Chapter Fifty-Five: The Corrupt Accounts of the County Magistrate of Zheng

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This time, sneaking into the Zheng residence under cover of night, Li Zhao’s original intent was to find an opportunity to eliminate the County Deputy Zheng. In doing so, he would both avenge himself and rid the people of Wu'an County of a great scourge—a deed of immeasurable merit.

Yet that old fox was far too cautious. No matter where he went, he was always accompanied by guards, leaving Li Zhao with no chance to make his move.

Still, Li Zhao had observed closely: after accepting a bribe, County Deputy Zheng would write something in a ledger. That ledger must be a record of illicit dealings—a black book containing evidence of many unlawful acts. If he could get his hands on it, he would have the old fox by the tail; it would not be difficult then to bring him to ruin.

“Hm?”

Li Zhao pushed at the back window, but it was tightly sealed and would not budge. The only option was the front door, but that wasn’t an easy path either.

The old fox understood the importance of his study and had deliberately left two guards on night watch.

In the depths of winter, with the cold biting, the guards didn’t stand foolishly at the door. Instead, they had retreated into a small side room, enjoying a few dishes and a jar of wine, eating and drinking with great cheer.

“Master, what should we do?”

“It’s simple—lure them away, and slip something into their food and drink to ensure a deep sleep. Do you understand?”

“Understood!”

With a slight nod, the White Day Rat crept silently to the shadowy side of the small room, concealing himself perfectly.

Li Zhao picked up a small stone and flicked it forcefully at a large tree in the center of the courtyard, producing a moderate collision—“thud!”

“Brother, there’s a sound in the courtyard, let’s go check.”

“Probably a stray cat. Don’t be so paranoid. Let’s keep drinking.”

“Forget drinking, let’s take a look. What if it’s a thief?”

The door to the small room opened. The Niu brothers emerged, one holding a lantern, the other a weapon, searching toward the center of the courtyard.

Seizing the opportunity, the White Day Rat darted into the small room, poured a packet of sleeping powder into the wine jar, stirred briefly, and withdrew just as swiftly back into the shadows. The whole process took less than ten breaths.

A little while later, the Niu brothers returned empty-handed.

“See, I told you there’s nothing. This is the residence of the County Deputy—who’d dare steal here unless they were tired of living?”

“I suppose I was too cautious. Come on, let’s drink. This Erguotou is marvelous, warms the body and doesn’t cloud the mind.”

“Alright, let’s drink!”

The brothers returned to their room, resumed eating and drinking—and soon, the sound of snoring could be heard.

Success!

Li Zhao and the White Day Rat emerged from the shadows, swiftly approaching the study. A bronze lock hung from the wooden door; this would be easy to deal with.

The White Day Rat produced a slender steel rod, worked the lock’s mechanism, and in moments the bronze lock was undone. As he pushed the door open and prepared to step inside, Li Zhao stopped him.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

“Be careful—watch your step!”

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“My step? There’s nothing... Ah! That old fox is truly cunning!”

The White Day Rat glanced down, at first seeing nothing amiss. But under the bright moonlight, a closer look sent a cold sweat down his back.

Before leaving the study, County Deputy Zheng had sprinkled a thin layer of incense ash at the threshold. Anyone entering would leave footprints, revealing their presence.

Fortunately, Li Zhao was alert and detected the trap before falling into it.

Now, how to enter without leaving traces? Simple!

Li Zhao stepped back a few paces, then, with a swift dash, performed a deft forward roll into the study, landing silently and agile as a wildcat.

The White Day Rat followed suit, entering smoothly.

They closed the door behind them, and by the faint moonlight filtering through the window, began searching the study—nothing on the desk, nothing on the shelves, nothing in the cabinets.

They searched the entire room, but the black ledger was nowhere to be found. Yet Li Zhao had seen County Deputy Zheng take it into the inner chamber—how could it be missing?

Li Zhao and the White Day Rat exchanged a glance, both thinking the same word: secret room.

Officials and wealthy landlords often built secret chambers in their homes to store valuables or conduct affairs they wished to keep hidden from the world. With Zheng’s cunning, his study surely contained such a room.

They began a more meticulous search, and indeed, behind the rosewood bookshelf, they discovered a hidden door.

The door was made of ironwood, famed in the south for its hardness rivaling steel. A layer of whitewash blended it seamlessly into the wall, explaining why it had gone unnoticed earlier.

More daunting still, a large dog-head lock hung from the door—a special lock shaped like a dog’s head, its mechanism comprised of two rows of sturdy teeth clamped tightly together. Without a key, it was nearly impossible to open. Worse, the lock concealed a trap; if opened incorrectly, blades would spring out and sever the fingers of the would-be thief.

Dog-head locks were difficult and expensive to make, usually reserved for government treasuries or armories. That County Deputy Zheng possessed one suggested he had appropriated it for personal use.

“White Day Rat, can you open it?”

“I can, but it’ll take some work—at least two hours!”

“Two hours?”

It was already the third watch; two hours hence would bring the fifth watch, the dawn. Even if they managed to open the secret door and retrieve its contents, they might not escape the Zheng estate in time.

Would their efforts be for naught?

“Ha! No need to worry, Master. Opening the dog-head lock would take two hours, but entering the secret room only requires the time it takes to burn two incense sticks.”

“How so?”

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“Simple—just remove the door. Afterwards, I’ll put it back in place. With my skills, I guarantee not a trace will remain.”

A door consists of frame, hinge, leaf, pin, and lock. If any part fails, the whole door’s function is compromised. The Zheng household had focused on the leaf and lock, neglecting the pin and hinge—the former supports the hinge, the latter fixes the door in place.

The White Day Rat produced a cloth pouch containing an assortment of knives, chisels, hammers, and other curious tools, and set to work on the secret door.

There are masters in every field, and the White Day Rat’s prowess in lock-picking was of ancestral caliber, though his martial skills were woefully lacking.

In less time than it took to burn two incense sticks, he had dismantled the pin and hinge. Without these, the secret door was effectively useless. Seeing this, Li Zhao couldn’t help but raise his thumb in admiration, silently thankful for recruiting such a companion.

Those skilled in petty theft and trickery often help accomplish great deeds; the ancients were not wrong.

The secret room lay below ground. With a tinderbox, they descended by the dim light, entering a chamber ten feet square and eight feet high, its walls of sturdy blue brick.

Inside, treasures were piled high—pearls, jade, coral, gold ingots, silver ingots—glittering under the flickering light, dazzling to the eye.

Clearly, these riches had been amassed over years, plundered from the people by County Deputy Zheng abusing his power. Many families had been ruined, countless souls had died in injustice for these treasures—crimes that cried out to heaven.

In a corner stood a large chest of gold bricks, each weighing five pounds and engraved with the character for “tribute”—tribute gold!

It turned out that the Zhongnan Mountains yielded high-quality gold, mined and cast into bricks, then sent to Chang’an as tribute for the imperial household. Even tribute gold was embezzled; this alone was enough to condemn County Deputy Zheng’s entire family.

“Master, in my lifetime I’ve never seen so much gold and jewels combined—shall we take a few valuables?”

“No. The old fox treasures his wealth, surely checking frequently. Even the loss of a single silver ingot would alert him, and if he became wary, all our efforts would be wasted.”

“So much treasure, and we can’t take a thing—how agonizing… Ugh!”

“Patience. Small sacrifices serve great plans. I promise you, in the future you’ll possess ten or a hundred times as much, counting so much money your hands will ache!”

“Yes, Master… I’ll endure!”

Even the most upright man would feel greed at the sight of such riches; how much more so a master thief, who would itch all over like a cat tempted by salted fish.

Fortunately, the White Day Rat’s willpower held; he bit his tongue several times and managed to restrain himself.

More importantly, he had unwavering faith in Li Zhao’s words—there would be plenty of wealth in the future. Then, he could sleep wrapped in gold every night.

Calm restored, the two began searching for the black ledger, but after a thorough search, it was nowhere to be found. What could this mean?

Was the ledger not hidden in this secret room?

Or was there another hidden chamber in the study?