There is a god in the sky

Chapter 362 Joint Trial by the Three Judicial Offices 3

How could his proud grandson, the grandson for whom he paved the way with everything he had, not be of the Yu family bloodline?

Xiao Ji discovered this information incidentally while investigating the case, but since it was unrelated to the case at the time, he didn't pay much attention to it.

Who would have thought that one day I would be using such a secretive method to threaten a poor old man?

"Did you examine your great-grandson carefully just now, Lord Yu? Does he resemble anyone from your Yu family?"

“He…he takes after his mother,” Yu Liangcai retorted, his gaze shifting.

"No, he and your grandson are cut from the same cloth; anyone with eyes can see that."

"No...that's impossible! You're talking nonsense!"

Xiao Ji stood up and said to him, "Lord Yu, think it over carefully. If you ever want to know the answer, you can exchange it for what you know."

He had only taken two steps outside when Yu Liangcai couldn't hold back any longer.

"Stop right there! Tell me, whose child is that?"

Xiao Ji sat back down, with a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone laid out in front of him.

Sui Feng unlocked Liang Cai's chains and forced him to sit at the table.

Yu Liangcai struggled to raise his hand, picked up the pen and began to write. At first, he only wrote down some trivial accounts, but seeing that Xiao Ji kept his eyes closed, he had no choice but to continue writing.

"That's all I know. I know what you're looking for. To be honest, if you want to bring down the Tong family, these accounts alone aren't enough."

Xiao Ji carefully read through what he had written and asked curiously, "How many years have you been the accountant for the Tong family?"

Yu Liangcai recalled, “Eight years have passed. I retired from officialdom long ago because of a leg injury. Lord Tong invited me to his residence to be the chief accountant and was willing to give my grandson a future. I gladly accepted, even though I went from being an official to a servant.”

"Do you know where those ledgers containing gifts given to the Tong family for the sake of their children's and grandchildren's future are hidden?"

Yu Liangcai's pupils contracted, and his body instinctively leaned backward, only to be firmly pressed down onto the chair by Sui Feng.

"It seems you know."

"I don't know! How would I know?"

“You sold yourself to the Tong family, and I believe Tong Xiuqing trusts you very much.”

The Tong family couldn't possibly accept every request, and the provincial examinations couldn't possibly sell that many places; therefore, any gift accepted by the Tong family must be priceless.

"I don't know what it is; such a thing could never pass through my hands."

Yu Liangcai slammed his fist on the table and asked excitedly, "I've written down everything I know. Tell me quickly, whose child is that...?"

Xiao Ji carefully put away the signed confession and wrote a name on a piece of paper.

Yu Liangcai was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

"How could it be him?" Yu Liangcai clutched his head and slammed it against the table.

He couldn't figure it out.

But once he was convinced that his grandson was this person, he became more and more certain that Xiao Ji had not lied to him.

Because his grandson does look like this person, but he just never thought about it that way.

The son once joked that he wanted his grandson to recognize this man as his godfather, saying that their faces showed a father-son bond.

Haha, what nonsense about father-son relationship, they are clearly father and son.

Yu Liangcai only has this one grandson. Now that he has learned this huge secret, even if the sky were to fall, it wouldn't be this bad.

He sat hunched over, his expression shifting from astonishment to anger, then to bewilderment, no longer knowing what he could do.

Xiao Ji let him stay quietly by himself until he finished interrogating everyone, then ordered his men to send them back to the Tong residence.

Sui Feng personally escorted him, and upon returning, told Xiao Ji, "Yu Liangcai escaped halfway."

"Oh, did the Tong family ask anything?"

"At the time, Lord Huang and Lord Dong were still present. They were convinced that we had detained the person, and my subordinates did not argue."

Xiao Ji nodded, "Yes, don't worry about it, let him go wherever he wants."

Xiao Ji organized the confessions in his hands, listed several of the most serious charges, and prepared to look for evidence in these directions.

Selling government-owned salt privately, seizing vast tracts of fertile land, and controlling the Grand Canal—each of these represented enormous wealth.

However, the Tong family's life on the surface was not extravagant.

Perhaps because Tong Yiwen set an example, the entire Tong family even advocated a frugal lifestyle.

So where did this enormous wealth go?

"The Crown Prince also has his own income. Even if the Tong family keeps assassins, they wouldn't need this much money, would they?"

"This doesn't even include the money the Tong family made from selling exam slots. Their ability to amass wealth is just too strong."

Xiao Ji led his men to the Tong family again, and learned that Lord Dong was taking stock of his property, so he went over to join in the fun.

The Tong family is such a large family, they even hold noble titles, and their wealth is countless.

After taking inventory of the warehouse, the assets were merely adequate, matching the Tong family's status, but not enough to warrant embezzlement or bribery.

"Lord Xiao, is there any progress on your end? How about you write the final dossier?"

Xiao Ji humbly replied, "This is my first time participating in such a major case, and I have no experience. It would be best if the two of you presided over the trial, and I would simply serve as an assistant."

"What's the progress?"

"These are just verbal testimonies; it will take time to obtain evidence."

"Then Lord Xiao, you must hurry, it will be dark soon, and we only have six days left."

Xiao Ji realized that the two were trying to smooth things over. If they sided with the Tong family, the evidence he had found would be in danger.

"Rest assured, my lords, I will do my best."

Xiao Ji parted ways with them and took a walk around the Tong family's residence.

Although Yu Liangcai insisted that he did not know where the Tong family kept their secret account books, he provided several suspicious locations.

Xiao Ji couldn't see anything unusual, so he had to go back and ask Shen Lan for help.

Shen Lan is quite skilled at finding things and conducting nighttime raids.

"Do you have a layout map of the Tong residence?"

When Xiao Ji saw this painting in Tong Xiuqing's study today, he knew it would be useful, so he kept it to himself.

He unfolded the map and marked those places.

First, there seems to be a secret room in the study of the main courtyard. Second, there may be a hidden compartment in Tong Xiuqing's rest room in the outer courtyard. Third, something seems to be buried under the old locust tree in the main courtyard, and it is unknown whether it is related to the account book.

Shen Lan said bluntly, "These are all places that an ordinary person could think of; they seem more like the excuse the other party used to deceive you, sir."

Xiao Ji had thought about it, but isn't this how ordinary people hide things?

"So what do you find suspicious?"

"If it's just about hiding the ledger, then such a thin thing should naturally be hidden in a place where you can easily take it in and out."

It's absolutely impossible for it to be buried underground; a hidden compartment is more likely.

If it were a hiding place for gold and silver treasures, especially a large quantity, a secret chamber would certainly be more suitable. However, based on my understanding of the Tong family, they wouldn't hide such incriminating evidence in their home.

She raised an eyebrow and asked Xiao Ji, "Have you forgotten that there is a safer place than the Tong residence?"

"You mean...Mount Jiufeng?"

"Of course, since that's Tong family territory and there are Tong family assassins there, it's the perfect place to hide things."

"I wonder how things are going with Marquis Pingyang. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, so it will be very difficult to succeed."

"No, Marquis Pingyang is a general who leads troops into battle, while the other side is just a group of warriors. When it comes to suppressing bandits, the general is definitely more capable."

Shen Lan memorized the picture and then had Xiao Ji put it away.

"I'll go and scout it out tonight; it might take several nights to find it."

"I'll go too."

Seeing his pleading look, Shen Lan resolutely refused, "I'll go with Suiying. You should stay home and wait for news, sir."