Chapter 192: Conducting A Search

The two artisans that Constable Han had brought here used to be involved in the manor’s construction back in the days. Liang Yijie asked them about some details regarding the construction of the manor and also for information of any secret passages or basements. After that, he led the two the two artisans inside the manor to conduct a search, bringing along Yan Liqianq’s party, as well as some of the soldiers stationed outside.

Constable Han and the other soldiers remained outside. Naturally, a few bailiffs and constables had no right to search the Prefectural Governor’s residence.

Yan Liqiang could still feel someone’s gaze behind him, unobtrusively lingering on their disappearing silhouettes as they entered the manor.

Although he had finally found that person, Yan Liqiang couldn’t bring himself to be even a little happy. This feeling was akin to discovering a terrorist, yet having no way to expose him and instantly bring him to justice.

Yan Liqiang wasn’t that well informed on the White Lotus Society, and he’d also never come into contact with the organization before. However, from the news and information he had heard, the organization which planned to build this White Lotus Heaven was definitely an entity that wished for the whole world to plunge into chaos. In those places where the White Lotus Society stirred up trouble, their backbone was made up of the so-called White Lotus Army. They propagated slogans about building the White Lotus Heaven where everyone would be wealthy landowners, claiming that everyone was the rightful rulers of the world. They gained followers, tried to get everyone involved, sabotaged government offices, killed officials, eradicated influential clans, abducted women, and pillaged. Like a swarm of locusts, they engulfed all that stood before them, instantly turning the world upside down into a purgatory.

From everything Yan Liqiang had learned, the slogan of the White Lotus Society seemed to be a rather sensational one. Alas, a slogan would always remain a slogan. In the history of mankind, every organization that had a slogan which instigated people to create chaos often had a few ruthless figures filled with wild ambitions behind it. Organizations like these either failed or succeeded. In the end, only a handful of people would benefit from it. The socioeconomic structure of this world would still remain the same, and most people who believed in this slogan would often end up as nothing more than mere scapegoats or piles of skeletons beneath the ground.

Pingxi Prefecture was Yan Liqiang’s hometown where many of his families and friends lived. Of course, Yan Liqiang wouldn’t wish to witness such calamity befall his hometown.

Constable Han was nothing more than the tip of an iceberg when it came to the White Lotus Society in Gan Province, or more like just the Pingxi Prefecture. Yan Liqiang couldn’t help but feel heavy in his heart when he thought about the possibility of countless people scheming in the dark behind this man.

“Liqiang, you will lead this group of people to search in the courtyard and the rooms on this side. Apart from secret rooms and tunnels, you will also need to look out for any hidden compartments or the like inside the rooms. Lord Sun received some news and information which indicated that Ye Tiancheng might have hidden some sensitive documents here, such as the letters exchanged between some big shots in the imperial court and the Shatu people. In these past few days, Ye Tiancheng kept his lips sealed tight during his prison interrogations. He wouldn’t utter even half a word. No one around him knew where he’d hidden all those things either. Therefore, Lord Sun wishes for us to find everything he’s hidden here!”

After they entered the manor, Liang Yijie patted Yan Liqiang on his shoulder and whispered all of this to him with a serious expression on his face.

His words pulled Yan Liqiang from his worrying thoughts on the White Lotus Society, bringing him back to reality. Yan Liqiang took a look at the richly ornamented courtyards in the manor, then nodded. “I will keep an eye out for them!”

……

After allocating specific areas amongst themselves, Yan Liqiang led a few of Sun Bingchen’s guards, an artisan, and a group of soldiers, towards the left-side courtyard. Liang Yijie led the others toward the courtyard on the right side.

As soon as they entered the courtyard on the left side, they were greeted by the sight of a huge house. The entrance was shut, but there were no official seals pasted over the doors. Instead, the doors and windows were sealed by only two strips of cotton paper which resembled official seals. It was a little trick to ensure that no one would go inside before they officially seized the property for an investigation.

The soldiers and guards who followed Yan Liqiang inside already had their sleeves rolled up as they watched him eagerly.

“Let’s begin, everyone. Take care not to damage anything. Other than furniture, move out all the belongings you can carry. Look out for any hidden compartments or slots in the room or in between the beds and cabinets. Anyone who can find any hidden compartments or slots will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver!” Yan Liqiang waved his hand after he finished speaking. Like hungry tigers ready to pounce on their prey, he immediately led his group of people into every room and started the search.

Sun Bingchen’s guards and the soldiers didn’t know each other, so there was no need to worry about them colluding with the other to do anything. Besides, Yan Liqiang was also watching them from the side. Even if he wasn’t, he already knew what was inside the rooms of this manor. He knew everything Ye Tiancheng had done here. He also knew the location of the things which Sun Bingchen and Liang Yijie had tried so hard to find. However, he was not at liberty to tell or show them the location. That was because the hiding spot was just too ridiculous. Even if he could show them the hiding spot now, he wouldn’t be able to provide a convincing explanation as to how he came to know about it. Therefore, if they wished to find the things Ye Tiancheng had hidden here, he would have to use another method which would seem logical to the others.

It was impossible for a cunning person like Ye Tiancheng, who was adept at pretense, to possess no wealth. But even if he did, he wouldn’t stash all his money in this manor either. This manor hid real gold and silver, but their total worth did not amount to millions. Instead, the most valuable items in those rooms were some antique collections.

Yan Liqiang watched those soldiers and guards who were conducting the search from the side. They carried every valuable from the rooms and brought them outside the courtyard. In just a flash, the items in the courtyard were piled up like goods at courier companies.

They found money too, but not much — just two boxes of silver which made up a grand total of several ten thousands taels.

……

“Guard Yan, come take a look at this…” When Yan Liqiang was patrolling around the corridors, watching the guards and soldiers carrying every item out of the rooms, one of the guards immediately called Yan Liqiang over after a few of them barged into one of the rooms ahead.

Yan Liqiang actually already knew what was stashed in that room.

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Yan Liqiang walked to the room. As expected, he saw that after they barged into the room, the few guards and soldiers were now secretly salivating at all the items inside it. This was a collection room and every weapon rack in this room was holding a portion of Ye Tiancheng’s collections.

Ye Tiancheng’s collections amounted to over twenty items. Each and every one of them was a valuable object, and included long and short weapons. One sword in particular had been placed at the most conspicuous spot in the room. One of the soldiers was instantly stunned as soon as he unsheathed the sword, and he gathered the rest over to him. Someone had only called Yan Liqiang over after they noticed how unusual that sword was.

The blade of that longsword resembled a translucent green aquatic plant. The unsheathed blade gleamed and shimmered, casting a lush green light on the entire collection room. Everyone could see a strange big fish swimming within the glowing green blade.

The group of soldiers stared at the longsword, their eyes sparkling with awe. Even a fool could tell that this longsword was definitely a treasure.

The moment Yan Liqiang walked over, everyone who gathered there instantly handed over the longsword to him.

“Strange, why is there a fish swimming inside the blade of this longsword…? That’s really amazing! Did it gain sentience…?” One of the soldiers couldn’t help but sigh with amazement as he gazed the sword from the side.

Yan Liqiang accepted the longsword and carefully swung it a few times. This longsword, which had been spirit bound with the core crystal of a rare beast, was indeed a valuable treasure. He wasn’t an expert, but upon closer inspection, he felt that this spirit-bounded longsword still seemed to be a little inferior to the one in the Hundred Soldiers Tower at Divine Sword Sect. Despite the beautiful exterior of the sword, it still lacked that stunning aura possessed by the longsword he saw in the Hundred Soldiers Tower.

“It’s not that it’s gained sentience… The longsword was probably forged with the Spirit Binding technique…” Yan Liqiang feigned ignorance.

“Oh? What is this Spirit Binding technique, Guard Yan?” A curious guard at the side immediately asked.

“The Spirit Binding technique is the fusing of a weapon with a rare beast’s core crystal during the casting process in weapon making. It is a unique weapon enhancement technique. Blacksmiths who can master such a skill are highly revered figures in the Great Han Empire…”

“You sure know a lot, Guard Yan!”

“Haha, I only know a little about it from a book I read at the martial arts academy…” Yan Liqiang explained while sheathing the longsword back into its scabbard, then passed it to a soldier beside him. “Move all of this out and keep looking carefully for any hidden compartments or slots in the room…”

“Understood!”

……

Two hours later, Yan Liqiang’s group had already searched every room for any secret passages or hidden rooms. Apart from discovering some gold and silver, and a handful of collections, they also discovered some evidence of Ye Tiancheng’s extravagant lifestyle. As for the most important documents or letters that might have been hidden in any secret compartments, no one had managed to see any of it!

……

After they moved everything outside, Yan Liqiang joined up with Liang Yijie and the group he led. Upon seeing the expression on Liang Yijie’s face, Yan Liqiang knew that the result of his search over on that side wasn’t much different than his side.

They exchanged a glance with each other. When Yan Liqiang shook his head at him, Liang Yijie instantly frowned. “Bring your group to search over at my side again while I bring mine to search your side. We will conduct the search again to see if we overlooked anything!”

“Alright!”

An hour later, both parties met up again without making any new discoveries.

“Well then, load everything onto the carriage and bring them back to the warehouse for an inventory check. We will return first to report to Lord Sun…” Liang Yijie finally said without a choice.

“Wait a minute, Brother Liang…” Yan Liqiang leaned his head toward Liang Yijie’s ear then whispered something softly.

Liang Yijie laughed. “Sure, how thoughtful of you! There should be no harm in rewarding them with some silver. This must be what Lord Sun meant by ‘what is taken from the people is used in the interest of the people’…”

Every participating soldier and guard received ten taels of silver each, military officers received fifty taels, and even the artisans who showed the group around also received ten taels of silver. The few soldiers, bailiffs, and constables who stood guard outside also received some silver. Nobody was left out. When everyone received a share of the silver, they were jumping in joy.

In the end, the belongings and collections they found in the manor were loaded onto more than ten carriages. The soldiers who were guarding the place were asked to continue guarding the courtyard to deny others from entering. Liang Yijie and Yan Liqiang led their people back to Pingxi City with all the items they seized in tow…