Hot flashes

Zhou Heng pulled out the file and set it aside.

He spent another day flipping through the files. He went from the Ministry of Works' engineering archives to the Ministry of Revenue's accounts of money and grain, and from the Ministry of Revenue's accounts of money and grain to the Ministry of War's records of garrison troops.

The scattered clues were like beads strewn on the ground; he picked them up one by one and strung them together. Once the beads were strung, the thread was finally revealed.

The garrison troops in the six prefectures north of the Yangtze River were nominally under the control of the imperial court, but in reality, the soldiers in those camps were fed by the Zheng family and lived in villages built on the land of the Cui family. The person from the river management office that Li Chongrang met was in charge of the financial transactions of several water conservancy projects in north of the Yangtze River.

If the troops stationed in these areas were turned against their cause, or even if they simply remained stationary, there would be an unobstructed road from north to south.

Zhou Heng closed the files, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

He had seen these things in his dreams. Those images were scattered like fragments in his memory, truly happening in that vanished timeline.

Zhou Heng opened his eyes. He picked up a pen and wrote a letter. After finishing, he sealed it and handed it to Chen Shen.

"Send it to Zhao Ting. Give it to him personally, don't go through anyone else."

When Zhao Ting received the letter, he was training troops on the drill ground. He opened the letter, read it once, frowned, and read it again.

The letter read: "The garrison troops in the six prefectures north of the Yangtze River may have been acting strangely recently. General, please investigate secretly and do not alert them. Once you have confirmed the facts, report to His Majesty in secret."

Zhao Ting folded the letter and put it in his pocket. That night, he selected a few trusted confidants, changed into plain clothes, and left the capital overnight.

Zhou Heng personally went to Wang Ben's camp. Wang Ben was patrolling the camp outside the city when he saw Zhou Heng arrive. He was taken aback for a moment, then invited him into his tent.

Zhou Heng didn't exchange pleasantries. "General Wang, who has the keys to those granaries in Xuzhou?"

Wang Ben was taken aback. "Xuzhou? The keys to the granaries are under the control of the local authorities, not the Ministry of War."

Zhou Heng looked at him. "If someone wants to use the grain in those granaries to support a private army..."

Wang Ben's expression changed.

Wang Ben lowered his voice. "Lord Zhou, what you're saying—"

"I'm not sure about anything," Zhou Heng interrupted him. "That's why we need to investigate. General Wang has been in the army for many years; you know better than I whether there's been any unusual activity in Xuzhou."

Wang Ben was silent for a moment. "In Xuzhou, a batch of officials in charge of the granaries were indeed replaced a few months ago." He looked at Zhou Heng, "but this was an appointment by the Ministry of Personnel, it was legitimate and there was nothing wrong with it."

Zhou Heng nodded. "So I didn't ask you to do anything out of line. I just asked General Wang to keep an eye on the inflow and outflow records of those granaries."

Wang Ben lowered his voice. "I will take note of what you have said."

Zhou Heng stood up and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "General Wang, farewell."

Zhou Heng stepped out of the tent. It was already dark outside, with a few stars twinkling faintly overhead. He mounted his horse and headed back.

Back in the capital, Xiao Jue was also busy.

After he finished reviewing the memorials, he called Shen Du in. Shen Du knelt outside the curtain, head bowed.

"Keep an eye on Jiangbei," Xiao Jue said, "but don't alert them."

Shen Du agreed and left. Xiao Jue sat alone in the hall, the candlelight flickering.

Xiao Jue trusted Zhou Heng. He never got nervous for no reason. If he was nervous, something must be happening.

Xiao Jue stood up and walked to the window. The night outside was dark, and the distant palace was hidden in the darkness, with only a blurry outline visible. He stood there and gently tapped his fingers twice on the window frame.