Duke of Zhenguan

In the end, Lin Chuan still went to the brothel with Cheng Yaojin.

But when it was just the two of them, Cheng Yaojin seemed like a different person. He drank wine, listened to music, and admired the graceful figure of the dancers, displaying a completely refined demeanor.

This left Lin Chuan, who had been full of expectations, disappointed.

Just as Cheng Yaojin had predicted, the powerful families bowed their heads faster than Lin Chuan had imagined, faced with Cheng Yaojin holding an account book in one hand and a sword in the other.

The next morning, the governor of Luozhou brought new account books with his men. Compared to the account books in Cheng Yaojin's hands, the new account books contained 50,000 shi of grain and 50,000 bolts of silk, which was almost equivalent to one-third of Luozhou's tax revenue last year.

Along with the account books, congratulatory messages from elders of the Pei, Yuan, and Dugu families were also sent to Li Shimin.

Instead of apologizing to the court, these families sent congratulatory messages to Li Shimin, clearly knowing what Li Shimin wanted.

After carefully putting away the booklet and congratulatory letter, Cheng Yaojin ordered someone to return the account book that had been taken earlier to the governor of Luozhou, and said in a deep voice:

"Prefect Wang, Luoyang is a vital passage on the Grand Canal. The court won't blame you for this one incident, but if it happens a second time, you should know the consequences better than I do!"

"Thank you for your guidance, General!" The governor of Luozhou bowed and replied.

Having finished his business, Cheng Yaojin had no intention of staying in Luoyang for another night. In the afternoon, he led his men away from Luoyang to Xin'an County to meet up with the military commander.

After spending one night in Xin'an County, they set off for Chang'an the next day.

Compared to when they came with light luggage, the number of people returning was the same, but the amount of goods they carried was much greater. Fifty thousand shi of grain and fifty thousand bolts of silk were no small sum, and the thousand cavalrymen were transformed into a grain transport team.

It took two days to get there, but a full five days to get back to Chang'an.

In mid-April, the group returned to Chang'an.

The messenger had already sent news of the army's triumphant return back to Chang'an. Because the grain needed to be transported back to the Ministry of Revenue, a thousand cavalrymen were granted special permission to enter the city.

When Lin Chuan entered Chang'an City through Yanxing Gate, he noticed that the number of guards at the city gates had increased significantly.

Near the city gate, there were soup kitchens set up by the government, and many refugees gathered nearby in thatched huts made of branches and dry grass.

"Has the disaster become that severe?"

Lin Chuan felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

The phrase "the time between harvests" perfectly describes this period.

If refugees have appeared in Chang'an, what about other places?

A thousand cavalrymen escorted dozens of carts of grain and cloth into the city, much to the delight of the surrounding residents. In the past few days, the imperial court has sent people out of the city to appease them, saying that the grain will arrive soon.

They assumed the thousand cavalrymen were transporting grain.

After entering the city, Lin Chuan did not go with Cheng Yaojin to the Ministry of Personnel to report, but instead took Zhao Fu and Zhao Gui home.

The two brothers officially became Lin Chuan's personal guards, and he first showed them around the place.

The three rode their horses back to Tonghua Ward. Lin Chuan dismounted and knocked on the door. After a short while, the door was gently pushed open a crack. Er Ya peeked out and saw three people dressed in full armor. Without looking closely, she slammed the door shut again.

Seeing Zhao Fu and Zhao Gui's expressions of wanting to laugh but not daring to, Lin Chuan's face darkened. He reached out and pulled on the door knocker, knocking hard twice more.

After a moment, the door opened again. Seeing Er Ya peeking out, Lin Chuan took off his helmet and cursed irritably:

"You don't recognize me after only a few days?"

"Brother!"

Wearing a traditional Chinese dress, Er Ya cheered and ran up to Lin Chuan, looking him up and down curiously before asking:

"Brother, where did you get that armor? It looks very impressive!"

"Uncle Cheng gave it to me, what about my mother?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Mother went to help out at the noodle shop! She was worried that there would be no one there when my brother came back, so she asked me to stay home and look after him!" Er Ya said softly.

"Oh, right, this is Zhao Fu, and this is Zhao Gui. They'll be family from now on! Er Ya, come and greet them!" Lin Chuan introduced Zhao Fu and Zhao Gui, pointing to them behind him.

Zhao Fu and Zhao Gui were Cheng Yaojin's personal guards. They were not only incredibly strong but also clever. They quickly bowed to Er Ya in greeting.

"Greetings, Madam!"

Er Ya paused for a moment before somewhat awkwardly returning the greeting:

"Greetings, gentlemen!"

Once inside, Lin Chuan personally led the two to the front yard to settle in.

The house was built according to the regulations for marquises, and the front yard was specifically for the guards and servants to live in, but it is still empty now.

Since both of them were already married and needed to pick up their families later, Lin Chuan let them choose a small courtyard themselves.

After settling the two guards in, Lin Chuan returned to the east wing to freshen up and then took Er Ya out to find Li Shi.

On the other side, Cheng Yaojin also arrived at the imperial city with his men. After placing the grain outside the Zhuque Gate, the military commander led a thousand cavalrymen back to the Right Martial Guard camp outside the city, while Cheng Yaojin led his personal guards to the Ministry of Personnel.

Fang Xuanling, the Grand Secretary, was also serving in the Ministry of Personnel. Upon hearing that Cheng Yaojin had returned, he immediately put down his duties and went to greet him personally.

Knowing that Cheng Yaojin was returning today, officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue were already waiting.

Cheng Yaojin handed the prisoners over to the officials of the Ministry of Justice and the account books to the clerks of the Ministry of Revenue. He left the handover to his personal guards and clerks.

Holding his helmet, he swaggered onto a straw mat, handed the congratulatory letter to Fang Xuanling sitting beside him, and said smugly:

"Old Fang, didn't I handle this matter well?"

Fang Xuanling took the congratulatory letter, glanced at it, and praised it with a smile:

"I am no match for him!"

"Haha, Lao Fang, you're too modest! Too modest!" Cheng Yaojin laughed heartily.

Fang Xuanling returned the congratulatory letter to Cheng Yaojin, personally poured tea for him from the teapot, and asked with a smile:

"It's not that I'm being modest, but even if I were to go, it would be difficult to coax grain out of those aristocratic families, let alone congratulatory messages. Tell me quickly, how did you manage to do it?"

"It's not difficult at all. I just casually checked the accounts of Yanshi County in Luozhou, and I didn't expect to find a bunch of problems. They dare to make moves on grain taxes. Do you think these powerful families are afraid?"

"That is to say, His Majesty has strictly ordered that they not be involved too much, otherwise I would have to confiscate their property!" Cheng Yaojin said with a sneer.

"Of course I know you started by checking the accounts, but I'm asking how you found out. The officials who went to inspect Luozhou last year didn't find a single problem!" Fang Xuanling said irritably.

"Then the officials who went on inspections should also be investigated!"

Cheng Yaojin said with a cold laugh:

"Since you're interested, Old Fang, why don't you come with me to the palace to meet the Emperor? I'll just tell you everything at once, saving you the trouble of explaining!"

"Good!" Fang Xuanling nodded with a smile.

Upon arriving at the palace, Li Shimin greeted Cheng Yaojin in the main hall of Xiande Hall. After receiving the congratulatory letter, he summoned high-ranking officials from the Three Departments and Six Ministries to Xiande Hall to publicly display the congratulatory letter he had just received.

Having shown off enough, he didn't forget Cheng Yaojin, the hero, and said to him with a smile:

"Zhijie, you've worked hard. Knowing you've been longing for my fine wine, I'll reward you with one hundred catties, plus ten thousand taels of gold, a pair of jade ruyi scepters, one hundred bolts of brocade, and a magnificent steed!"

"Your Majesty, the success this time is entirely due to Lin Chuan's discovery of the problems in the account books. I dare not take credit for it!" Cheng Yaojin said, bowing.

"It's rare that you, you scoundrel, don't compete for credit. Lin Chuan has made many contributions during this period and certainly deserves a reward. The title of baron is a bit too low. Xuanling, Fuji, what do you think?" Li Shimin chuckled and scolded Cheng Yaojin, then turned to ask Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Fang Xuanling readily cupped his hands in greeting.

Changsun Wuji, not wanting to spoil the mood, bowed and said:

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Make him a viscount!"