Great Zhou, the fourteenth year of Jinghe, the fifth day of the eleventh month. The snow had cleared.
The closing memorial for the Three Judicial Offices Joint Trial was submitted to the Directorate of Ceremonial early that morning.
In three days, Song Jing had uncovered most of the Southern Capital Ever-Normal Granary deficit case, from beginning to end.
Everything that could be established, such as the nine men, including the Granary Superintendent, who had stolen what they were charged with guarding,
and the grave suspicions surrounding Ministry of Revenue Vice Director Wu Daoqing's handling and clearance of the accounts, was set out in the memorial.
As for what could not be established, such as the accused transferred to the Fengyang Granary who had never returned,
or Wu Daoqing himself, who had died suddenly while being escorted back to the capital, Song Jing had likewise recorded the facts:
"No conclusive evidence found."
Was this because Song Jing did not wish to investigate to the bitter end,
did not wish to give the people of the realm an accounting?
No.
It was because, at this point, the investigation had reached its limit.
The Censorate.
Song Jing had barely closed his eyes when someone shoved open the duty-room door.
Wang Kan stood in the doorway, clutching a copy of the memorial,
his face flushed crimson, heedless of his crooked cap, scattered snow clinging to his hair and shoulders.
"Zhanzheng, you're here..."
"Teacher." Wang Kan walked in. "You... closed the case?"
Song Jing looked at him without speaking.
"For the grain case, the Ministry of Justice's finding was theft by the petty granary officials entrusted with its safekeeping.
For the Censor case, the Ministry of Justice's finding was 'no conclusive evidence found.'" Wang Kan's voice rose sharply.
"What does 'no conclusive evidence found'