Chapter 98

Chapter 98

When the surrounding officials heard the constable's report, one blurted out, "How is that possible?"

The constable had been sent to fetch the witnesses. The salt traders from the Ningjiang case were still in jail, but the key witnesses were the relatives of the small dealers who had killed themselves, leaving their families ruined. How could their homes be empty?

"Your Highness, when we arrived, the homes of the deceased salt dealers were indeed empty, but there were signs of ransacking..." the constable reported in haste. "We haven't found anyone yet."

Signs of ransacking, and the witnesses had vanished.

Zhang Wuyong, standing nearby, immediately thought of murder to cover up the crime when he heard the witnesses had disappeared. Unable to determine how much evidence Prince Yan held, the best move was to make any potential leads or evidence vanish. He suddenly realized this was a breakthrough: the disappearance of witnesses created leverage... an opportunity to overturn the case presented itself.

Ying Fusheng lifted his eyelids slightly, glancing at those around him.

Outside the government office, hearing that the witnesses had not appeared, the crowd’s murmurs started changing.

Prince Yan and Prince Jin had just ordered a thorough investigation of the salt case, and not even an hour had passed. A large crowd was still gathered outside the office, yet the constable returned saying the witnesses couldn’t be found. It was hardly a case of homes being ransacked—it was clearly someone seizing control of the witnesses first. Who did it? Prince Yan? Or Zhang Wuyong?

Assistant Prefect Fei’s gaze darkened. He looked at those nearby, but the officials shook their heads—they hadn’t sent anyone to handle the witnesses.

The best move was to keep Prince Yan from getting testimony, not to kill the witnesses. Such a foolish act would only hand Prince Yan a pretext to suspect the salt case was flawed.

But he hadn’t done it. Whether other involved officials in Jiangnan who weren’t present had acted was uncertain. Magistrate Qian's case had been pushed forward by officials like Zhang Wuyong... Assistant Prefect Fei suddenly realized he had fallen into Prince Yan’s trap.

The more he tried to figure out how much evidence Prince Yan held, the more passive he became. Now, with the court full of officials, his attitude would sway the others. Some fools might, to end it once and for all, resort to silencing witnesses.

Ying Fusheng looked at Assistant Prefect Fei. "The witnesses have gone missing? Does Lord Fei know anything about this?"

Assistant Prefect Fei bowed his head. "I do not know."

He couldn't be sure. He couldn't tell if Prince Yan had evidence or was just bluffing or baiting them. And the witnesses—had they been handled by their side, or by Prince Yan’s men?

Whoever handled the witnesses held the evidence.

This atmosphere of mutual suspicion was spreading through the court.

"Uncle, this is no small matter," Ying Fusheng’s gaze shifted sharply, landing on Prince Jin beside him. "It seems there really is collusion between officials and merchants. The moment an investigation is announced, the witnesses vanish... Everyone present, this is no small matter."

His tone was calm, almost joking but not at all.

He was telling everyone inside and outside the court: collusion was real. With Magistrate Qian already dead, nearly closing the salt case, who would be so eager to silence witnesses and erase all evidence? That could only mean there were still corrupt officials in Jiangnan’s officialdom.

"Your Highness, I have something to report," Zhang Wuyong suddenly spoke up. "There are questions about the collusion between salt merchants and officials in the Ningjiang salt case. Ningjiang has always prohibited private salt trading. The involved salt merchant monopolized private salt and used contracts to collect money from salt dealers in advance. When the disaster struck, the goods promised at agreed prices were not supplied. The case was closed as collusion between officials and merchants, but how this salt merchant obtained private salt was glossed over. It deserves a thorough investigation."

Ying Fusheng looked at Zhang Wuyong. "Did the salt merchant confess?"

"No. The salt merchant claimed he obtained the salt through the black market," Zhang Wuyong continued without hesitation. "In Jiangnan, smuggled salt is always of dubious origin—goods intercepted by river bandits also circulate through it. I think this ties in with the bandit case you want to investigate."

Assistant Prefect Fei shot a sharp look at Zhang Wuyong. "Your Highness, I think Lord Zhang is mixing things up. If we're going to investigate, we should first find the witnesses to see what's really going on."

Zhang Wuyong stepped forward calmly, showing no sign of backing down. "This salt case is full of uncertainties. Since the witnesses have disappeared, we should trace back to the source. I believe a thorough investigation is necessary—both the witnesses and the source of the private salt."

Behind Prince Jin, the secret agents of the marquises who had been observing the situation realized the problem. They restrained themselves, unable to help glancing at Prince Jin, who had remained silent until now.

To them, watching from the sidelines, the salt case had become a complete mystery. The common people outside the office were now focusing on the relationship between officials, bandits, and merchants—a matter that directly affected their interests. Whether the salt merchants were found guilty didn't matter to the people—it wasn't their business. They'd just support justice out of righteous anger.

But once it involved officials colluding with merchants and bandits, that struck at the people’s own interests.

"Your Highness," a subordinate whispered in warning.

Prince Jin looked at Ying Fusheng. One of Ying Fusheng’s guards had left through the back door of the court and now stood quietly behind him, as if noticing Prince Jin’s gaze. Ying Fusheng looked up and offered a gentle smile.

Ying Fusheng didn't need to play up to any faction or win Zhang Wuyong's trust. Compared to hollow verbal promises, he knew everyone here was shrewd, so he prioritized interests.

Everyone had their own interests. When those interests were threatened or could be gained, people would step into the game.

He was no longer in the spot he was a few years ago, when he had to work indirectly for everything. In a place like Jiangnan, going after the Fei family secretly would put him in the same passive spot as the Embroidered Uniform Guard—the Feis would have plenty of time to plan their moves. To take control, he had to strike first and force them into his game.

Ye Xuanqi whispered, "When we arrived, the witnesses were already gone."

As he spoke, he quietly handed Ying Fusheng a message tube.

Seeing the tube, Ying Fusheng’s expression tightened slightly. It was the kind used by Qi’s falcons—

"Act according to your plan. Qi."

Beneath his calm exterior, his eyes flickered.

After years of correspondence, he recognized the handwriting on this paper.

It was Qi Hanzhou who snatched the witnesses before the Light Garment Guard could—and he was right outside the court.

Outside the government office, Ji Wuming operated under cover. The Embroidered Uniform Guard’s communication outposts were nearly useless. After Qi Hanzhou had taken his people, the dynamics inside the court had silently shifted.

Having been in Jiangnan so long, he knew how chaotic things were. Inside, the Sixth Prince had used just Merchant Liu and his own reputation to set up this whole courtroom. Smart people would join the game for their own gain; those already in it were eager to get off the board. The moment the witnesses disappeared, the clever ones started guessing and probing.

His goal was to throw Jiangnan into greater chaos.

In court, Zhang Wuyong's challenge broke the silence. One salt case had now brought in the black market, official-merchant collusion, and even river bandits. By raising these doubts in front of the people, the matter couldn't be hushed up anymore.

Ying Fusheng put away Qi Hanzhou’s note. "Uncle, this case is of grave importance."

"Both of you can't agree. What's your opinion, Uncle?"

Prince Jin didn’t know the meaning of that note, but after seeing it, the sense of certainty that had hung over the court seemed even more pronounced. A group of officials couldn't help glancing at the note, their guesses about Prince Yan's evidence growing. Assistant Prefect Fei and Zhang Wuyong had made their stances clear, but whether to investigate or not came down to Prince Jin's order, as the prefect of Yingtian only follows orders from princes and marquises.

Ying Fusheng—this was forcing the princes and marquises to take a stand.

When he came to Jiangnan, half wanted him dead, half wanted him safe. Now he was going after Jiangnan's officials, forcing them to show their cards.

"You're really sharp, nephew," Prince Jin’s usual frivolous demeanor vanished. The court had always been afraid that probing Jiangnan would make the princes rebel, but Ying Fusheng used the people’s livelihood as leverage, forcing Jiangnan’s officials to declare their position. What many thought impossible to budge, he had brought into the open. Clever. Too clever.

Prince Jin said, "Since it concerns Jiangnan’s livelihood, a thorough investigation is the only option."

With Prince Jin’s words, the officials knew the royal stance. The case had to be investigated—thoroughly.

"Since we're doing a thorough investigation, we have to start with the salt case," Ying Fusheng’s gaze lowered slightly. "Among those involved in the salt case, besides the missing and controlled witnesses, if I recall correctly, there are also members of the Fei family. Now that the witnesses have disappeared, it'd be bad if Second Young Master Fei also got into trouble... What did Magistrate Qian say? Did Master Fei have ties to the salt merchant? Did he provide evidence?"

"Yes, he did," Zhang Wuyong said. "Magistrate Qian found, in the account books of the Fei family’s subsidiary shops, records of dealings with private salt. However, Master Fei claimed that the account was not for salt transactions—he had traded medicinal herbs with the salt merchant to save lives, unaware that the merchant was a private salt dealer. He said the Fei family was tricked."

At the mention of the Fei family, Assistant Prefect Fei’s expression darkened. He looked at Ying Fusheng, who returned his gaze calmly, speaking in a tone of concern for the Fei family: "Since the salt merchant tricked Master Fei with a medicinal herb deal, there must be other business ventures behind it. In a place like Jiangnan, for a salt merchant to disguise himself as a medicinal merchant and move freely, which officials made that possible?"

Zhang Wuyong paused. Did Prince Yan mean to audit the Fei family’s accounts!?

Even Magistrate Qian had only managed to find that single loophole in the open accounts. To investigate the Fei family’s books without solid evidence would be seen as the government oppressing righteous merchants, especially since the Fei family is backed by countless scholars and intellectuals.

Assistant Prefect Fei could no longer hold back: "The Fei family are righteous merchants. The government cannot audit their accounts without evidence. This would really upset the merchants and common folks in Jiangnan!"

"What do you mean? When did I ever say I was only going to audit the Fei family accounts?"

Ying Fusheng’s eyes turned cold: "If we want to investigate collusion between officials and merchants, smuggling of private salt is all done in the shadows—how can we check the clean books? Naturally, we must look into the shipping records of goods like medicinal herbs and grain supplies. What needs to be examined is the accounts between the government offices and the merchants. Not to mention the three prefectures of Jiangnan; just taking Huaizhou alone, the merchants look clean on the surface when dealing with the authorities. The current task of reconciling accounts is merely to uncover corruption, not to target the people."

Liu Dafu chimed in at the right moment: "Your Highness, we ask you to stand up for us merchants. We conduct our business openly and honestly. If you can find any leads through us to catch the corrupt officials, we're happy to help!"

"But Lord Fei reminded me of something. Now that the salt merchants have caused trouble, and witnesses have disappeared without a trace—what if those officials, desperate to cover up, go after the Fei family?" Ying Fusheng looked straight into Assistant Prefect Fei’s eyes and said, "Why not send someone to protect the Second Young Master Fei?"

Assistant Prefect Fei’s heart sank.

Outside the gate, upon hearing that someone might harm the Fei family, the common people began to defend the Fei family.

Zhang Wuyong paused. Prince Yan intended to audit the accounts, but he had framed it so reasonably, attributing everything to catching corrupt officials. Now the merchants had no choice but to cooperate with the government in auditing accounts to capture the corrupt ones. Anyone who refused to open their books at a time like this would be suspected of having something to hide.

Just as the situation reached a standstill, someone rushed up to the yamen.

The newcomer claimed to be a member of the Fei household. After the officials allowed him in, the Fei family servant said, "Honorable officials, Elder Master Fei is tied up with other matters, but upon learning that Prince Yan is working for the people’s welfare, he has specifically sent me here. The Fei family is willing to cooperate with the Yingtian Prefecture in auditing the accounts to root out corrupt officials for the people of Jiangnan."

Upon hearing that the Fei family had sent someone, the nearby officials all calmed down, as if they'd found their backbone.

Ying Fusheng’s expression turned slightly colder.

Elder Master Fei—the one currently in charge of the Fei family.

The moment the Fei family appeared, they expressed their willingness to cooperate with the investigation, and they readily agreed when the suggestion of sending protection was raised.

Outside the government office, shouts praising the Fei family's righteousness erupted. Watching this, Zhang Wuyong frowned; he had no chance to speak now. He looked at the quietly seated Prince Yan, who did not react, only giving him a brief glance.

"Then we'll launch a full investigation!" Prince Jin stepped in at the right moment and said, "This matter will be handled by Lord Fei and Lord Zhang. They must provide an explanation to the people."

The officials looked tense, knowing that a full investigation was imminent; each was weighed down with worry.

With the court session concluded, the officers began to disperse the crowd outside. Ye Xuanqi pushed Ying Fusheng’s wheelchair out. "He came to smooth things over. The Fei family’s accounts must have problems; otherwise, Assistant Prefect Fei wouldn’t have been so anxious. So he sent someone to bail them out."

When that Fei family servant arrived at the court, some officials visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

The problem was not with the Fei family, but with the Elder Master Fei mentioned in his words. The face of the Fei family was Fei Gong, who was highly respected. Yet it was not he who came to defuse the situation.

"Did you notice?" Ying Fusheng asked.

Ye Xuanqi: "Yes. After the court session, several people slipped away toward the Fei mansion."

If one wanted to investigate corruption in Jiangnan, the task would be endless.

To break the web of the Fei family, one had to strike decisively.

Qi Hanzhou had previously given him a list. When he entered Huaizhou City, he had already dispatched the Light Garment Guard to watch the high-ranking officials on that list. When the witness vanished, those in the court could not move, but their undercover contacts would spread the news. Whoever made a move would get caught.

The guilty took the bait; as these people acted, they were now in the Light Garment Guards' crosshairs.

Ying Fusheng looked at the list and suddenly realized something: "What about Zhang Wuyong?"

……

Outside the government office, a parked carriage.

The Fei family servant lifted the curtain. As Assistant Prefect Fei entered, he met the cold gaze of Elder Master, and his heart sank: "That Prince Yan’s background is unclear. I acted rashly."

Elder Master Fei said, "If you'd kept arguing, he'd have dug up everything."

Not only was his background unclear—the various nobles they had painstakingly won over had changed their stance because of Ying Fusheng’s bold and aggressive move today. Their goal was to instigate internal strife between the court and the local authorities. Now, instead of creating division within Dayuan, they had sparked internal conflict in Jiangnan... If this news reached the court, the emperor could use it as an excuse to send an imperial commissioner to the south.

With one move, he broke the Ning family salt case.

Assistant Prefect Fei said in a low voice, "Elder Master, what do we do now? The master’