Guo Jitong

Lü Yi frowned, watching the man's movements intently.

"Boss, you can't stand here, you have to go over there and line up. The yamen runners call people based on who got in line first," the thug who was waving at him suggested to Lü Yi.

Lü Yi glanced over there and had no choice but to stand there.

After waiting for six or seven people, it was finally Lü Yi's turn.

With a solemn expression, he walked to the metal cabinet and felt around it for a while. He found that the cabinet was indeed as he had judged, a solid piece with no way to open it. The only place where he could hope to open the cabinet was the keyhole.

He crouched down and examined the keyhole carefully, but couldn't see anything. So he took out a small tool from his sleeve and probed the keyhole. He then tried several different tools.

Lü Yi's men watched him with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, hoping to hear the "click" of the lock opening.

Lü Yi was in his early twenties, unmarried, and had no family burdens. He was quite generous to his subordinates. If he received a reward of five hundred taels of silver, he could easily treat them to several lavish meals.

But even though half an incense stick had almost burned out, Lü Yi still hadn't opened the lock.

"Time's up. Next one," the bailiff called out.

Lü Yi slumped to the ground, utterly defeated.

Seeing the bailiffs urging and cursing, Zhou Guizi quickly stepped forward to help Lü Yi up and squeezed out of the crowd.

There were many people like Lü Yi in the capital. The iron cabinet was placed in front of the Court of Judicial Review for ten days, but so many people tried it and all returned empty-handed.

This matter was novel and had a huge impact. Ten days later, when the iron cabinet was taken back, not only did everyone in the capital know about it, but the news also spread to other places, and even people from other places knew about it. Wealthy merchants from Jiangnan sent people to inquire about how to buy the iron cabinet.

"Lord Zhang, was that iron cabinet you have developed by the Court of Judicial Review?" Guo Jitong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, went to Zhang Changshen to inquire about the matter after court.

Zhang Changshen glanced at him sideways. "Why are you asking about this?"

"Hehe, isn't it because I wanted to buy a metal cabinet? Although my family isn't wealthy, we still have a few land deeds. A metal cabinet is sturdy, so I feel safe putting things in it," Guo Jitong smile.

"There are safes for sale at the Baoning Pavilion on Vermilion Bird Street in the south of the city. Lord Guo can send someone there."

Guo Jitong knew that Zhang Changshen was an unyielding person who didn't take sides, showed no mercy, and was ruthless. Almost no one wanted to mess with him.

So Guo Jitong came over just to try and get some information out of Zhang Changshen, to find out whose iron cabinet it was. If Zhang Changshen didn't say anything, then so be it.

Having obtained an address, his conversation hadn't been entirely wasted. Just as he was about to take his leave of Zhang Changshen, Zhang Changshen said, "Lord Guo, don't blame me for not warning you. That's the Emperor's business. Go buy the cabinets, but don't get any ulterior motives."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and some of the officials walking beside them heard it.

Everyone couldn't help but exclaim "Holy crap!" in their hearts. They really hadn't expected that it was the Emperor's business.

However, everyone quickly realized what was going on.

Zhang Changshen is a stubborn man; no amount of money could make an exception for him during a trial. Only the Emperor could have gotten him to put up an iron cabinet in front of the Court of Judicial Review and cause such a commotion for so long.

"What are you saying, Lord Zhang? What wicked thoughts could I possibly have? Even if it weren't for the Emperor's business, I wouldn't have any wicked intentions," Guo Jitong, his face full of Gao Xing.

Upon hearing his words, someone scoffed.

Guo Jitong came from a poor family. Perhaps because he was terrified of poverty, he and his mother often scrambled for money to support their family. Whenever a shop was doing well, he would use all sorts of tactics, from gentle persuasion to coax a share of the profits.

But the capital city is full of hidden talents, and behind those thriving shops, there are always people lurking. He repeatedly reached out to those shops, and that's how his reputation for greed spread.

Fortunately, he also contributed capital, and his demands were not excessive; he didn't take a large share. If others were unwilling, he would let it go without forcing them or resorting to underhanded tactics. Therefore, although his reputation was not good, he didn't cause any major trouble.

Emperor Xiao Ge even reprimanded him once for this, but he restrained himself for a while, only to relapse into his old ways after some time.

Guo Jitong's greatest strength was his accounting skills; he was extremely adept at both mental and oral arithmetic. If he were to examine a problematic ledger, he would almost always find the answer.

Because of this, Xiao Ge didn't want to dismiss him or demote him for such a trivial matter. Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal, so he let it go.

After the court session ended, Xiao Lingyan followed Zhang Changshen at a distance. He naturally overheard the conversation between Zhang Changshen and Guo Jitong.

He looked at Guo Jitong, his face deep in thought.

Seeing this, Xiao Lingpu, who was walking beside him, was curious, but since this was not the place to talk, he said nothing.

The group left the palace, some getting into carriages and others into sedan chairs, all intending to go to the government office.

Once Xiao Lingyan the carriage, he whispered to Xiao Liuzi, "Have someone investigate Guo Jitong's next move."

Xiao Lingpu did not get into his own carriage, but followed along.

Then he asked, "Is there something wrong with him?"

Xiao Lingyan shook his head and remained silent.

Only after the carriage had driven away and distanced itself from the other carriages did he say, "I think that someone like Guo Jitong, even if he has some ability, could not possibly have climbed to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and held onto it so securely. He probably has someone behind him. And his greedy actions might be a cover, or he might be trying to achieve some other purpose, such as figuring out the relationships between the powerful families in the capital and those thriving shops, thereby understanding the strength of each faction."

Upon hearing Xiao Lingpu was startled.

When people mention Guo Jitong, they think of his greed and his reputation as a laughingstock, and they look down on him without thinking too deeply about his behavior.

This person is truly remarkable for using such a method to conceal their true intentions.

"Whose man do you think he is?" Xiao Lingpu asked.

Xiao Lingyan shook his head.

In fact, he already had a guess in his heart.

Zhao Ruxi had told him in detail all the events of that war.

At that time, the imperial court ordered the delivery of grain to the frontier, but the Ministry of Revenue of Revenue made a mistake and failed to prepare the grain in time. After ten days, the grain was finally gathered and sent to the frontier. However, just as it was about to reach the frontier camp, it was burned by enemy scouts.

When discussing this part of the plot, Zhao Ruxi and Xiao Lingyan both agreed that there must be someone in the Ministry of Revenue working for the Third Prince, deliberately delaying the delivery of the grain for ten days. Perhaps the grain was already defective before it even set out. Maybe to avoid exposing the problem, or perhaps to play along, they simply had someone impersonate enemy soldiers and burn the grain.