Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 202 Tacit understanding
Huang, the eunuch, was naturally delighted. In fact, his purpose in coming to Daming Prefecture was not for this matter, but for the imperial envoy Wang to write a secret letter to the capital, informing the emperor that a blast furnace was to be built for iron smelting.

The Emperor was delighted to see this, but he did not expect to send someone to Daming Prefecture to inquire about the details so soon. Later, it was because Jia Dianzhi brought the diagram of the blast furnace to the palace and used a lot of arithmetic to explain to the Emperor that if coke was used to smelt iron, and this kind of blast furnace was added, the number of military weapons to be cast would be at least twice as high.

This is related to the military strength of the entire Liang Dynasty.

Moreover, just as Wang Yan's secret letter stated, this method of iron smelting must not be leaked, and a reliable person must oversee all matters. Naturally, the imperial family thought of Wang Yan.

That's why he came to Daming Prefecture with a secret decree.

But it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early; I just happened to run into this.

The eunuch Huang dared not speculate; all of this had been arranged by Wang Yan long ago. Otherwise, how could the timing have been so perfect, allowing him, a eunuch, to witness it all?

Otherwise, even with evidence, a case can still be overturned; that's one point.

Secondly, even without his status, Wang Yan could not deal with these people without going through Prefect Liu.

In urgent situations, one should act expediently, but even in urgent situations, one must consider the degree of urgency.

Being assassinated, a matter of life and death, is that considered urgent? The angel was surrounded by regular imperial troops in Daming Prefecture, and the commander personally came to kill him.

Is this some kind of rebellion?
The moment the troops break free from the court's control, that's the most important thing. The angel naturally has a reason to bypass all the officials of Daming Prefecture and conduct the trial alone.

Such things don't happen often. The eunuch Huang may seem unlucky, but he was actually fortunate.

How could one gain such merit while sitting in the palace? To return to the capital with an arrow wound and a secret letter from an angel meant risking one's life to protect the imperial family's empire.

What the imperial family wanted was a loyal servant like him.

But in front of Wang Yan, he still refused: "How can we do that? This requires the angel to personally go to the palace to report."

Wang Yan said, "After tonight, I still need to go to the military equipment workshops in several other counties. I don't know how long I can keep my affairs in Daming Prefecture a secret. Whether I can return to the capital from Daming Prefecture depends on the eunuchs."

The eunuch Huang opened his eyes wide.

Wang Yan meant that if things escalated, the Liu family might actually take action against him.

He brought some evidence back to the capital, which, for Wang Yan, also guaranteed his safety. Not only would he gain the trust of the imperial family, but he would also forge a good relationship with the Wang family through this.

That means he has two lives.

At first, Huang, the eunuch, didn't understand this, but now he understood everything. So he straightened his back and said, "Your Excellency, rest assured, I will definitely find a way to return to the capital and report what happened here to the Emperor."

Wang Yan nodded and looked at Tan Xiang: "The reason I tied him up and gagged him is because he is the deputy commander, and the soldiers will inevitably act according to his orders. When we interrogate him, we will inevitably be controlled by him."

The eunuch Huang nodded.

Wang Yan said, "That's why he killed Feng Chuan first to silence him. If Feng Chuan were alive, he would inevitably shift the blame onto him. If Feng Chuan were dead, he could shift the blame onto Feng Chuan instead. These soldiers dare not expose him and can only act according to his will. Since he is unwilling to speak out, none of these craftsmen and soldiers dare to utter a word."

At this point, the eunuch Huang understood completely.

Wang Yan continued, "This case involves the He family. The Wang family and the He family are related by marriage. Whether I have shown favoritism or not still needs to be supervised by the eunuchs."

After a moment of silence, the eunuch Huang said solemnly, "That's for sure."

Sang Dian brought over a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and Huang, the eunuch, sat down to take notes. Of course, he knew exactly what he was going to write down.

Wang Yan looked at the craftsmen and soldiers beside him.

“From now on, you can report to me what you know. Come forward one by one. Each person has three chances.”

Wang Yan said, "Only by telling the truth can you get a lighter sentence; if you tell a lie... you won't be able to leave here."

There's no need to go outside; you'll just get killed. Too many people have already died tonight anyway.

Most people began to tremble with fear.

Sang Dian threw the craftsmen and soldiers together, then randomly picked someone and brought him to Wang Yan. Without untying the ropes binding the man, he simply took out a gag and gestured that the man could speak.

Huang, the eunuch, wondered how Wang Yan knew whether the man was telling the truth or lying. Just then, a gust of wind blew the curtain beside him, and Huang saw the figure inside.

There weren't just a few of them here tonight; there was also a woman.

The woman was about sixteen or seventeen years old, and Sang Dian and the others called her Madam Xie. After they arrived at the weapons workshop, Wang Yan first began to arrange his men, and Madam Xie led her people to walk around the workshop searching for evidence.

She flipped through the thick stack of accounts and documents with exceptional speed, and she also looked at all the items left in the house by the craftsmen.

Finally, she went to the armory. What she found out is unknown to Eunuch Huang, but perhaps this woman can be of help to Wang Yan.

The craftsman began to kneel down and reply.

"Sir, I am innocent. I only joined the arms workshop last autumn. The foreman and manager just gave me instructions. Sometimes when there was a shortage of miscellaneous materials, they wouldn't allow me to complain."

"The prefectural magistrate led a team to check if the materials were sufficient, but it was just a formality."

"As for the rest, I know nothing."

Wang Yan remained noncommittal. A moment later, a note was handed out from inside the house. Sang Dian took the note and gave it to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan opened it, glanced at it, and without the slightest hesitation, ordered Sang Dian: "Kill him."

The craftsman stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, until Sang Dian came to grab him. Only then did he come to his senses and shout, "I didn't lie! Why are you killing me?"

"They clearly said that as long as I confessed the truth, I would get a lighter sentence..."

The craftsman's words came to an abrupt end there, as a human head rolled to the ground.

The craftsmen and soldiers bound to the side were so frightened that they huddled together in fear.

Wang Yan instructed Sang Dian: "Pick up his clothes."

Sang Dian drew his dagger and made a few cuts on the craftsman's corpse, peeling away the layers of clothing.

Wang Yan said, "His clothes looked worn but were actually very thick. A lot of money was found in his residence, and there were charcoal pencils and paper in the bundle by his bedside. How could such a person be an ordinary craftsman? He was obviously an informant planted by someone."

“By deliberately revealing these obvious pieces of evidence and clues, even if he doesn’t say anything, I can still find out from the armory that the number of weapons is insufficient. Once I believe him, you will also follow suit and fish in troubled waters.”

“Even if you produce some insignificant evidence, once I detain you as witnesses and bring you to court, you can back out. All that I have done today will be useless.”

As Wang Yan spoke, he looked into the house.

“From your words and actions and personal belongings, I can tell your identities and purposes. I have had everyone in this workshop investigated. Every word you say cannot escape her eyes. If what you say does not match what she has found, you will only face death.”

Huang, the eunuch, swallowed hard. No wonder Wang Yan had Lady Xie inspect the entire workshop.

but……

That's really impressive.

Huang, the eunuch, felt a chill run down his spine.

One dared to pass a note, while the other killed without hesitation. Was this genuine skill and teamwork, or was it an attempt to intimidate these people?