In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Li Yuanchang gently shook his head, showing no impulsiveness.

"Many of these things are impossible to verify because of the dead, and even if you find them, they would never admit it."

"If we use our power and force everything, a large part of Liangzhou Prefecture may be purged, causing widespread panic and even a mutiny. This is not what I want."

"If someone in Chang'an finds out, they might also file a complaint against me."

"So we have to take it slow, use irrefutable evidence to kill people, and let time pass. But if we do it one by one, it will take forever. Let's start by cleaning up the six departments one by one."

Wang Hongzhi and the others' eyes lit up slightly.

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Li Yuanchang glanced at the newly calculated account book.

"The disappearance of these eight thousand strings of cash must be investigated. I am in dire need of money right now, so let's start with the granary."

"Everything starts with money."

Li Yuanchang had countless ways to develop Liangzhou. With his vision spanning a thousand years, it would be too easy for him to do so, but he just lacked money.

The Prince's private accounts were empty, and the public accounts were also empty. It should be noted that the eight thousand strings of cash did not need to be handed over to Chang'an; it was the money from his fiefdom, which was equivalent to Li Yuanchang's.

Wang Hongzhi and the others chimed in, "Your Highness, we have already investigated this matter. It happened nine months ago, and the money was used to build the Dahong Temple."

"But when the construction was halfway done, Dahong Temple was destroyed by a flash flood, and the money became a bad debt."

"However, when we checked, we found that there were many problems with the timing, batches, and procedures of the money expenditures in the account. Not only were they completely inconsistent, but there were also no receipts on file."

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow. Such large-scale projects have always been the most lucrative business throughout history.

"Who was in charge of this money? Liu Yishou?"

"Your Highness, the military officer in charge of this money at the time was not Liu Yishou, but the previous one, Wu Wei."

"But he's already dead," Wang Hongzhi said.

"Dead?" Li Yuanchang squinted.

"Yes, after Dahong Temple was destroyed by the flash flood, this person's body was not found in the mud for three days."

"With his death, there is absolutely no possibility of investigating this matter."

"Gao Shen and the others haven't inquired about the situation in the prefecture either." Wang Hongzhi's investigation was very thorough.

Li Yuanchang frowned, instinctively feeling that something was amiss, but the matter was too vague, and he couldn't figure out what the problem was.

Where is Daihong Temple?

"Your Highness, it's inside the city."

"Prepare the horses, and don't have too many men. I want to go there discreetly." Li Yuanchang stood up abruptly, acting immediately and demonstrating exceptional execution.

"yes!"

Dahong Temple.

This place is located in a wasteland in the city.

Liangzhou is different from Chang'an; it doesn't have as many wards, and the population difference is too great, resulting in a large amount of vacant land within the city.

Because many people had died in the past, rumors circulated that the area around Dahong Temple was haunted, causing the area to become increasingly deserted and almost no one came here.

"Your Highness, this is the place," Wang Hongzhi said.

Li Yuanchang dismounted and took a few steps forward.

All that remains of the Dahong Temple ruins are some broken walls and discarded wood, making it impossible to tell that this place was once the tallest tower in Liangzhou.

According to the original plan, Dahong Temple was to be a multi-eaved brick pagoda, with seven stories and a height of about 20 meters.

Converted to modern heights, it would be about seven or eight stories high.

This would have been considered a very tall building in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yuanchang first swept around the surroundings, then reached out and touched the ground, and even pried open the surface layer with a knife.

The entourage were all puzzled. What was going on?

"Something's not right," he suddenly said, throwing the dirt off his hand.

Wang Hongzhi, Guo Chao, and the others looked bewildered: "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Li Yuanchang's eyes were sharp: "There are three necessary conditions for a flash flood to occur: first, heavy rain; second, geological conditions; and third, human activities, namely, indiscriminate logging."

"Nine months ago, it was February or March, early spring. Where would such a torrential rain come from? It wasn't summer."

"Secondly, there's the geology. Areas with poor soil permeability are where rainwater struggles to infiltrate, accelerating the formation of surface runoff."

"But I just tried it, and the knife could cut through the surface layer. It's not rock or soil underneath, which doesn't meet the geological requirements."

"This is the third condition that is met: indiscriminate logging has left the area inside and outside the city barren, which has weakened the city's ability to conserve water and soil."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, their eyes widening in surprise.

Even someone as learned and talented as Wang Hongzhi was a little confused.

What is soil permeability? What is surface runoff? What is soil and water conservation capacity?

"Your Highness... do you mean that Dahong Temple wasn't destroyed by the flash flood?"

Li Yuanchang frowned: "It's just a guess."

"After all, so much time has passed, the scene has long been destroyed without a trace."

"There is no way to prove it."

Wang Hongzhi said sternly, "Your Highness, if it wasn't a flash flood, then this is a fabrication, a cover-up of the truth!"

"Go out and ask around, see if any of the local people remember what happened back then."

"If it were a flash flood, it's impossible that no one would be affected."

"yes!"

A dozen or so people immediately dispersed from different directions to begin gathering information.

Li Yuanchang then entered the ruins, hoping to find some possible remaining clues.

Especially the wood and bricks on the site.

Unfortunately, they found nothing. The remaining wood had long been eroded by wind and rain, and the intact pieces were mostly taken away secretly by the government or the people.

After all, wood was a hard currency in ancient times and was very expensive.

As for bricks, there were almost none on site.

Nine months later, Di Renjie arrived, and upon seeing the scene, he would probably shake his head in disbelief.

Li Yuanchang had no choice but to give up. Just as he was about to leave, he looked up and saw a little girl standing not far away, looking lost.

They seemed at a loss when they encountered strangers like Li Yuanchang, but they did not run away.

Li Yuanchang followed her gaze and saw a kite hanging on the ruins.

"Little baby, is this yours?"

The little girl's face was dirty, but she was very cute. She had a pigtail and looked at Li Yuanchang without daring to speak.

Li Yuanchang took a step forward, and she took a step back.

Li Yuanchang couldn't help but grin, then waved his hand, and a guard stepped forward to form a human ladder for him. With a single step and a leap, Li Yuanchang easily took down the kite.

"Um?"

"Here you go."

Li Yuanchang reached out his hand.

Perhaps sensing the kindness, the little girl slowly stepped forward and shyly accepted the gift, saying, "Thank you, big brother."

"No need, here's another coin for you to buy some candied hawthorns," Li Yuanchang said with a smile.

The little girl's eyes lit up, but she was too shy to accept.

"Grandpa said you can't take other people's money without permission."

"Haha, then answer one question for your big brother, and we'll be even, okay?" Li Yuanchang squatted down.

The little girl hesitated, then nodded vigorously.

"Is there a flash flood here?" Li Yuanchang asked, knowing that adults might not tell him, since it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.

But children are different; they are innocent and don't lie.

The little girl nodded.