Chapter 351: Chapter 352: The Investigation Begins

Gu Wenheng took a sip of tea. "You think those are a dime a dozen? That I can just produce one whenever I want?"

He Nan’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. Although he had suspected this might be the case, hearing it confirmed was still a great letdown.

"An emergency at home?" Gu Wenheng asked. He was naturally reluctant to give away too many items from his ’space’; he and Jin Qianqian had worked so hard to cultivate them.

However, over the years, they had also occasionally received some valuable medicinal herbs. Their quality and potency might not match what their ’space’ produced, but they were still rare treasures.

"My grandmother at home has been relying on medicine to stay alive. The medicine pills made from that Centennial Ginseng you gave me last time are almost gone. But recently, even with our entire clan searching, we haven’t been able to find another ginseng of such an advanced age. That’s why I came here to try my luck."

Gu Wenheng asked, "Does it have to be a Centennial Ginseng to be effective?"

"Not necessarily. Anything over fifty years old will do, but the potency of one over a hundred years is much, much better." This was He Nan’s biggest headache right now. He didn’t know what was going on lately; even ginsengs a few decades old were out of stock at every apothecary.

Gu Wenheng let out a breath. "I do have one that’s about fifty or sixty years old, but its appearance isn’t the best. A hunter found it and wasn’t careful when digging it up, so a few rootlets broke off. If you mind..."

"Really?" He Nan was thrilled just hearing the first part of the sentence and paid no mind to the rest. "I’ll pay you a high price for it! I promise you won’t be at a loss."

Gu Wenheng said, "...You should take a look at it first."

After all, it wasn’t just missing rootlets; it also had a gash in it.

"I’m sorry to trouble you, Brother Wen Heng. Could you give it to me now?" He Nan just wanted to get the item back home as quickly as possible. Everything else could be negotiated.

Gu Wenheng turned and walked into the rear courtyard. In just a moment, he retrieved the poor-quality ginseng from the storehouse.

This ginseng was something Hu Dong had coincidentally acquired at the soap shop. The apothecaries had offered too low a price, so the hunter went around asking street by street. Although it was somewhat damaged, its medicinal properties weren’t affected, so Hu Dong bought it for a price that satisfied both parties.

"Take a look. The appearance isn’t great, but we had it professionally prepared. They said it doesn’t affect the potency." The moment Gu Wenheng placed the box on the table, He Nan snatched it into his arms.

He opened it for a quick glance, then promptly closed it again. "I won’t say thank you for such a great favor. I’ll personally deliver the Silver Taels later. I can’t stay for dinner, I have to go now."

With that, he turned on his heel to run out. Gu Wenheng quickly called out to him, "Are you planning to jog all the way home?"

Only then did He Nan remember he had already sent his driver home. "Could I trouble Brother Wen Heng to have your driver give me a lift?"

Gu Wenheng said, "..."

＆

"Weren’t we having a fish feast?" Jin Qianqian asked curiously, seeing only Gu Wenheng enter the dining hall.

Gu Wenheng explained why He Nan had come. "He seemed to be in a big hurry. He took the medicine and ran right off."

’I’ve given away quite a few medicinal herbs recently. Looks like I’ll have to stop for a good long while.’

"Then we’ll eat by ourselves," Jin Qianqian said, looking at Gu Benluo, who was already sitting obediently in his seat. "It’s been a long time since we’ve had fish, anyway."

Gu Wenheng walked over and patted the child’s head before sitting down next to him. He picked up his chopsticks and began to pick out the bones from a piece of fish for his son.

Whenever the family of four ate together, they preferred not to have servants waiting on them. They did as much as they could for themselves.

"A letter came from home today," Jin Qianqian mentioned as she ladled soup into his bowl.

"Is everything alright?"

"Nothing major. It’s just that the people who went back to move the graves and welcome the ancestral tablets haven’t returned yet.

Also, Second Brother and his family have built a new house and bought land. It’s just that Second Sister-in-law is causing some trouble."

"I could have guessed," Gu Wenheng said, continuing to check his son’s fish for bones. "The other brothers surely weren’t willing to just give him a share for free. Giving them some Silver Taels to help them get settled was probably a gesture to preserve their brotherly bond."

Jin Qianqian had long suspected this would be the outcome. That’s why when Gu Yuanmu and his family left, she had prepared some useful household items for them and tucked in a two-hundred-tael silver note. But she would not be giving them any more recipes.

"Actually, it’s not a bad arrangement," Jin Qianqian said, taking the other brothers’ side this time. "Even though the second branch isn’t allowed to be part of the tofu recipe business, they clearly got the better end of the deal. They have a house and land now, instantly becoming minor landowners."

Gu Wenheng looked up at her. "That’s only because Second Brother is a simple and honest man. If it were Third or Fourth Brother, the family would probably be in chaos by now."

Jin Qianqian replied, "...That’s actually very possible."

Gu Wenheng placed the piece of fish he had just deboned into Jin Qianqian’s bowl. "So, have you written back yet?"

Jin Qianqian shook her head. "I was waiting for you. To see if you had anything you wanted to add."

"You can just write back. It’s almost Mid-Autumn Festival, so you can send the festival gifts along with the letter."

Jin Qianqian said, "Alright! Don’t just look after us. You should eat the fish while it’s hot."

"..."

＆

On the first day of the account audit, Gu Wenheng hadn’t expected the first stop to be the Ministry of War.

Minister Cao had already placed all the account books in the courtyard early in the morning. With the men seconded from several ministries and the eunuchs sent by the Holy Emperor, the entire audit team was assembled.

Upon seeing Gu Wenheng, several little eunuchs, to the surprise of all the other officials, addressed him directly as "Teacher."

The Six Ministries had been discussing this Gu Wenheng for some time. Regarding his sudden promotion of several ranks, everyone felt the Holy Emperor’s reward was a bit excessive.

(This was because they were unaware that Gu Wenheng’s discovery of the corruption in the Ministry of Internal Affairs had been triggered by a hint in an account book.

Otherwise, Gu Wenheng’s recent days would not have been so peaceful.)

Ever since they learned Gu Wenheng would be joining this audit, they were even more eager to see if his legendary mental calculation was as miraculous as the rumors claimed.

The Minister of War, Cao Xiangqian, stood in the courtyard with a cheerful smile. "It’s rare for the Ministry of War to be so lively today, with so many esteemed officials from various departments visiting. We’re all just a bunch of rough soldiers here. If there are any mistakes in our bookkeeping, please don’t hesitate to point them out directly."

Xu Zhiwen, who had come over to watch the spectacle, did not mince his words. "So, Minister Cao, you finally have some self-awareness. You know your bookkeeping is poor, yet you didn’t bother to check it yourself beforehand. If you don’t set a good example right from the start, we’re in for quite a show."

Cao Xiangqian looked smug, tilting his head back arrogantly. "Thank you, Mr. Xu, for your concern. We may be rough soldiers, but our bookkeeper was personally appointed by the Holy Emperor. And every month, no matter how bad I am with numbers, I still force myself to study the ledgers for a few days.

We can’t do all that flowery scholarly nonsense you all are so fond of, but we have sincere hearts. We are diligent in everything we do and dare not slack off."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.