Chapter 362 - 345: Old Case

Chapter 362: Chapter 345: Old Case

In the main hall of the mansion.

The hosts and guests took their seats.

After dismissing the maids who had served tea and pastries, Chen Shouheng was the first to speak. "Lord Zhao, you’ve arrived so suddenly today. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Zhao Yuanhong gently placed a food box by his feet. "Chen Jieyuan, you are a straightforward man, so I won’t beat around the bush. I’ve taken the liberty of visiting because the events of last night have left me deeply unsettled."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Cao Danchen and the others before he continued, "I presume you all know what happened at the Captain’s Mansion last night. That abacus-wielding old man who suddenly appeared and fought Governor Zhou... who exactly is he? I must confess my ignorance and have come to seek your wisdom on the matter."

Chen Shouheng and Zhou Shuwei exchanged a look. A wry smile touched his lips as he said, "Governor Zhao, you’ve stumped us with that question. To be frank, my lord, we were just discussing this very matter with Madam Cao. As it happens, Madam Cao seems to have heard something about this person’s origins."

His interest piqued, Zhao Yuanhong shifted his gaze to the elegant, poised, middle-aged woman.

He had never met her before, but judging by her dignified air and Cultivation, he knew she was no ordinary figure. He immediately cupped his fist in salute. "Pardon my ignorance, but may I have the honor of knowing the lady’s name?"

The middle-aged woman lifted her eyelids slightly and coolly stated two words: "Cao Danchen."

Zhao Yuanhong’s heart skipped a beat.

Though he had never met her in person, that name rang like thunder in his ears.

The eighth daughter of the old Cao Family Patriarch. In the upper circles of Jiangzhou, she was a famously shrewd and formidable figure, known for her exceptional methods.

She was known for being reclusive, so he was surprised she had made a personal appearance for this auction.

And by the looks of it, she wasn’t even trying to hide her presence; she was sitting openly in the Chen Family’s main hall.

’What in the world is the relationship between the Chen Family and the Cao Family?’

Alarm bells blared in Zhao Yuanhong’s mind. "So it is Madam Cao. Please forgive my earlier disrespect. I have long heard of your great name; it is an honor to meet you today. According to Chen Jieyuan, you may know something about the origins of last night’s senior? I hope you will be so kind as to enlighten me."

Cao Danchen inclined her head slightly. "I wouldn’t presume to enlighten you. I was merely reminded of an old story that might be related."

After a brief pause, she began to speak slowly. "Eighteen years ago, a very powerful commerce association emerged in Yunzhou. They assembled a great caravan that specialized in transporting goods like tea, silk, and porcelain along the mountain roads from Yunzhou to Nanyang, making enormous profits. Later, for some unknown reason, they angered the Court and were crushed by a swift and ruthless crackdown, vanishing into thin air."

"When the Commerce Association fell and the Court was arresting those involved, it is said that a Grandmaster who wielded an abacus took action, rescuing a group of people who were meant to be exiled to the frontiers. Afterward, he vanished without a trace. Seeing that old man’s weapon and Cultivation last night reminded me of this old story. Whether or not he is the same person, however, I cannot say."

Cao Danchen spoke casually, but to Zhao Yuanhong, her words struck like a bolt of lightning.

The composure on his face shattered instantly, his pupils contracting almost imperceptibly.

’Eighteen years ago? The Yunzhou Commerce Association?’

Zhao Yuanhong’s expression flickered with uncertainty.

After several moments of deep thought, he raised his head and asked tentatively, "Eighteen years ago... Madam, are you perhaps referring to the Yunzhou Opium case?"

Cao Danchen’s tone remained nonchalant. "Perhaps. I am but a woman; how would I be privy to the inner details of a major imperial case? It’s all just hearsay, not to be taken as fact. You would do well to hear it as such, Lord Zhao."

Cao Danchen nonchalantly changed the subject, but her words had already stirred a tempest in Zhao Yuanhong’s heart.

’The Yunzhou Opium case!’

Even though he hadn’t yet entered public service back then, he had heard much about the political storm that had swept the nation and knew just how terrifying it had been.

The case had erupted eighteen years ago, shaking the entire nation.

According to legend, it began with several powerful Tusi in Yunzhou colluding with influential Noble Families across several states. They exploited the geographical advantages of Yunzhou’s remote, mountainous, and densely forested border to cultivate Opium—a plant strictly forbidden by the Court—on a massive scale.

The Opium Paste made from this plant could drive one to addiction and madness.

These factions wove a vast network. From the Yunzhou border onward, checkpoints, canal transport, and even State and County Government Offices were bought off with immense bribes, allowing the Opium to flow unimpeded and pour continuously into the heart of the Central Plains.

Many children of the great Noble Families became addicted to the Opium, squandering their family fortunes and bringing ruin and death upon their households.

The case finally exploded when its catalyst, the then-Southern King’s only son, became involved.

This Young Prince had become addicted to Opium and ultimately died from an overdose.

Having lost his son in his old age, the Southern King was consumed by grief and rage. He threw caution to the wind and reported the matter directly to the throne.

And so, a bloody storm that would engulf the entire court and country was unleashed.

The scope of the case’s entanglements was appalling.

From high-ranking ministry officials in the Capital City down to local bureaucrats, the number of titled officials held accountable alone reached a staggering five hundred and thirty-seven.

Even court officials as powerful as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review were found to have accepted enormous bribes to protect the Opium trafficking. They ultimately faced the confiscation of their properties and execution.

And that was merely the purge within the ranks of the Court’s officials.

Beyond the official court records, the local magnates and great Noble Families who had participated faced utter annihilation.

Over a hundred major clans were uprooted, including twenty-one illustrious Noble Families whose lineages stretched back for generations.

It was said that the silver, gold, and jewels confiscated from the treasuries of the purged officials and Noble Families alone were valued at over three hundred million taels of silver.

This didn’t even include the confiscated farmlands, residences, shops, and other innumerable assets that made up their vast family enterprises.

The sheer scale of it made it one of the most significant cases since the founding of the Dynasty, and its aftershocks are still felt to this day.

Zhao Yuanhong knew perfectly well that the core pretext the Celestial Sword Sect later used to persuade the Court to move against the Pig Emperor’s Hidden Emperor Castle was the accusation that the castle was still trafficking Opium. The sect had even found its ledgers, which was how they obtained the Court’s tacit approval and even its support.

At this thought, Zhao Yuanhong’s gaze involuntarily fell back on Chen Shouheng, who sat calmly in the host’s seat.

’Could it be... my initial judgment was wrong?’

’That the old abacus wielder isn’t the Chen Family’s backer at all?’

’Or could it be... that the Chen Family itself has some unknown connection to the Hidden Emperor Castle of the past, or even to those Yunzhou Noble Families annihilated eighteen years ago?’

But he dismissed the thought as soon as it formed.

He searched his memory; there had been no family with the surname Chen among those annihilated back then.

The Chen Family was local to Liyang. Zhao Yuanhong had investigated their genealogy long ago, and they seemed to have absolutely no connection to Yunzhou.

He had come today certain that the old man with the abacus had deep ties to the Chen Family, and might even be their hidden ace.

He had planned to humble himself, resolve their enmity, and secure a sliver of a chance for his own survival.

But if, as Cao Danchen claimed, the old man was a survivor from the Opium case eighteen years ago, connected to the Yunzhou Tusi and those vanquished Noble Families...

This only confused him further, leaving him lost in a fog of uncertainty.

’Why would the old abacus wielder suddenly appear in Liyang?’

’And why would he target Zhou Bo’an and me, two people who should have no connection to him whatsoever?’

’I had no involvement in the Hidden Emperor Castle affair. Logically, the old man and I should be complete strangers.’

’No, there’s definitely some hidden piece to this puzzle I’m completely unaware of.’

These countless questions threw Zhao Yuanhong’s mind into a state of utter turmoil.

Suppressing the panic in his heart, he pressed further, "Madam Cao, do you know any more specific details about this senior’s identity? For instance, his name, his appearance, or his specific role in the Yunzhou Commerce Association back then?"

Cao Danchen shook her head gently. "Lord Zhao, you overestimate me. I only know of these old events through hearsay; I know the surface of things, but not the reasons behind them. I have told you everything I’ve heard. I truly don’t know anything more."

Zhao Yuanhong cursed her inwardly. ’Sly woman.’

’Cao Danchen definitely knows more, but she’s holding back.’

Cao Danchen changed the subject, looking at Zhao Yuanhong with a faint, unreadable smile. "Lord Zhao, it seems Governor Zhou was injured last night? The Governor came all the way to Liyang, yet we have not had the chance to pay our respects. I wonder how his injuries are. If it is convenient, perhaps Lord Zhao could arrange an introduction so that we may visit and extend our greetings."

A muscle in Zhao Yuanhong’s face twitched. He forced a helpless smile. "Thank you for your concern, Madam Cao. Governor Zhou did indeed suffer some superficial wounds yesterday, but fortunately, it’s nothing serious. The Governor requires quiet rest and has given specific orders not to receive any visitors for now. When the time is right, I will be sure to make the introduction immediately."

Hearing this, Cao Danchen simply let out a soft "Oh." It was impossible to tell if she believed him, and she asked no more questions.

Her question, however, made the atmosphere in the room somewhat delicate.

Zhao Yuanhong naturally had other important business at the Chen Mansion today, but with the Cao Family party present, it was not a good time to speak of it.

So, he could only steel himself, pick up the tea from the table, and continue to sit there.

The air in the main hall seemed to freeze over.

Cao Danchen was an exceptionally shrewd woman. Her gaze shifted between Zhao Yuanhong and the Shouheng couple for a moment, and she instantly understood the situation.

’Zhao Yuanhong’s visit isn’t merely to ask about the old man with the abacus. He must have another objective.’

In a flash of insight, Cao Danchen made a decision.

She rose to her feet, a cool smile on her lips. "Young Master Chen, it seems Lord Zhao has important matters to discuss with you both. I still have some mundane affairs to attend to, so I won’t impose any longer. I’ll take my leave."

Chen Shouheng rose to see her out.

Zhao Yuanhong also raised a hand in a token gesture.

When they reached the mansion’s main gate, Cao Danchen stopped. Her smile vanished completely as she fixed Chen Shouheng with a sharp gaze. "Young Master Chen, this is far enough. I trust you will take my words today to heart."

She lowered her voice, but her words were laced with a bone-chilling cold. "Cooperation is built on trust. You, Young Master Chen, personally agreed to join forces with my Cao Family. I hope that when the moment arrives, you won’t waver or go back on your word. The Cao Family has always operated on a simple principle: show us an inch of respect, and we will show you a yard. But if someone thinks the Cao Family can be trifled with... Heh. I fear the consequences are something you may not be able to afford, Young Master."

Her words were incredibly blunt, bordering on a naked threat.

Although Cao Wenxuan, standing beside her, did not speak, her beautiful eyes also held clear dissatisfaction and doubt.

Chen Shouheng’s expression, however, remained impassive. He cupped his fist. "Madam Cao, you overstate things. Our cooperation is a matter of great importance; how could I treat it as a game? I will certainly take your warning to heart and will be sure to give you a satisfactory reply."

Cao Danchen gave him a long, hard look, and finally said flatly, "Let’s hope so. Farewell."

With that, she said nothing more, turned, and boarded the magnificent carriage waiting outside the gate.