I inherited my grandfather's Tang Dynasty assets.

Chapter 13 Is Hu Shanren truly a good person?

Fan Tao pondered for a moment, then truthfully told him what he knew.

Chen Yue sipped his tea without saying a word, listening quietly.

"...My lord, that is the situation. Although Hu Dashan is a merchant, his virtuous deeds should serve as a model for us all. Even His Majesty the present has high regard for him."

According to Fan Tao, Hu Shanren was indeed a great philanthropist. What is most commendable is that despite his immense wealth, he remained deeply in love with his first wife, which is almost impossible in today's world.

Which of those wealthy merchants didn't indulge in pleasure, having multiple wives and concubines? Hu Shanren also spent a lot of money to buy many precious books and lent them to poor students for free, so he had a very high reputation among officials.

Five years after becoming a royal merchant, his reputation has been further enhanced, and even some court officials have to maintain sufficient respect in front of him.

That's why this matter has escalated to such a huge extent.

In the Tang Dynasty, imperial merchants and official merchants were two completely different concepts.

The former, through palace institutions such as the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Workshop, and the Imperial Treasury, obtained franchise rights to provide exclusive services to the royal family, directly serving the emperor's private treasury (the inner treasury) and palace consumption.

Meanwhile, government officials and businessmen collaborated with local governments to undertake public affairs such as military supplies and grain transport.

Once they become imperial merchants, their social status will leap forward, especially since their descendants can participate in the imperial examinations and enter officialdom.

However, the conditions are extremely demanding.

"Could it be that I was wrong?"

Chen Yue frowned and pondered. According to Fan Tao, there was only one possibility left: a vengeful ghost seeking revenge. Could it be that the Time Gate really wanted him to capture that ghost child?

Just as he was struggling with his decision, Liu Boyan suddenly spoke up.

"Brother Fan, do you still remember that magnificent pavilion in Chang'an from long ago?"

"Of course I remember. Why did Boyan suddenly bring this up? Yang Wanli, as an imperial merchant, sold inferior goods as superior ones and even poisoned the silk. He and his entire family have already been executed."

Liu Boyan hummed in agreement.

"The person who reported Yang Wanli in the past was Hu Shanren. The two were also friends for many years. After Yang Wanli died, Chen Shanren succeeded him as the new imperial silk merchant in the palace."

Fan Tao frowned.

"I don't quite understand what Boyan means. Yang Wanli has betrayed His Majesty's will and even tried to poison the current emperor. Such a treacherous merchant deserves to die."

It is true that Lord Hu was his good friend, but if it were me, I would certainly have put righteousness above family ties; this would have been a noble act.

Chen Yue finally understood that Fan Tao was clearly a fan of Hu Shanren and was biased towards him. However, Liu Boyan's words gave Chen Yue some new ideas.

He looked at Fan Tao and asked.

"Lord Fan, you just mentioned Yang Wanli. Since he is a royal merchant, why would he poison His Majesty the Emperor?"

"He was instigated by others. He was obsessed with Hu women back then, kept many Hu women in his home for his pleasure, and often went to the Western Regions."

Merchants are driven by profit; it must have been those barbarians who offered him beautiful women and great wealth, inducing him to do so.

Chen Yue raised an eyebrow.

"So, what you're saying is all speculation? Do you have any evidence?"

"After the incident, although the thief denied it to the death, the authorities found some letters in his house. They were written in Hu language. They were his conspiracy with some unscrupulous Hu people in the Western Regions to poison the emperor with silk and plunge our Tang Dynasty into turmoil."

Chen Yue couldn't help but burst out laughing after hearing this.

"Why are you laughing, sir? What was wrong with what I said?"

Fan Tao was somewhat displeased by his behavior. Was he mocking their government for its ineffective handling of the case?

However, with both witnesses and physical evidence, he believed there were no problems with the case.

"To convict someone based solely on a few letters and so-called accusations from some people—doesn't that seem a bit far-fetched?"

Chen Yue is now almost certain that the Hu family's case is related to the Yang Wanli case, and is very likely a revenge plot.

Yang Wanli was already a wealthy merchant, with a large number of wives and concubines, and a certain social status. How could such a person be instigated by the Hu people to poison the emperor?

He couldn't possibly be unaware that those silks would be strictly inspected after being delivered. Why did he choose to pass off inferior goods as superior ones that time, only to find them poisonous upon closer inspection?

Such foolish behavior is not something a shrewd businessman would do.

Hu Shanren, a close friend, reported him to the authorities at this time, and later succeeded him as the imperial silk merchant. There seems to be something wrong with this.

"Did the Time-Space Gate issue me this task so that I could clear Yang Wanli's name?"

But the world is so vast, and there are so many people who have been wronged. Why did the Time Gate specifically target the Hu family and Yang Wanli from back then?

Fan Tao, unaware of Chen Yue's thoughts, mustered his courage and asked in return.

"Sir, with both witnesses and physical evidence, why can't we convict him? Since correspondence was found in his home, how can this be considered a trivial matter?"

Chen Yue felt tired of talking to these ancient people and was too lazy to explain so much to them.

"When the emperor ordered the execution of the entire Yang family, did all members of the Yang family truly die? Were any exceptions?"

"Does Your Excellency mean... that the Blood Child is a vengeful ghost transformed from the spirit of the Yang family, seeking revenge because it resents Lord Hu for exposing their crimes?"

Fan Tao wasn't actually a superstitious person, but the way the Hu brothers died was truly terrifying, and there was no other possibility but that they were being haunted by vengeful ghosts.

"Whether they are human or ghost is another matter. I ask you, were any members of the Yang family able to escape back then?"

Fan Tao thought for a while.

"Back then, all thirty-one members of the Yang family were executed in the East Market. Everyone knows this, and no one was spared."

"No, there must be some omissions, and they are most likely hidden in the Hu family."

"What? Sir, how do you know about this?"

If it were anyone else, Fan Tao would certainly not believe it, but since it was Shennong Envoy who said this, he had to take it seriously.

With the two-week deadline fast approaching, and still no progress on the case, he was extremely anxious.

He can't catch a vengeful ghost, but it's a different story if a person is dressed as a ghost.

"I'm just guessing. So, don't spread this around yet. Maybe I'm wrong."

"Lord Fan, after you return to Chang'an, please investigate the situation of the Hu family's servants, especially those who have joined the household in the last five years and had the opportunity to come into contact with the Hu brothers, Hu Wenyuan and Hu Wenyuan."

What Chen Yue said was all speculation at the moment, without any evidence. Seeing Liu Boyan stammering and trying to say something, Chen Yue glanced at him.

"You have something to say, so please speak freely."

"Yes, sir. If it was truly Yang Wanli's family seeking revenge, why didn't they kill Hu Gong, but instead targeted his two sons? Furthermore, how exactly did they kill them?"

"Boyan is right. Forgive my ignorance, but I also cannot understand it."

Chen Yue put down his teacup and smiled gently.

"Who says revenge has to involve killing your enemy?"

This statement only confused the two of them further.

"Hu Shanren is already over sixty years old. Even if he were allowed to live, how many more years could he live? But if he were to witness his two sons die tragically on his birthday, it would be a case of an old man burying his young son."

Isn't it about revenge? You say his two sons are well-read and talented, so they must be Hu Shanren's greatest pride and the people he cares about most.

Therefore, killing both of them and letting Hu Hu Shanren spend the rest of his life in pain is far more cruel than killing him.

Regarding the methods of murder, in Penglai we have a term for it called "psychological crime," which simply means using certain methods to induce a certain illusion in a person, causing them to have an extreme fear of a certain thing or person deep in their heart.

Once the time is right, there's no need to lift a finger; simply unleash the deepest fear in someone's heart, and add some hallucinogenic methods, and you can kill them silently, scaring them to death.