Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 167 Convicted and Imprisoned
Putting aside what he was doing, Tan Huaike forced himself to remain calm. He first instructed the others in the shop to get back to work, and then took Pei'er to the most secluded incense room to ask her what had happened.

Pei'er said anxiously, "The government officials came to our house to report that a group of soldiers, on the orders of some Censor-in-Chief, took the Second Young Master away and told us to stay in the mansion obediently for the next few days and not to cause any trouble."

Tan Huaike frowned and asked, "Does the Grand Herald know about this?"

"It was Lord Tao who sent the constables. Those constables are all familiar faces. When we went to the government office to deliver food to the Second Young Master, we also brought them some roasted meat. They said that those soldiers showed no mercy and arrested people in front of Lord Tao. When Lord Tao asked what the crime was, they gave vague answers and gave the reason of dereliction of duty and embezzlement."

“Dereliction of duty? Embezzlement?” Tan Huaike pondered. “These are two charges. If it’s dereliction of duty, my uncle is an official under the Grand Herald, so it should be Lord Tao who personally points out and convicts him. But Lord Tao obviously didn’t know about this, which is why he was caught off guard by those soldiers. As for embezzlement, there must be some gold and silver as evidence. Our mansion will probably be searched.”

"Then, then let's hurry back..." With disaster strike, Pei'er was somewhat at a loss.

“Going back won’t help. Do you think we can stop the government from searching?” Tan Huaike unconsciously tidied up the ashes in the incense burner to calm his mind. After thinking for a moment, he said, “You should go back to the mansion first. If soldiers come, try to delay them as long as possible. If you really can’t delay them, let them in to search. No matter what they find, just say that the master is not here and that you know nothing.”

"Alright, I'll go back now." Seeing Tan Huaike also get up and walk out, Pei'er asked worriedly, "Where are you going, Madam? Lord Tao told us not to run around and get into trouble."

"The message that Lord Tao asked the yamen runner to deliver probably has a deeper meaning," Tan Huai Ke said. "You don't need to worry about me. Something's fishy. I'll go and find out more."

After saying that, Tan Huaike hurriedly went to the branch of Wangchen Fragrance Shop in the city.

Seeing her furrowed brow, the shopkeeper nervously approached her: "Boss, is there a problem with the goods that just arrived?"

Tan Huaike shook his head: "I want to see Miss Tao."

The second owner of this shop is Tao Ying. She rarely handles business personally, but she is never lax. She inspects and oversees her many shops almost every day, showing great concern for their management. These past few days, the incense shop has received several new batches of goods, and it's also time for the accounts to be reconciled every ten days, so she will definitely come to supervise it personally.

Tao Ying was indeed using an abacus in the incense room.

Although she had been persuaded by Tan Huaike to open an incense shop together, she still kept business in mind and personal matters in mind. She wasn't very polite to this rival in love: "Oh, what wind blew the big boss here?"

Tan Huaike sat down opposite her and said bluntly, "Miss Tao, I have a favor to ask of you, and I hope you can lend me a hand."

Tao Ying raised her eyelids, moved the abacus beads a few more times, and finished the calculation before saying, "Everyone says that Madam Shentu is exceptionally intelligent, but does she ever have a difficult time? We are just doing business together. If there are any problems with the delivery of spices or the accounts, you don't need to ask me. I will handle it properly. As for anything else, what relationship do we have that would make me lend a hand?"

Ignoring her cold words, Tan Huaike said, "There's no real affection between us, but didn't you and my uncle have a childhood friendship, like the Pomegranate Blossom Pact? Are you just going to stand by and watch him get convicted and imprisoned?"

Tao Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Xiao Zhuo? What happened to him? What crime did he commit and what imprisonment did he commit?"

Tan Huaike told Pei'er everything he had heard from her, and then pleaded, "I don't expect anything else, I just want you to introduce me to your esteemed residence so I can visit Lord Tao and get to the bottom of things."

Tao Ying nodded, pushed aside the abacus and said, "This is easy, just come with me."
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Tan Huaike followed Tao Ying to the residence of the Grand Herald.

The gatekeeper initially didn't want Tan Huai Ke to enter, but couldn't withstand Tao Ying's reprimand and finally let her in, then quickly informed the master of the house. Tao Ying, used to being spoiled, went straight to her grandfather's study and knocked: "Grandpa, Madam Shentu requests an audience!"

Tao Wei had no choice but to comply with her wishes and invite the two of them to talk in the study.

Tao Wei snorted at Tan Huaike, "I specifically sent someone to tell you to stay in the mansion and not to go around asking around or trying to find connections, lest you get into trouble. Madam Shentu really didn't listen to a word of it, and even started with Ying'er to come to our door."

Tan Huai Ke bowed respectfully and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "It is precisely because I listened to his advice that I have gone to great lengths to seek an audience with you, sir. Lord Tao's words served two purposes: firstly, to inform us in a timely manner to appease us, and secondly, to reveal that something was amiss. Wasn't this meant to warn us to be on guard early and to observe our reaction? It is only natural that we come to Lord Tao to inquire about the situation now, isn't it?"

"I thought you would go to see the King of Qin. Isn't your Shentu family on good terms with the King of Qin?"

"The reason why my uncle was convicted is still unclear. If I rashly go to ask the Prince of Qin for help, I am afraid that I will fall into his trap. Not only will the Prince of Qin be implicated, but the Crown Prince's palace will also be alarmed. That would really bring trouble upon myself. Lord Tao sent someone to remind me to stay in the mansion and not to run around. I suppose he had this intention as well."

Tao Wei looked at her carefully, his eyes showing appreciation: "I underestimated you."

Tao Ying asked anxiously, "Quickly tell me what wrong Brother Xiao Zhuo did? How did he get arrested so suddenly?"

“Dereliction of duty and embezzlement, that’s the charge against me,” Tao Wei said calmly.

"The charge is so hastily given, it seems like it was just a pretext," Tan Huaike said, offering his guess. "The other party's intentions are unclear, and sticking to such a vague pretext won't help. Lord Tao, I'd like to ask, where did the soldiers who came to arrest my uncle come from? Were they led by a Lieutenant General of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? Or were they guards of the Imperial Guard?"

“Lady Shentu has hit the nail on the head,” Tao Wei replied. “It’s someone from the Prefect of the Capital.”

"The Prefect of the Capital?" Tao Ying asked doubtfully. "Does the Prefect of the Capital have the authority to investigate court officials who have neglected their duties or embezzled funds? Shouldn't the Censor-in-Chief send a subordinate official to handle this?"

"What does Lord Tao think?" Tan Huaike asked.

“Only cases involving Andu’s territory are assigned to the Prefect of the Capital for handling,” Tao Wei said. “But Shen Tu Zhuo, as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, has recently been handling matters related to foreign tributes, border trade routes, and so on, which have nothing to do with Andu. So how can there be any talk of dereliction of duty or embezzlement? Therefore, I think that the other party’s intention is not to convict, but to deter.”

"Deterrence? Has Brother Xiaozhu offended someone?"

Tan Huaike thought carefully: "Who did we offend... at least not openly." Her eyes flickered slightly as she said, "We only recently rented the old house of the Shentu family, and after renovations, we moved in. This incident happened not long after. In Lord Tao's opinion, could the other party's target be the old house of the Shentu family?"

She spoke cryptically, but I'm sure Tao Wei understood.

Although Shen Tu Zhuo was secretly investigating the case of the Grand Herald from back then, it was impossible for Lord Tao to be completely unaware that he was searching for the missing documents in the government office. Moreover, this superior was also fully aware of their renting and moving.

Upon hearing her mention this, Tao Wei looked at his daughter and said, "My headache has flared up again, and I can't sleep because of the pain. Go to the pharmacy and get some medicine according to the old prescription."
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Next chapter: Have you ever thought about taking another approach?