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The County Magistrate frowned in displeasure, but his attention was drawn to the bronze plaque swaying at the waist of the Old Soldier—a gilded waist token of the Jinyiwei. Although it had dulled over time, the words "Beizhen Fusi" were still clearly visible.
"Lead the way." The County Magistrate's demeanor instantly became respectful.
On the offering table in the side hall of the ancestral temple lay several oil-paper packages. The Old Soldier opened them one by one: the first package contained moldy official grain, the second held black powder used by the Zhou family, and the third...
"What is this?" The County Magistrate pointed at the reddish-brown powder in the third package.
"Why not take a whiff, my lord?" The Old Soldier sneered.
As the County Magistrate leaned in closer, he suddenly sneezed violently. "Spicy... chili powder?"
"Exactly what the Zhou family has been dumping into the canal!" The Old Soldier produced a ceramic jar. "This was intercepted from their hired hands."
Inside the jar were a few grains soaked in liquid, already sprouting dark purple mold. Lin Dahe added at the right moment, "Just like the spoiled relief grain from Yan Zhou Wei in the first year of Chongzhen."
Cold sweat beaded on the County Magistrate's forehead, and his official robe became damp. He abruptly turned to leave. "I just remembered I have official documents to attend to..."
"Wait and see, my lord." The Old Soldier blocked his path and unfurled a yellowed map. "This shows the trend of the western mountain veins; the Zhou family's mine has already crossed into our territory." He pointed to a dashed line. "Just three more feet, and it would breach the ancestral dragon vein of our county."
The County Magistrate's face turned pale instantly.
Before sunset, the Inspection Office's personnel retreated in defeat. As he left, the County Magistrate deliberately scooped a bowl of water from the spring and remarked meaningfully, "Better than the pre-rain tea offered by the Zhou family."
The villagers let out a sigh of relief, but Lin Dahe fixated on a newly appeared red dot on the system map—the location of the Zhou family's cellar was flashing, marked as [Key Evidence].
In the dead of night, Lin Dahe and One-Armed Veteran stealthily approached the Zhou family's backyard. The entrance to the cellar was hidden behind a pile of firewood, with a lock still bearing Zhou Liangzhang's ever-present sandalwood abacus.
"Strange," murmured the Old Soldier as he pried open the lock with a dagger. "There used to be at least two servants guarding this place."
With a click, the lock opened. A musty odor mixed with an acrid scent assaulted their senses. Lin Dahe held up a fire starter to illuminate their surroundings; inside the cellar were over twenty large boxes sealed with tape. The most recent box had already been pried open, revealing...
"Official silver?" The Old Soldier picked up a silver ingot for inspection and suddenly exclaimed, "The weight is off."
The system display automatically scanned: [Outer layer wrapped in silver, embedded with lead blocks, marked as 'Heavenly Revelation Year Seven Yanzhou Garrison Salary Silver']. Lin Dahe suddenly understood—this was military pay that had been embezzled years ago!
They continued searching and found an account book in a hidden compartment at the back. Flipping to the first page revealed records from Yan Zhou Wei in Chongzhen's first year regarding grain storage; however, on the last page was written "April of the Sixth Year of Chongzhen," detailing recent quantities of spoiled grain sold to various states and counties.
"We found it!" Lin Dahe pointed at a small iron box in a corner. The shape of its keyhole matched perfectly with half of Mad Old Woman's copper plaque.
Just as Old Soldier inserted the plaque into the lock, chaotic footsteps echoed from outside. A familiar female voice screamed, "It's in the cellar! I saw it with my own eyes!"
It was Aunt Ma! Immediately following was Zhou Liangzhang's furious shout: "Shoot! No matter what happens!"
The first fire arrow shot into the cellar with a whoosh, igniting fiercely on top of a wooden box. As Lin Dahe grabbed up the iron box and prepared to dash out, more arrows began to rain down like hail...
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