Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

The two fast horses galloped along the official road all night, changing horses twice, and the riders barely slept.

The next day, three squads of imperial guards suddenly appeared in front of the Grand Tutor's residence in the capital, their swords drawn, completely blocking the street. Neighbors peeked out, then quickly retreated, the sound of doors closing echoing like a gust of wind through a bamboo grove.

Zhou Yan stood before the main gate of the Grand Tutor's residence, clutching a secret letter bearing the Imperial Preceptor's seal and an imperial edict from Emperor Jinghe. The collar of his official robe still bore the dust of his long journey. Behind him, Shen Qing was leading another troop of soldiers around the main gate to block the back and side gates. His steps were quick and steady, his boots making a dull, rhythmic sound on the bluestone slabs.

"Open the door!" Zhou Yan's voice carried far in the twilight. "By the Imperial Preceptor's secret order and His Majesty's oral decree, the Grand Tutor's residence is to be sealed off immediately! Open the door!"

There was no sound coming from inside the door.

Zhou Yan waited ten breaths, then without shouting a second time, simply raised his hand and waved: "Charge!"

Six imperial guards, carrying a siege log, stepped back a few paces, then with a collective effort, rammed it against the vermilion gate. The first blow knocked two copper nails off the door frame; the second cracked the bolt in the middle; the third caused the entire gate to collapse inwards, crashing onto the bluestone floor inside and raising a cloud of dust.

The Grand Tutor's mansion had lost its former vitality and was deserted. The servants and maids had long since scattered and fled. A half-burnt candle still burned in the main hall, and a pot of tea on the table was still warm. Zhou Yan led his men through the front hall and along the corridors, heading towards the back courtyard. The further they went, the more uneasy he felt—the Grand Tutor's mansion was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The corridors twisted and turned, and several hidden courtyard gates were concealed among the artificial hills and flowing water, each gate leading to a secluded paradise.

Zhang Lin has been managing the court for decades, and the size of this residence has long exceeded the regulations that should be given to his official rank.

The search lasted a full day.

The first place discovered was the cellar of the study in the backyard. When Zhou Yan and his men pried open a brick in the study floor that looked no different from the other blue bricks, a cold wind mixed with lime and dampness rushed up from below. The torches were probed downwards, illuminating a narrow and steep stone staircase leading down to two dark rooms, with three half-person-high iron boxes on each side.

When the box lid was pried open, even the most composed veteran couldn't help but gasp.

The first box contained gold ingots, neatly stacked, each gleaming with a deep, dull light, like solidified honey under the torchlight. The second box held three times as many silver ingots as the gold, crammed full, some rolling off the edge and clattering to the ground. The third box held pearls and gemstones, divided into compartments with silk cloth—Eastern pearls, South Sea pearls, cat's-eye stones, tourmaline—each compartment more than half full. The fourth box contained antique calligraphy and paintings, scrolls stacked together and wrapped in oilcloth. Zhou Yan casually unrolled one; the inscription read an authentic work by a renowned artist from a previous dynasty. The fifth and sixth boxes—also filled with gold and silver, but of slightly different purities, suggesting they were acquired in different years.

Zhou Yan stood in the two dark rooms, the torch in his hand illuminating his face. For the first time, his usually dignified and composed face showed an expression of near-speechlessness.

"This is just the study," he said in a low voice.

Subsequent discoveries confirmed his words. Zhang Lin's wealth extended far beyond just the study.

After the lotus pond in the backyard was drained, twelve large copper chests were revealed, submerged in the silt. The silver ingots inside, having been submerged for so long, had developed a layer of grayish-black oxide on their surface, but still gleamed with a substantial sheen after being rubbed off. It was estimated that the silver in this one pond alone would be enough to feed the garrison of Jizhou City for half a year.

The interior of the garden's artificial hill was hollow. After the Imperial Guards smashed open a section of what appeared to be a naturally formed rock, they discovered a secret chamber inside. The walls of the chamber were carved with niches, each containing a small, locked sandalwood box. Upon opening one of these boxes, Zhou Yan found a stack of land deeds—properties and estates owned by Zhang Lin in the capital, Jiangnan, and Sichuan, so numerous that they required a separate register.

The most outrageous discovery was in the kitchen.

After the Imperial Guards had searched the entire Grand Tutor's residence, a young soldier squatted beside the stove, panting. He casually tossed a broken brick into the firebox, but the sound it made was hollow. The soldier paused, then reached into the ashes deep inside the firebox. When he reached the very back, his fingers touched the edge of a piece of metal.

Beneath the stove was a hidden door. Opening it revealed a narrow passage, barely wide enough for one person to crawl through. After crawling about seven or eight steps, the space opened up into a hidden compartment separated from the kitchen by only one wall. Inside, thirty wooden boxes were neatly stacked. They weren't gold or silver, but medicinal herbs. The finest ginseng, deer antler, musk, and ambergris were wrapped in oiled paper and sealed in the boxes. Each box was labeled with the year it was stored, the earliest batch marked twelve years ago.

Looking at the dates on the labels of the medicinal herbs, Zhou Yan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. These herbs weren't accumulated overnight; Zhang Lin had painstakingly gathered them from various places over more than a decade. He wasn't hoarding these things for his own use, but to build up capital for an ambition far more enduring than gold and silver.

Shen Qing also uncovered something. He led his men to seal off Zhang Lin's villa in the south of the city, where they found three iron cages in the cellar. The cages weren't large, but they contained fragments of clothing and dried blood—it was a place where people were imprisoned. As for who was imprisoned and why, Shen Qing didn't investigate further, but he ordered the cellar door to be nailed shut again.

As dusk fell, the initial search was completed.

Zhou Yan and Shen Qing met in the main hall of the Grand Tutor's residence, each with their own account books laid out before them. Zhou Yan opened his book, which was filled with over thirty pages of densely packed notes. Shen Qing's book was slightly thinner, but still contained over ten pages of writing.

"The value of gold, silver, and valuables, converted into cash—" Zhou Yan's voice was somewhat hoarse, "is enough to feed the national treasury for five years just from the Grand Tutor's mansion alone."

Shen Qing was silent for a moment, then asked a more practical question: "Where are these being transported to?"

"The secret letter the Grand Preceptor gave us said," Zhou Yan took out the neatly folded paper from his pocket, "'All confiscated items shall be sealed and stored in the treasury. Two copies of the inventory shall be made, one to be sent to His Majesty for review, and the other to be kept for future reference. Gold and silver utensils need not be melted down; they shall be sealed as is for the Grand Preceptor's use upon his return.'"

Shen Qing's eyes flickered slightly: "What does the Imperial Advisor need these for?"

Zhou Yan shook his head: "He didn't say. But there's always a reason why he wants something."

As the two were talking, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. A captain of the Imperial Guard rushed in, his voice trembling with barely suppressed excitement: "Lord Zhou! Lord Shen! An iron box has been pulled from the bottom of the pond in the backyard, and it's full of letters—secret letters between Zhang Lin and various departments of the court, private letters to the Khan of the Northern Barbarians, and correspondence between him and several major salt merchants in Jiangnan! They're all signed and stamped!"