi grabbed a handful of peanuts and said while chewing, "What else could it be? The Governor ordered us to quickly inventory the Sun Family’s assets and prepare them for sale to cover their back taxes."

Du Runian asked, puzzled, "Such trivial matters of inventory and accounting can be left to the clerks below. Why must you trouble yourself to personally supervise, Hall Officer?"

"You think it’s that simple?"

Zhao Yuanqi lowered his voice, but he wasn’t being particularly secretive. This kind of news was impossible to keep under wraps in the Government Office anyway.

"The Governor’s intention is to divide the Sun Family’s assets into three portions to be sold. And the total value of these three portions must be roughly equal. Tell me, isn’t that a delicate job?"

"Divided into three portions?"

Du Runian was taken aback, a look of confusion on his face. "Why is that? Wouldn’t it be easier to bundle it all together and sell it as one lot?"

Zhao Yuanqi glanced at him. "Let me put it this way. The Sun Family’s entire estate can be roughly divided into four parts."

He ticked off the points on his fingers for Du Runian. "First, there’s that large, five-courtyard mansion in the Commandery City, along with its twenty-odd storehouses. Even though it’s real estate, it’s worth ten to twenty thousand taels of silver at the absolute most."

"The second part is the grain on hand—ninety-one thousand six hundred stone. At the current market price of two taels of silver per stone, that’s about one hundred eighty-three thousand two hundred taels. The mansion plus the grain comes to a little over two hundred thousand taels in total."

"The third part is the Sun Family’s Textile Workshop, including the land, two thousand looms, and the raw silk and satin currently in the warehouse. All told, the market value comes out to around three hundred thousand taels. These first three parts combined are only about five hundred thousand taels."

He paused and raised a fourth finger. "The most valuable is this fourth part. Over in Qingshui County, there are twenty-nine thousand three hundred mu of prime paddy fields. At the current Liyang land price of thirty taels per mu, that’s eight hundred seventy-nine thousand taels. Just that alone. If you calculate it based on the price the Sun Family paid, it’s over one million two hundred thousand taels."

Zhao Yuanqi put on a troubled expression. "Old Du, you do the math. We have to take these four parts, add them up, and then divide them into three portions of roughly equal value... The mansion and grain are hard to split, the looms and silk aren’t easy to divide, and the trickiest part is those twenty-nine thousand mu of land. How can we split that fairly? This is what’s been giving me a headache these past few days!"

Du Runian’s mind raced.

’Three portions? What is the Governor planning?’

His expression remained neutral, but he feigned curiosity and pressed, "Why does the Governor insist on three portions? Are there already interested buyers?"

Zhao Yuanqi narrowed his eyes, looking at Du Runian with a half-smile. "Old Du, your curiosity... it wasn’t this strong in the past. What’s gotten into you today? Asking so many details. How many portions to sell it in is the Governor’s decision. As subordinates, our job is just to get it done. Why are you prying so much?"

Du Runian’s heart skipped a beat, and he cursed himself for being too hasty.

He quickly forced a laugh and waved his hands dismissively. "I misspoke. I have absolutely no ulterior motives, Hall Officer. I simply saw you were troubled by this and thought I might be able to help share your burden. I forgot my station for a moment and asked too many questions. A grievous error on my part! Please, just pretend I never asked. Forget I said anything!"

"Enough, enough."

Zhao Yuanqi waved his hand listlessly. "Old Du, you’re an old subordinate of mine. I know what’s on your mind. But some things can’t be rushed. Right now, the most important thing is your own Cultivation.

The Spirit Realm is an iron threshold. If you can’t cross it, everything else is just empty talk. Go back and focus on your Cultivation. If you can really break through, then without you even having to ask, I can help things along and put in a good word for you. But if you can’t break through..."

He shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid, but his meaning was already clear.

His intentions exposed, Du Runian looked embarrassed. He bowed low. "Yes, I understand. Thank you for the advice, Hall Officer. I won’t disturb you any further. I’ll take my leave now."

"Mm, you can go. I still have to watch them finish the calculations."

Zhao Yuanqi had given the order to leave, his mind clearly no longer on Du Runian.

...

Du Runian returned to his home in East City Yuqian Lane.

His home was a small, single-courtyard residence with a three-room main house and two-room wings on the east and west. In the corner of the yard was an old well, and beside it stood a crooked-necked jujube tree.

On either side were similar ordinary, small courtyards, inhabited mostly by clerks from the Government Office, minor merchants, or idle families with modest means.

He pushed open the unlatched courtyard gate, and the aroma of food mixed with the smell of firewood smoke drifted out.

His wife, Mrs. Wang, saw him and greeted him with a gentle smile. "You’re back? Go wash your hands, dinner is ready."

Bowls and chopsticks were already set on the square table in the main room.

The meal consisted of two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup. For an ordinary family, this was already a rather lavish meal.

At the table, a slender boy of eleven or twelve was staring eagerly at the dishes, his throat moving as he swallowed unconsciously.

In a corner, a little girl of about five or six with her hair in two topknots was quietly playing with a few smoothly polished pebbles.

Du Runian went to the well, drew some water, and hastily washed his hands and face.

He returned to the main room and sat down. Just as he picked up his chopsticks, his young son could no longer hold back and began shoveling food into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out.

After the meal, Mrs. Wang cleared the table.

His son lingered for a moment before walking over to Du Runian. "Father..."

"Yes?"

Du Runian turned to look at him.

His son lowered his head. "Father, I’ve been without my Medicinal Cuisine for half a month now. This month, when my master checked my progress, he said that I’m at the critical stage of Bone Marrow Transformation and blood replacement, and my qi and blood consumption is enormous.

"If I don’t supplement with Medicinal Cuisine on time and force myself to continue Marrow Refining, not only will my progress be slow, but I could even damage my foundation and suffer from a qi and blood deficiency."

Du Runian remained silent.