Chapter 693 Investigate the Western Regions Chamber of Commerce
Five miles away behind the Doulu Army cavalry, there was a temporary caravan composed of five or six people. These people were veiled and led camels, always keeping a distance from the cavalry.
The captain was more cautious and immediately sent people back to investigate. A dozen cavalrymen galloped on their horses and pulled out long dust belts to surround the caravan in a circle.
The businessmen seemed very calm. They led the camels to a stop, raised their heads and pulled off the gauze scarf, showing a confused expression.
The caravan was pulling the restless horse's head, turning sideways from the horse and asking: "Where did you come from as a caravan, and where do you want to go?"
The leader crossed his arms and replied: "Captain, we are businessmen near Lanzhou City. We have accumulated some capital and went to Tingzhou to buy some leather goods."
The team leader's eyes passed over the faces of these people, and then scanned the goods on the camel's back, then he waved his whip and led the crowd and said: "Let's go!"
The leader watched the cavalry retreating, slowly loosened the reins, and unknowingly his palms became sweaty. He turned around and ordered the people behind him: "Let's slow down and stay farther away from the Hexi Doulu army.
"
His companions asked beside him: "Since the two of them are escorted by the Hexi Army, why should we follow them?"
"Don't say anything more. Our purpose is to ensure that the person named Xiao and the person named Yuan can bring the evidence back safely. There is no need to worry about anything else."
The leader loudly shouted to the rear: "Hide all the long weapons you are carrying. The next stop is Yangguan. Be careful and avoid moving your heads."
The horizon gradually extends forward, and a mottled, wind-eroded city wall stretches across the land.
…
Xiao Hua reined in his horse and looked up at the semi-military fortress in front of him. The flag of the Chamber of Commerce was fluttering in the wind on the top of the watchtower. On the crenellations of the earthen wall stood a few swordsmen with their heads wrapped, expressions on their faces.
He looked distantly and warily at the officials below and the Doulu Army cavalry behind them.
Yuan Zai untied the bamboo tube from his horse, took out the yellow silk cloth from inside, stretched out his hands and read loudly: "My disciples! Order Xiao Hua, a doctor in the Ministry of Punishment, to be the patrol envoy, and Yuan Zai as deputy envoy to thoroughly investigate the Western Regions Chamber of Commerce.
The civil and military officials in Hexi Province are not allowed to stop the case of monopolizing the trade routes and amassing wealth. The letter is as shown on the right, and I will abide by it!"
He rolled up the yellow silk, stuffed it back into the bamboo tube, and shouted at the top of his voice: "The Western Region Chamber of Commerce is waiting for us, why don't you come out to greet us."
As soon as he finished speaking, the gate of the earthen castle opened with a creaking sound. Several accountants wearing black gauze headscarves and Shu brocade robes led a group of laborers in brown clothes and knelt on both sides of the doorway.
Xiao Hua shook his horse's rein and moved forward slowly. He came to the people kneeling on the ground, lowered his head with contempt and said, "A mere merchant dares to occupy the land and build a fort. He really deserves to be beaten!"
Everyone lowered their heads, leaned on the ground with their hands and responded: "Please forgive me, sir."
"Get up, I'm not telling you, where is the leader of the Western Region Chamber of Commerce? Why don't you come out to greet him quickly?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other nervously and then lowered their heads.
Xiao Hua raised her voice and shouted again: "Where is the head of the Chamber of Commerce?"
An old man kneeling at the front raised his head and crossed his hands: "Your Majesty, the President of the Chamber of Commerce has left for the Indian branch a few months ago and will not be able to come back for a while."
"What about the vice president?"
The people kneeling at the front straightened up and crossed their hands to salute, but it was the old man at the front who spoke: "We are all vice-presidents, and we adopt the method of taking turns to be on duty. Today it is my turn."
"Then you will lead us into the accounting room and take out all the account books and signed contracts to check them one by one."
Everyone stood up and led Xiao Hua and Yuan Zai into the castle. They got off their horses and the grooms led their horses to the stables.
Xiao Hua raised his head and looked around. He saw that the fortresses, warehouses, main halls and other buildings where he stayed were all available. The laborers standing in the yard looked at the two uninvited guests with indifference and even malice. He lamented in his heart that these people were ignorant and for the sake of
They choose to join the thieves for a small profit. No, the people are so stupid, they only know three meals a day, and they will go to whoever can feed them.
His expression returned to indifference, and he took out a stack of seals from his arms and handed them to Captain Doulu behind him: "Seal all warehouses, goods, and property on the spot. No one is allowed to open the seals without permission before the identity is known."
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The captain frowned hesitantly and stood still with his right hand on the handle of the knife.
Xiao Hua said coldly: "If you are not willing to cooperate, then please leave."
The captain stepped forward with iron boots, lowered his head and took the seal from his hand. He immediately shouted an order to the soldiers behind him: "Go to the warehouse and the money bank, lock and seal all the doors!"
The soldiers seemed unwilling to move and even walked slowly. Xiao Hua could vaguely feel that everyone in this fortress was hostile to him.
The vice-president crossed his hands in front of him and said, "Please follow me to the accounting room."
They walked into the earthen building of the Chamber of Commerce's main building and walked along the wooden stairs to the accounting room on the second floor. All the account books and contracts were piled on the desk, like a pile of hills.
Xiao Hua grabbed an account book and flipped through it and asked, "Are these all the account books your Western Region Chamber of Commerce has had since its establishment?"
"Your Majesty, these are only within three years, and the rest have been transferred to Tingzhou."
Yuan Zai bowed his head in silence beside him. Xiao Hua twirled his beard and thought for a moment. He made a rare compromise: "Okay, I will only investigate for these three years, and you will still have nothing to hide! Brother Yuan Zai, you and I will each investigate for one year."
, there must be no omissions.”
Naturally, he couldn't trust others, so he and Yuan Zai rolled up their sleeves and got to work in person, opening the account books one by one and checking them. When they encountered any discrepancies in the accounts, they called the deputy leader over to question them.
"How could it be possible that from March to October last year, the goods distributed from your chamber of commerce were only 120 shi? We have checked the account books of Micha Gan, a wealthy businessman in Chang'an. He took over more than 100 goods from your chamber of commerce last year.
Two hundred shi! I’ll let you eat the rest!”
Xiao Hua's furious face had a hint of pride, and she sternly interrogated the vice-presidents of the chamber of commerce who had lowered their hands: "Don't think that you can hide this from me by cheating! We have already dealt with your suppliers before coming here.
We have thoroughly checked them all! I will bear this in mind! There are omissions in the account books here when compared with theirs. Someone must have fabricated false accounts and dared to deceive the imperial envoys! Even your eight heads are not enough to cut off!"
This thunderous shout scared several accounting clerks to the point where they knelt on the ground and kowtowed hurriedly. Only the old vice-president lowered his eyebrows and closed his eyes. He stood as firm and motionless as pines with his hands in his sleeves.
"What else do you have to say?"
The vice president slowly opened his eyes, sighed calmly and said, "To be honest, your Majesty, the account books here are all fake."
A serious smile appeared on Xiao Hua's face: "Where are the real account books now?"
The vice-president raised his nostrils with a hint of arrogance in his expression: "We don't dare to take out the real account books for the sake of the two envoys, lest we see something that you don't dare to see or don't want to see.
Doesn’t it put you in a dilemma?”
Xiao Hua was aroused, slapped the case hard and said angrily: "How dare a small market man speak arrogant words! Do you think you can scare me by bringing out a few people from the officialdom? Don't say it's you.
The Sima of Longyou Road, the governor, the military envoy, the governor, and even the imperial censor, King Li Siye of Xiliang are involved, I will investigate to the end and report your many sins to heaven!"
The vice-president crossed his hands, bowed in a pretentious manner and said, "Your Majesty, do you really want to investigate, do you really want to see?"
"That's natural, why bother talking about it? Get it for me quickly!"