Uncle Li Lin handed the invitation to Wang Chong and left.
Wang Chong pondered for a moment, then he brought along 17,000 gold taels and headed straight for the Duke of Wei's Mansion. Unlike the Wang Chong Clan, the Duke of Wei had a wide range of businesses. He helped Ablonodan and Arloja gather a large amount of rations to transport to Sindhu in the west. Such a large project involved many aspects, and it wasn't something that Wang Chong could accomplish alone.
In this aspect, Wei Hao was much better than him.
Although Wei Hao wasn't powerful enough to make all the decisions in the Wei Family's affairs, Wei Hao didn't care. However, as long as it didn't involve Wei Kingdom's main business and it was just some insignificant matters, such as selling swords at the Bluebottle Pavilion, Wei Hao, as the young master of the Wei Clan, was still able to make the decision. There was no need for the Duke of Wei's permission.
Wang Chong didn't need the Wei Family to do anything. He just needed to use their network of business channels throughout the country to purchase some food.
Going all the way to the west, after a while, he saw a huge mansion. It was splendid and magnificent. On the signboard above the door, there was a black and gold word 'Wei', which clearly indicated the identity of this family.
This was the Duke of Wei's Mansion!
Even though Wang Chong and Wei Hao were childhood friends, they grew up together. However, Wang Chong rarely came to the Duke of Wei's Mansion. The reason was simple. Wang Chong's father, Wang Yan, and Wei Hao's father, Wei Yuan, did not get along.
When Wang Chong and Wei Hao were young, the two families had a good relationship. However, after Wei Hao's father was conferred the title of Duke of Wei, everything changed.
The Duke of Wei and his father were both very stubborn, and they often clashed with Wang Chong's big uncle, Wang Gen, in the royal court. As a result, the relationship between the two clans grew increasingly strained.
On the other hand, the relationship between Wang Chong and Wei Hao was not affected. Adults play with adults, and children play with children.
It was just that he couldn't go to the Duke of Wei's Mansion.
Duke of Wei's personality was different from his father's. Although his father didn't have a good relationship with Duke of Wei, Wei Hao was always welcomed to the Wang Family.
Wang Chong's mother would also smile and affectionately call him "Xiaonian" and prepare a plate of pastries for him.
In the Wang Clan, the matters of the adults would never involve the children.
However, the Duke of Wei was different. He loved the house and its crow, and hated the house and its crow. He didn't like Wang Chong's father, Wang Yan, so he didn't like Wang Chong as well.
That was also the reason why Wei Hao was placed under house arrest when Wang Chong caused a huge uproar!
The Duke of Wei had even sent word that Wang Chong was strictly forbidden from stepping foot into the Wei Family!
However, this posed no threat to Wang Chong at all. Wang Chong found a gate guard that Wei Hao had "bribed" and passed the message in. Soon, Wei Hao came out.
"Wang Chong, why are you here?"
Wei Hao hurriedly ran out. As he walked, his eyes were filled with surprise. In the past, Wang Chong would always go to the Eight Gods Pavilion to look for him, and he rarely came to his house.
After so long, this was the first time Wang Chong came to the Duke of Wei's Mansion.
"Stop wasting time and get on the carriage. I have something to talk to you about!"
Wang Chong beckoned him over and chided jokingly.
"Hehe, you came at the right time. I have something to talk to you about as well! "
Wei Hao said.
"Oh?"
Wang Chong was surprised.
The two childhood friends, who had grown up together, boarded the carriage, closed the door, and the carriage moved forward.
"Wang Chong, you asked me to look for a fellow named Zhang Munian. Tell me, why are you looking for him?"
Upon entering the carriage, before Wang Chong could say anything, Wei Hao had already spoken up with a grim expression.
"You found him?"
Wang Chong's body jolted, and his face warped. When Wang Chong was looking for Wei Hao, he had been smiling all along. However, at this moment, he retracted his smile and a grim expression appeared on his face.
Zhang Munian was an important part of his plan. To him, he was even more important than the Hyderabad ores and the Art of God and Demon Obliteration.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that even though Wang Chong didn't put much effort into Zhang Munian, he was the one whom Wang Chong was most concerned about.
"Un, I found him!"
Wei Hao nodded his head.
He had grown up together with Wang Chong, so he couldn't be any more familiar with the latter. He immediately sensed the change in Wang Chong's body, and his entire person turned solemn.
But even if he were to die, he couldn't understand why Wang Chong would place so much importance on an insignificant figure like Zhang Munian.
"But let me tell you this first. I didn't find him in the list of officials but in the Death Prison."
Wei Hao said grimly.
"Death Prison?"
Wang Chong was taken aback.
"Un. If that wasn't the case, I wouldn't have spent so much time looking for him. If I wasn't meticulous enough to flip through his name book, I might not have noticed him at all. — — This is the dossier I had someone make on him. Take a look. "
Wei Hao carefully took out a dossier from his bosom and tossed it over. The dossier was wrapped tightly in a yellow leather pouch. Clearly, Wang Chong had put in a lot of effort into it.
Initially, Wei Hao didn't care much about such things. What he was interested in was martial arts. But as long as this matter was entrusted to him by Wang Chong, he would definitely do his best to carry it out.
"Wang Chong, it's not that I want to criticize you, but this person's situation is extremely unique. An insignificant official like him actually embezzled more than twenty thousand gold taels. Isn't this a joke? Aren't you being too brazen? I believe you should know how the royal court deals with such corrupt officials. "
"This person has been marked by the Bureau of Punishments, and he will be executed soon. Once his name is on the list, even if my father is the current Duke of the royal court, he won't be able to get out. Even though I don't know why you're looking for him, Wang Chong, listen to my words of advice. Don't pursue this matter any further. "
"A person won't be sent to the Death Prison for no reason. There must be a reason behind the royal court's betrayal. Getting too close to such a person isn't a good thing for you or the Wang Clan! "
Wei Hao didn't expect that the person Wang Chong was looking for would be a death convict. He wasn't worried about him, but the Wang Clan had always been incorruptible, and Duke Jiu was highly respected.
Wei Hao was worried that if Wang Chong were to get involved in this matter, it would become an excuse for others to attack the Wang Clan.
Having grown up in such a noble clan, Wei Hao had seen too many political struggles. Thus, he understood a thing or two.
A tall tree attracts the wind. It wasn't a good thing for Wang Chong to get involved with a death convict.
Wang Chong didn't say a word. With a grim expression, he flipped open Zhang Munian's dossier and began reading through it. The Tang dynasty was a flourishing empire, and they were extremely careful with the approval of death convicts. All information had to be checked thoroughly before they dared to sign their names. As such, the information on Zhang Munian was extremely detailed.
"To think that he's already fifty-four."
Wang Chong looked through the information on the dossier. Zhang Munian was much older than he thought, and he was already nearing his twilight years. The dossier was extremely detailed on his embezzlement.
The evidence of embezzlement of more than twenty thousand gold taels was clear. Considering that he was a lowly official, the fact that he was able to take advantage of a loophole to embezzle so much was truly shocking.
This was also the reason why the Bureau of Punishments signed his name and sentenced him to death.
However, there were some suspicious points in the dossier. Twenty thousand gold taels wasn't a small sum. To an ordinary clan, it was a sum that more than a dozen households could spend in their entire lifetime.
Yet, despite Zhang Munian's embezzlement, there wasn't a single shred of gold on him. His attire was still extremely simple, and his food and drink were the same as his colleagues.
Other than that, when the Bureau of Punishments searched through his residence, they found that he lived in an old muddy house. Other than a rice vat, two wardrobes, and a bed, there was nothing else in the house.
The officials dispatched by the Bureau of Punishments were unable to find the twenty thousand gold taels even after digging three feet into the ground. No one knew where he had secretly buried it.
Even though the Bureau of Punishments had their doubts, in order to make an example out of Zhang Munian, as well as the fact that Zhang Munian had confessed to the crime, the Bureau of Punishments decided to sentence him to death.
At this point, Wang Chong finally understood the situation. Wang Chong's feelings toward Zhang Munian didn't change in the slightest. On the contrary, his desire to save him intensified.
However, Wei Hao wasn't wrong. Zhang Munian's condition was already set in stone, and his death was certain. Regardless of whether it was the Wei Clan or their Wang Clan, neither of them had the capability to rescue someone from the death prison of the Bureau of Punishments.
However, Wang Chong knew that there was still a sliver of hope for this matter.
"Looks like I can only look for The King of Song!"
A person suddenly appeared in Wang Chong's mind.
The King of Song was a member of the royal family, and his words carried great weight in the royal court. This was something that Wang Chong's father Wang Yan, big uncle Wang Gen, and Wei Hao's father Wei Yuan couldn't compare to.
More importantly, Wang Chong happened to know that The King of Song had a certain level of jurisdiction over the Bureau of Punishments. If he were to step in this matter, the outcome would be completely different.
"Wei Hao, you don't have to bother about this matter. I'll deal with it myself. "
Wang Chong kept Zhang Munian's scroll in his embrace.
"Un."
Wei Hao nodded his head. Thinking that Wang Chong had given up on the matter, his mood lightened up.
"Hehe, right, what matter do you have for me?"
Hearing Wei Hao's question, Wang Chong couldn't help but chuckle.
"Youngster Wei, it's not that I want to nag at you, but you got beaten up again, right? Why? Is that cousin of yours here again? "
Wang Chong chuckled as he stared at the red scar at the corner of Wei Hao's eyes. This scar was still fresh, and he had noticed it the moment Wei Hao boarded the carriage. Even though Wei Hao had tried his best to conceal it with a strand of his hair, how could he hide it from Wang Chong's sharp eyes?
Wei Hao's act was exposed by Wang Chong, and he collapsed in an instant.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I accidentally knocked against the door frame when I was leaving the house."
Wei Hao tried his best to conceal the matter. In the end, it only made Wang Chong laugh even louder.
"Here, this is for you. Take it back and study it carefully. Cultivate it well. "
Wang Chong took out a book from nowhere and tossed it over to Wei Hao.
"What's this?"
Wei Hao caught it with both hands as he asked curiously. After flipping through two pages, his face warped in agitation.
"Martial arts technique! Why do you have this! "
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