Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Xu Wensuo took a desperate, deep breath. He absolutely could not admit guilt now. To admit it would be the end. He had to hold out stubbornly until the very last moment. The power of the gold he had hidden away was not insignificant; if he held on, the great figures backing him would surely come to his rescue.
Xu Wensuo quickly gritted his teeth and said, “My lord, if you’re determined to frame me, you can always find a pretext. Why are you trying to pin the blame for the estate’s financial deficit on your subordinates? And if you are displeased with me, you could simply fire me. Why must you tarnish my name with such a foul accusation?”
The Count trembled with rage. He slapped the dozens of pages in his hand.
“Are you saying this is not evidence?”
“Matters of right and wrong must be handled with proof. You claim I embezzled thirty thousand gold coins, but where is the evidence? Bring it forth! Settle this with facts. You say I stole money, but where are the gold coins? Where are they? Are you going to condemn me based on some fabricated charts written by that unlearned, untalented Shen Lang, all because he holds a grudge? I will not admit it, even in death!
My lord, I am employed by you, but I am not a slave of the estate. The Count’s Estate has no authority to punish me as it pleases. I hold an official rank in the State of Yue!”
Xu Wensuo was a perfect example of a cornered beast fighting back and a man whose pride would drive him to madness before his fall. He revealed the full extent of his ugliness, and the Count was now shaking with uncontrollable fury.
He had never imagined a person could become so vile once their mask was torn away. To think he could be so shameless. The Count realized that his usual leniency had made this thief fearless of him.
Xu Wensuo shouted, “Everyone, come and see! Shen Lang is trying to eliminate those who don’t bend to his will. He’s targeting us, the loyal retainers of the estate!”
Finding the whereabouts of the embezzled gold was paramount. The Count gripped the cup in his hand and took a sip of tea to suppress his anger, then spoke calmly.
“Xu Wensuo, if you return the gold you stole, I will spare your life, for the sake of the twenty-odd years you have served this estate.”
Only the Count was fully aware of the financial crisis the estate was facing. Recovering the gold would significantly alleviate it. At that moment, Xu Wensuo became even more convinced that the gold was his lifeline. His own life was worth little, but the gold he had embezzled was crucial to the estate, and it would be very tempting to the powerful figures behind him.
“I did not embezzle any money, so how can I return any gold? This is all a fabrication by Shen Lang to frame me. I implore you, my lord, to see clearly. Do not needlessly turn the hearts of your retainers against you.”
Xu Wensuo desperately tried to blow the matter out of proportion and stir up unrest. Stability and unity were what the estate valued most right now, so he sought to make everyone uneasy to save himself. After all, he wasn't the only one who had been skimming money.
Shen Lang walked forward and said calmly, “Xu Wensuo, you just threw away your last chance to live.”
Xu Wensuo sneered.
“I didn't embezzle any money, so show me the proof. Where is the evidence that I stole the gold?”
When a man becomes shameless, he becomes invincible. Shen Lang crouched down and spoke just loud enough for him to hear.
“Hey, you shameless bastard. I’m going to make your death so agonizing you won’t be able to rest in peace. How about that? Well, you don’t have to tell me. I already know where your secret vault is.”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Only he and his eldest son knew the location of his secret vault. Not even his wife knew. It was impossible for Shen Lang to know where he had hidden the gold.
‘Trying to threaten me? Does he think I, Xu Wensuo, was born yesterday?’
Shen Lang took a piece of paper from his robes and handed it to the Count.
“Father-in-law, I must ask you to accompany me to this location to see Mr. Xu Wensuo’s secret vault.”
The Count took the paper, his eyes widening in surprise. His voice was filled with joy.
“Lang’er, can you truly recover this gold?”
If Shen Lang could recover the gold, it would be a great service, one that would significantly ease the estate’s financial crisis.
“The chances of recovery are over ninety percent!”
The Count loudly commanded his trusted men.
“Jin Zhong, Jin Hui. Take a hundred cavalrymen, with Xu Wensuo leading the way, and go find his secret vault. You are to follow all of Shen Lang’s orders.”
An hour later, Shen Lang, Jin Hui, and Jin Zhong set out with a hundred of the estate’s cavalry. They moved quickly with Xu Wensuo at the front. The closer they got to their destination, the paler Xu Wensuo’s face became, and he began to tremble uncontrollably. They finally stopped in a remote mountain valley. It was a desolate place, with nothing but a single, stone watchtower standing alone.
Shen Lang said calmly, “Mr. Xu Wensuo, dismount.”
By then, Xu Wensuo’s legs had given out, and he could barely move. Seeing this, Jin Zhong gestured to the estate’s warriors, who immediately lifted Xu Wensuo down by force.
Shen Lang said, “This place must be very familiar to you. To others, it’s worthless, but to you, it’s a place of great importance. Am I right, Mr. Xu Wensuo?”
Xu Wensuo could barely breathe, but he remained stubborn.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Still stubborn, even at death’s door. The hundred cavalrymen immediately formed a defensive perimeter, while Jin Zhong and Jin Hui took a dozen warriors and entered the desolate watchtower.
*Bang!*
They kicked the door open, and a black shadow shot out, trying to escape. But Jin Hui, a master of martial arts, easily grabbed the shadow by the neck and lifted him into the air.
*Swish!*
Startled, the black shadow pulled a poison dart from his sleeve and quickly shot it at Jin Hui, but Jin Hui swiftly raised his armor-clad arm to block it. Then, he struck like lightning, breaking the shadow’s arms and legs.
*Crack, snap.*
“Aargh!”
The man in black let out a bloodcurdling scream.
“No!”
Xu Wensuo also cried out in despair. Jin Hui stepped forward and pulled off the man’s mask, revealing a face full of fear and resentment. It was a very familiar face—Xu Wensuo’s son, Xu Zhan. He had been guarding the secret vault alone.
“What are you doing in such a dilapidated watchtower?” Jin Zhong asked.
“What’s it to you? Am I not allowed to be here?”
“Don’t waste your breath on him. There’s a secret door in the ground here. Start digging.” Shen Lang said.
A dozen warriors stepped forward and began to dig. Shen Lang didn’t know the exact location of the secret door or its mechanism, but he knew they only needed to dig about three feet down. After about fifteen minutes, having dug more than two feet into the floor of the ruined watchtower, a secret door with a massive lock appeared. Jin Hui stepped forward and struck the lock with his sword, but it was his sword that shattered, not the lock.
“This lock is made of a steel alloy; a sword can’t cut it. It must be opened with a key. If I’m not mistaken, the key should be on Mr. Xu Wensuo. It’s too important for him not to carry it on his person.”
Hearing this, Xu Wensuo struggled desperately, but Jin Zhong searched him thoroughly despite his thrashing. There was no key. Just then, Jin Hui’s eyes fell upon a pin in Xu Wensuo’s hair. Its shape was odd, and it seemed unusually heavy. He snatched it and threw it hard against the ground. The outer shell broke away, revealing the shape of a key. To think Xu Wensuo had gone to such lengths as to disguise the vault key as a hair ornament.
The key turned in the lock, and the incredibly sturdy black lock sprang open. Jin Zhong pushed the door without hesitation; it was thicker and heavier than expected. As it opened, a flight of stairs leading down into the darkness was revealed, connecting to an underground chamber. Jin Zhong and Jin Hui forced Xu Wensuo down the stairs and into the secret room.
It was pitch black. Jin Zhong lit a torch from a tinderbox, illuminating their surroundings. A moment later… everyone present was stunned. As soon as the torch was lit, an overwhelming, brilliant light filled their eyes, a reflection from the mountains of gold coins stored there. Not only that, but the shelves of the chamber were laden with chests of all shapes and sizes filled with gold, as well as various jewels, antiques, and paintings.
It was like a treasure vault from a legend. To think that Xu Wensuo, the estate’s bursar, had managed to embezzle so much over twenty-odd years. Jin Zhong and Jin Hui were truly enraged.
‘Xu Wensuo! When the old Count took you in, remembering you were a distant relative of the Countess, you were nothing but a penniless scholar. If the old Count hadn’t provided for your education, how could you have ever passed the civil exams and become proficient in arithmetic?
The clothes you wear, the food you eat, the house you live in, your wife and children—everything you have is a blessing from the Count’s Estate. And this is how you repay the Count of Xuanwu? You ungrateful wretch, you’re worse than a beast!’
Shen Lang found a ledger on a shelf. It was a journal detailing every sum Xu Wensuo had embezzled. It recorded precisely when and how much he had taken.
“Mr. Xu Wensuo, we have now found irrefutable proof that makes even your excuses useless.”
“Hah… Hah…”
Xu Wensuo gasped for air, unable to speak. A single question dominated his thoughts. The location of the secret vault was a secret he had guarded so closely that not even his wife knew. How did Shen Lang find out?
Xu Wensuo asked in a hoarse voice, “Shen Lang, I never told anyone the location of this secret vault. How did you know?”
His question piqued the curiosity of Jin Zhong and Jin Hui as well. The location of the vault was tied to Xu Wensuo’s very life; he would have done his utmost to keep it secret. How on earth did Shen Lang find it?
“Xu Wensuo, you even used the estate’s money to build this vault. In the ledgers from nine years ago, I saw that you embezzled ten tons of iron and purchased fifty pounds of steel alloy. In all those years, this was the only watchtower that fell into ruin. Furthermore, when I saw the records of over one hundred and thirty laborers being used to demolish the structures inside and outside this tower, I was certain it was all to hide your money here. Did you think everyone was a fool? You were foolish enough to tell me the location of your secret vault through the ledgers yourself.”
Hearing this, Jin Zhong and Jin Hui were genuinely impressed. To deduce the location of Xu Wensuo’s secret vault from such small clues in the ledgers—his intelligence was truly at its peak. In that moment, Xu Wensuo looked as if he had lost his mind. He pointed at Shen Lang and screamed hoarsely.
“What are you? A man or a demon?”
Shen Lang ignored Xu Wensuo’s ravings and issued an order to everyone.
“Load all the gold and treasures onto the carts and take them back to the estate. And don’t forget to bring this piece of trash, Xu Wensuo, with you.”
Jin Zhong immediately grabbed Xu Wensuo and started back.
“Yes, sir!”
Xu Wensuo’s eldest son, Xu Zhan, sat slumped on the ground, both his arms and legs broken, glaring at Shen Lang with eyes full of hatred.
“Cut off his head.”
Xu Zhan was shocked and said hoarsely, “You dare? The State of Yue is governed by divine law. Local nobles have no authority to execute officials, much less kill them!”
“You fool. If you die here, who will know? Once you’re dead, I’ll have your body burned and the ashes scattered at sea. No one will ever know you died.”
Jin Hui stepped forward, ready to behead Xu Zhan. But Shen Lang stopped him and said in a low voice.
“Wait, may I?”
He didn’t want to kill, but he felt the need to experience the cruelty of this world. Jin Hui looked at him with a brief expression of surprise, then handed his sword to Shen Lang. He held Xu Zhan down to keep him from struggling. Shen Lang took the sharp sword, touched it to Xu Zhan’s neck, and then, with a light stroke, sliced it open.
Seeing this, Jin Hui’s eyes narrowed.
‘Huh? The Young Master’s form when cutting a man down… why does it seem even more practiced than mine?’