A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1444: Proof and Account Books

Liu Hu lowered her head slightly. “I understand.”

According to what Song Luodi had said back then, although Fang Linhou was already dead, the accounts had still not been settled. To certain people, that case had merely been a business transaction. Fang Linhou alone held at least 20% share in it. After all these years, the amount involved was a minimum of several hundred thousand Taiping coins, perhaps even more.

As for why the man was dead yet the accounts remained unsettled, it was because the matter involved the Taiping Bank.

The Taiping Bank stood on equal footing with the Daoist Order’s Duzhi Hall and the Imperial Court’s Ministry of Revenue, overseeing the minting and issuance of currency while controlling the wealth of the entire realm. It was jointly managed by the Daoist Order and the Imperial Court, with a total of seven managers—three of whom were from the Daoist Order, three from the Imperial Court, and one from the royal family. Every one of these seven individuals held positions of immense authority. Their terms rotated every five years, though most had already served through several consecutive terms.

To audit the Taiping Bank’s accounts, aside from extraordinary circumstances where the Grand Master or the Emperor personally issued orders, at least 4 of those 7 managers had to agree. It sounded simple, but in reality, it was extremely difficult. The three Daoist representatives came from the Taiping Sect, the Zhengyi Sect, and the Quanzhen Sect, and they were hardly united in purpose. Of the three Imperial Court representatives, two came from the Confucian School, while one represented the nobility. Adding the royal family’s representative into the mix, this made the relationships even more complicated.

Zhang Wuliang representing the Zhengyi Sect, Li Changsheng of the Taiping Sect, and Yao Yi of the Quanzhen Sect were all extraordinary figures. The first two were the same generation as the Heavenly Preceptor and the Imperial Preceptor, while Yao Yi was Yao Pei’s father.

The shares involved in the major Jiangnan case were all handled through the Taiping Bank, and they were stored in anonymous accounts. Naturally, these were not solely Fang Linhou’s personal shares. They also included the portions distributed to his subordinates, though everything was collectively registered under Fang Linhou’s name. As for how the profits were divided among themselves, outsiders had no way of knowing. After the incident, Fang Linhou was executed, while his subordinates were either killed or arrested. The few who escaped by sheer luck dared not mention the matter again. Thus, the money still sat untouched in the Taiping Bank accounts to this day.

As a dignified second-rank Taiyi Daoist, Fang Linhou wielded immense authority and was burdened with countless responsibilities across the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion. He was hardly an expert in financial matters and naturally could not personally manage the accounts, so he had someone handling them for him. That accountant was Liu Hu’s nominal father.

But since this man was killed before the investigation began, he was ultimately never formally convicted. In the end, all the crimes were pinned on Fang Linhou alone.

This was precisely the point Madam Qi was making. Liu Hu could not be acknowledged as Fang Linhou’s daughter because Fang Linhou’s crimes had already been permanently established. Moreover, the case had been personally driven forward by Sage Donghua. So how could Qi Xuansu overturn a case handled by his master?

If Liu Hu were acknowledged as Fang Linhou’s daughter and renamed Fang Hu, then she would fail the background investigation and could no longer be considered of clean background. In that case, her future would be completely ruined.

But if Liu Hu remained as the daughter of that Daoist who died in the line of duty, then her background would be clean.

With Qi Xuansu and Madam Qi looking after her, she could easily become a high-ranking Daoist in the future.

Liu Hu understood the importance of the matter and did not insist. Besides, as an illegitimate daughter, she was not attached to the biological father whom she had barely met a few times.

Madam Qi was very pleased with Liu Hu’s obedience.

In truth, Madam Qi was an extremely domineering person. In the past, Qi Xuansu had also been obedient to her.

But now, Qi Xuansu had some status and no longer obeyed his mother on everything. Madam Qi was gradually losing control over Qi Xuansu.

Madam Qi continued, “The main reason we brought you here this time is so you can avenge your father. Whether it’s your biological father, your nominal father, or your adoptive father, all of them are inseparable from the first major Jiangnan case.”

Liu Hu nodded slightly.

Qi Xuansu added, “This time, Mansion Master Zhang of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion and I are determined to bring Li Tianlan down. We’ve already taken control of Li Tianlan’s Daoist companion, Gu Ying, but she’s extremely cunning and absolutely refuses to say anything about Li Tianlan. The situation has reached a stalemate.”

Madam Qi said, “But this is also an opportunity. Since Gu Ying has been captured and her situation remains unknown, people are already growing uneasy. If we add more fuel to the fire at this moment, there’s no way the flames won’t eventually reach Li Tianlan.”

Little Yin found the conversation boring and let out a huge yawn without the slightest trace of ladylike manners.

Liu Hu had already noticed Little Yin earlier and now asked, “Who is this little girl?”

Little Yin immediately wanted to snap back with something rude, but Qi Xuansu stopped her with a single glance. His meaning was obvious. If she were rude, he would send her straight back to Zhang Yuelu.

Using Zhang Yuelu to intimidate Little Yin was extremely effective. Little Yin was usually not afraid of anything, but she absolutely feared Zhang Yuelu summoning her back for a lecture. Nothing but Zhang Yuelu’s wrath could scare her.

Little Yin instantly reined in her temper. “I’m Yin Wanmiao. Everyone calls me Little Yin.”

Liu Hu said with a smile, “Hello, Little Yin. I’m Liu Hu.”

Little Yin replied reluctantly, “Hello to you too.”

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat. “Xiao Hu, don’t mind her. This girl is my adopted daughter. We’ve spoiled her too much over the years, so she can be rather unruly.”

Liu Hu looked slightly surprised. “Oh, wow. In the blink of an eye, you already have a daughter, Uncle Qi.”

Little Yin let out a soft huff.

Qi Xuansu returned to the main topic. “Xiao Hu, do you still have the documents related to that sum of Taiping coins?”

Liu Hu nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Good,” Qi Xuansu said. “With this evidence, we can finally break the stalemate.”

Liu Hu did not speak.

Qi Xuansu continued, “Once this case is concluded, I can arrange for you to go to Poluo if you want to train within the Daoist Order. Actually, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace may suit you better. It’s in Longmen Prefecture, where you spent the bulk of your life. By the way, have you taken the Daoist Grand Examination?”

Before Liu Hu could answer, Madam Qi interrupted, “Of course she did. I personally handled everything. Xiao Hu is already a seventh-rank Daoist now. But since I’m just a fourth-rank wandering Daoist, I can only help this much. If she wants to climb any higher, she’ll have to rely on you, Chief Deputy Qi.”

Before Qi Xuansu could respond, Little Yin suddenly perked up. “She’s still lower rank than me! I’m already a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist. Wait, no—I think I got promoted later to the third rank!”

Qi Xuansu looked at Little Yin. “Yin Dabai, you’re awfully talkative today. Have you even taken the Grand Examination? You didn’t even finish the curriculum at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. This is what people call favoritism and irregular promotion!”

“I don’t care. I earned this through military merit,” Little Yin shamelessly argued. “I also fought bravely and killed enemies.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Right. You fought bravely while getting beaten by the Fenglin monsters and screaming your lungs out.”

Little Yin tugged on Madam Qi’s sleeve, seeking support. “Madam Qi, look at him.”

Madam Qi had no choice but to speak up. “Tian Yuan, that’s enough. Why are you arguing with a child? Honestly, you’re becoming more childish the older you get.”

Qi Xuansu returned to the main topic again. “Truthfully, I’m severely lacking trustworthy people. I may have many subordinates, but they are merely subordinates, not true confidants. Xiao Hu, if you’re willing to come help me, I would welcome you wholeheartedly.”

Little Yin interrupted again. “I can help too!”

Qi Xuansu ignored Little Yin and looked toward Liu Hu. “Xiao Hu, what do you think?”

Liu Hu replied softly, “I am willing to follow Uncle Qi’s arrangements.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Very good. I’ll take you to meet Mansion Master Zhang tomorrow. Since Sage Qingwei is my direct superior, there are many matters that make it inconvenient for me to personally intervene, so Mansion Master Zhang must handle them instead. There’s no way around involving him in this matter. But before that, you need to explain the situation clearly to me. Back then, Madam Qi said I couldn’t interfere, so I didn’t probe further. Now that I finally have the ability to step in, I can no longer avoid asking about it.”

Liu Hu nodded and explained, “My nominal father, or first adoptive father, was named Liu Shiying. He was originally a superintendent in Duzhi Hall’s Jiangnan Daoist Mansion branch and a subordinate of my biological father, Fang Linhou. The first major Jiangnan case not only involved embezzling Daoist Mansion assets but also smuggling and illegal trafficking. Those involved jointly established a shareholding company. Each shareholder held differing amounts of shares according to their status and contributions, and profits were distributed based on those shares.

“The final outcome of the first major Jiangnan case was the execution of my biological father, Fang Linhou. He was officially declared to be the mastermind behind everything. But in reality, that was not the truth. Fang Linhou was merely a scapegoat pushed to take the fall. He personally held only about 25% of shares. He had already sensed danger ahead of time, so he transferred those shares in advance to Liu Shiying and instructed him to flee with me, preserving the Fang family bloodline. It wasn’t that Fang Linhou didn’t want his other children to escape, but rather that all of them were already being watched closely. Only I, a concealed illegitimate daughter, remained unknown to others.

“However, Fang Linhou never expected that Liu Shiying would also be silenced in advance by those people. Since his death was murder rather than suicide, the Daoist Mansion did not pursue charges against him. Before dying, Liu Shiying handed me the proof for those 25% shares and entrusted my adoptive father to take me away. Without that proof, the money could never be withdrawn. That’s why those people have been searching for me all these years and why my adoptive father ultimately met his end. In truth, my adoptive father was preparing to rendezvous with me in Liaodong. But someone within the Qingping Society betrayed him, leading to an ambush midway through his journey. Madam Qi has already dealt with that traitor.

“There is also an account book in addition to the proof of ownership. After all, those 25% shares were not solely Fang Linhou’s. Many other people were also involved. Every year, secondary profit distributions had to be made according to the financial records, which is why this account book existed. The original ledger has already been destroyed, but this is a duplicate that Liu Shiying deliberately kept. Some of the people listed in the ledger died during the first major Jiangnan case, while others escaped disaster by sheer luck and still remain within the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion today. The proof and the ledger should be enough to arrest them and bring them to justice.”