Chapter 57 - You Want to Help Us? (2/2)

That trick wouldn’t work for a second time, and Zhang Chong was no fool.

Yuwen Tong said with a serious look, “What about the station of the Tanyang Prefecture Guard? Are you familiar with the situation inside?”

“People like me are not allowed to get in there. We’ll be regarded as spies working for bandits and arrested if we approach that place,” said Ling Zhang.

Recalling what his Second Uncle had told him, Ling Zhang hesitated about whether or not to tell Yuwen Tong.

“You got something else on your mind?” Yuwen Tong noticed it with his sharp eyes.

“Two days ago, Zhang Chong submitted an application to the Imperial Court, requesting a permission to expand the station. And my family’s herb farm is the area he wants. If this is really a reasonable need of Prefecture Guard, Ling family is willing to give up this herb farm for free, but the station of Prefecture Guard is already far larger than it is supposed to be by the law. If he manages to expand it further, he will be powerful enough to revolt,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong briefly lifted his eyebrows, but there was no surprise on his face. “You think he’s going to succeed?”

“The Imperial Court has hardly rejected any of Zhang Chong’s requests these years,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong nodded, “That’s true. When something clouds the emperor’s judgement, he can’t even see fallen sky.”

Ling Zhang looked at him in surprise. Yuwen Tong casually criticized the emperor once again. Was he really not afraid that he would tell on him? Or did he believe that he wouldn’t tell on him?

“I’ll make sure his request is denied. Anything else?” said Yuwen Tong.

He agreed just like this with no strings attached? Ling Zhang could scarcely believe what he had just heard.

On the sight of the interrogative look in Yuwen Tong’s eyes, Ling Zhang collected his thoughts. After thinking for a while, he said, “Zhang Chong has been secretly buying ore from Jia family’s mine all these years, but I have no idea whether he’s been using it to forge weapons or not, because I’m not allowed to enter Prefecture Guard station.” Finally, the look on Yuwen Tong’s face slightly changed. He furrowed his brow and asked, “Jia family’s mine?”

Ling Zhang nodded, “It’s right in the West Mountain. Though it’s not a big one, he has bought a considerable amount of ore from it during the past couple of years.”

“Why didn’t anyone report such serious matter to the Imperial Court?” Yuwen Tong asked.

Surprised, Ling Zhang looked at him and said, “You think there are a lot of people who can get their words heard by the emperor? I don’t know whether or not Lord Tao has ever mentioned this in his memorials to the throne, but others… Tao Yi once told me his father, for several times, had suggested that the Imperial Court dispatched an army here to eliminate those bandits once and for all, but none of his proposals was accepted.”

Yuwen Tong coldly snorted and an aura of sharpness briefly surged out in a spontaneous manner.

Ling Zhang quivered and involuntarily slowed down his breathing. Not until now did he realize the reason why he hadn’t felt uncomfortable was that Yuwen Tong had been restraining his Qi all along.

“Yaoyi,” Yuwen Tong suddenly called.

“My lord.” A man in black immediately walked inside.

“Send a letter to the capital city. Tell them to make sure Zhang Chong’s request never goes into the palace,” said Yuwen Tong.

“Yes, my lord.” The man in black named Yaoyi replied.

Then Yuwen Tong looked at Ling Zhang and said, “Where’s the exact location of that mine you just mentioned?”

Ling Zhang didn’t answer but turned around to the desk, ground some ink, dipped the head of a writing brush into it, drew a sketch map of the West Mountain and handed it to Yuwen Tong.

“I don’t know the exact location, but it’s roughly within this area.” Ling Zhang poked a circle on the paper.

Yuwen Tong nodded and put it away.

Ling Zhang was a little puzzled as he saw Yuwen Tong put it away himself. Was he not going to send his men to investigate into it?

As if having read his thoughts, Yuwen Tong said, “I’ll investigate myself.”

Ling Zhang nodded, confusion and suspicion gleaming in the depths of his eyes.

Yuwen Tong was giving him a sense of security as well as this feeling that whatever he entrusted Yuwen Tong with would be handled properly, which was very different from what he had imagined. What was going on exactly?

Ling Zhang silently returned to his seat and sat down, his thoughts and emotions still in disorder.

…

“n.o.body? Why?”

In the Prefecture Guard station, sitting in the host seat, Zhang Chong questioned them in a slow voice, his eyes sweeping across a dozen men kneeling on the ground.

These people were the patrol that had arrested those herb farmers.

“Today those herb farmers have been staying in the herb farm all along. None of them went to the pond in the woods to get water,” the captain of the patrol answered, his head down.

“Those farmers go to the woods to get water every day. Why is today an exception?” Zhang Chong queried a man standing on the right side in the uniform of a deputy captain.

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