Chapter 63.2 - Ledger
An Zi Ran sat motionless in the great hall with a look of contemplation on his face.
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Fu Wu Tian also did not move.
The servants did not dare to come in and bother them. Everyone thought that the young master was angry, so when they passed by the great hall, they consciously lightened their steps.
And then a person suddenly barged in.
The person came in running and breathless. Seeing An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian sitting in the great hall, the person couldn't help being stunned. Then he asked with surprise, "Lord, gong zi, how did you two know that I would come back today? I obviously did not inform you yet!"
Ge Qian An glanced at him and said coolly, "Dimwit."
Hidden resentment seeped through in Shao Fei's expressions. Couldn't he even express a bit of surprise?
Fu Wu Tian asked, "How is the matter going?"
Shao Fei's regained his composure, and then he took a book out from his sleeve. In a proud voice* he said, "If, I, Shao Fei take action, naturally the task will be successfully accomplished. I have already obtained the evidence. It is a ledger. Inside is not just a record of gong zi's father, but also many other people…"
[*T/N: 邀功 yao gong: to take credit for somebody's achievement]
After receiving the ledger, Fu Wu Tian handed the book directly to An Zi Ran.
An Zi Ran casually flipped through the book and found that it was a bribe book. Moreover, there were more than one or two officials that accepted bribes. If the contents of this book were spread, it was estimated that more than half of the officials in the Hong Province would lose their posts. At that time, it wouldn't just be a problem incriminating the An family. Would the prefectural magistrate of Yong Province dare to offend so many officials and bring this book to light? If he did not have a strong backer he would never dare!
Translated by Vanilla Muse
Seemingly knowing the doubts in his heart, Fu Wu Tian explained, "Jiang Zhong Ting is not an extroverted official. Behind him he has a strong backer. It is likely that this ledger was meant to be handed to that person. At that time, Jiang Zhong Ting will gain more than just the An family."
Accepting bribes have always been a corrupt phenomenon in officialdom.
Da Ya's notion of holding farmers above businessmen was something passed down from the former emperor. So Chong Ming Emperor also did not like businessmen. So businessmen and merchants had to do everything possible to bride officials to pave a path for themselves. The Chong Ming Emperor would like this point even less. So if that strong backer took this ledger up to the Chong Ming Emperor, it would definitely get the emperor's strong support.
"Who is this backer behind Jiang Zhong Ting?" An Zi Ran asked.
"The first prince, Fu Yuan Wu. Empress Zhang Sun Tian Feng is his mother. The current prime minister, Zhang Sun Cheng De is his maternal grandfather. With his grandfather's support, Fu Yuan Wu is a strong contender for the position of crown prince."
An Zi Ran's expression became unclear.
He did not expect that the backing behind Jiang Zhong Ting was so tough.
If Steward Su had not told him about the marriage contract at the beginning, then he would not have taken his sister and brother into the capital, and he would not have known that An Yu Zhi's marriage partner was actually Da Ya's god of war. He would also not have married Fu Wu Tian in place of An Yu Zhi. In that scenario, it was likely that the An family would die under his reign.
Thinking up to here, he couldn't help but look at Fu Wu Tian. "This ledger… What do you plan to do?"
Fu Wu Tian heard the probing nature of his question. His keen eyes narrowed slightly. "We can talk about this ledger later. It seems that there is someone who is of more pressing concern at the moment."
He was not wrong. Jiang Zhong Ting was so anxious at the moment that he was foaming at the corner of his mouth.
Guard Two did not see the contents of the book, but the person who gave the ledger to him told him what was inside. After the book was snatched from him, he was also unable to conceal the fact that he had been at that place, so he immediately sent a carrier pigeon to Jiang Zhong Ting. Then he hurried back to An Yuan County to meet up with Qian You Hao.
The shrewd Qiao you Hao immediately recognized how much benefits that ledger could bring them, so he sent two guards to monitor the An family right away.
Although it was impossible to determine whether it was really the An family that stole the book, their suspicion was the strongest, because the timing was simply too coincidental.
The next day, Jiang Zhong Ting personally brought people over to An Yuan County.
Jiang Zhong Ting is a shortsighted person. Although he was uncertain whether the account book was in An Zi Ran's hands or not, he still decided to take a risk out of desperation.
However, he was not an official of Hong Province, so before he could make a move, he must inform the prefectural magistrate of Hong Province. This way, he could justifiably mobilize his officers and men. After receiving the news from guard number two, he wrote a letter without delay, and sent it to Jun Zi City through carrier pigeon.
The other party from Jun Zi City responded very quickly.
When Jiang Zhong Ting arrived at An Yuan County, the reply letter had also arrived in his hands. Seeing the red stamp of approval, plus the token of command in his hand, his mood became very excited.
"Let's go, we are entering the county."
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