I, Sun Shan, and the Imperial Examination

The next morning, Sun Dali, Ambassador Cang, and County Magistrate Wang hurriedly reported the results.

With mixed feelings, Magistrate Wang said, "Sir, only one grain shed had mold and sprouts; the rest were intact."

The members who participated in the inspection were stunned by the result.

How come only one grain storage facility had an incident, while the others were perfectly fine?

If you want to exchange inferior grain for superior grain, please exchange for more, not just one type.

Risking discovery and execution for such a paltry gain is simply not worth the risk.

County Magistrate Wang was greatly disappointed, as there was only one grain pen, not multiple grain pens.

In contrast, the grain depot leader only saw one grain depot damaged while the others remained intact, thus reducing his responsibility considerably.

He stayed up all night, his eyes were bloodshot, but God was kind to him and he wasn't brought down.

The lucrative job of guarding the granary should be able to be preserved.

Sun Dali nodded and said, "Sir, only one grain pen has an issue; the other grain pens are perfectly fine, and the grain inside is safe."

Sun Shan and Zhang Shiye couldn't help but exchange a glance.

Sun Shan asked calmly, "Why did something happen at that grain depot? What was the reason?"

No one knew why only one grain depot had an incident.

They didn't understand that among so many grain circles, only one grain circle with problems was selected by Sun Shan for random inspection.

Is Lord Sun's luck really that unpredictable?

Ambassador Cang stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed to beg for forgiveness.

Regardless of the reason, the blame for "inadequate protection" cannot be ignored. The wrongdoing must be admitted first, and then leniency must be sought.

Ambassador Cang said anxiously, "Sir, I don't know the reason either. Something happened in just one grain pen."

He paused, then analyzed the situation: "Sir, perhaps during the transport, the grain got damp by accident. The servants didn't see it and still unloaded it into the grain pen. After a few days of fermentation, the grain sprouted and became moldy. Sir, I watch the granary every day and night. Trying to replace the grain is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

He glanced furtively at Magistrate Wang; this matter was probably not something Magistrate Wang had framed.

If someone really wants to frame someone, changing only one grain depot isn't enough; they should change several grain depots instead.

Firstly, it would ensure that Lord Sun would conduct a random inspection. Secondly, a sufficient number of grain pens would facilitate punishment. Thirdly, the fact that only one grain pen was affected seemed too suspicious, as it didn't appear to be something someone had deliberately done.

County Magistrate Wang also glanced furtively at Envoy Xue. So many grain pens were fine, why did only one grain pen suddenly break down?

Hmph, what tricks are they playing?

Sun Shan asked, "Guard Sun, what do you think of this matter?"

Sun Dali had been farming for over twenty years and knew millet intimately. He spoke frankly: "Sir, that batch of sprouted and moldy millet must have started a few days ago. It's not old moldy rice. It should be new rice."

The grain was stored in the warehouse within the last few days; it was probably still damp when it was brought in, or it got wet during transport, and wasn't carefully inspected before being stored. The millet was stored in sealed grain pens, preventing moisture from evaporating, which is why it sprouted and became moldy.

He paused, then added, "The millet sprouts are still very fresh, some are even about to sprout. There are also a few unsprouted millet grains that are plump and good quality. This batch of millet should have passed inspection before it was harvested; it got damp from the bumps and knocks along the way."

Sun Dali's guess was the same as Zhang Shiye's guess: both pointed to an accident, not human intervention, and there was no substitution of objects.

Sun Shan turned around and stared intently at Magistrate Wang: "Magistrate Wang, what do you think of Guard Sun's statement?"

When the venomous eyes of the mountain peak suddenly glared at him, Magistrate Wang was startled.

I really want to curse him out and tell him to stop scaring people all the time!

There's no cure for being scary, don't you know that?

Magistrate Wang, feigning composure, said, "My lord, Guard Sun is right. I agree with him."

There's no need to rush to replace the newly harvested grain with inferior rice.

Nowadays, committing crimes so openly and brazenly is something no one with a brain would do.

It seems that the workers were careless and got water on the grain while working. Before they knew it, the grain had entered the granary, where it slowly fermented and turned into spoiled rice.

Sun Shan then ordered Xia Dianli to bring in the two warehouse guards who were locked in the small dark room.

The two men were finally brought back to light. Upon seeing Sun Shan, they cried out desperately, "Sir, we've been wronged! We really didn't steal anything. We guarded the granary day and night, not daring to leave for a moment. Sir, we truly don't know why the bad rice in the granary was like this. Your Excellency is wise; please give us justice."

Seeing that Sun Shan was getting impatient, Xia Dianli shouted, "Shut up! If you keep making noise, you'll get a beating to quiet him down first!"

The two guards felt a sudden tightness in their buttocks and instantly fell silent.

Sun Shan pointed at the granary guard and asked, "Honestly, what have you been doing these past few days? Have you been in the granary every day?"

The granary guard replied hastily, "Sir, I haven't gone anywhere these days. I'm on duty at the granary when I'm on duty, and I go home to eat and sleep when I'm off duty. I've been on this road between home and the yamen every day, and I haven't done anything."

Recently, due to the grain requisition, grain has been entering the warehouse every day, keeping me extremely busy. I have no energy left to do anything else.

There were only three people in the granary.

The eldest son, Xue Cangshi, was responsible for bookkeeping and accounting. The other two worked shifts, one day and one night, which was very demanding. They were so busy that they could only rush to and from a wedding banquet because they were always tied to the granary.

Sun Shan then asked Shou Cang Yi to reply.

The night shift guard, Yi, said confidently, "Sir, although I'm on night duty, I also patrol every few days. I would never let any thieves steal the grain. Please, sir, do me justice. I really don't know why there's a grain storage area with bad rice."

Shou Cangyi felt truly wronged. Working the night shift every day was already difficult enough, but having to patrol according to the watchman's gong made it even more unbearable.

Unfortunately, stable jobs are hard to find outside. The reason he was able to work at the warehouse was because his late father had shamelessly begged and pleaded for it. For that meager salary, he worked tirelessly as he approached death, with no hope for the future.

Now, he is still locked up in a dark room by Lord Sun. Shou Cang Yi wishes he could cry out in pain and appeal to the upright and just official.

After comprehensive analysis, Sun Shan could only accept this result.

The fact that there was bad rice in only one grain depot is simply outrageous, and all indications suggest that it was not caused by human intervention.

But if a grain depot's millet is ruined, someone has to be found to compensate for it.

Sun Shan said coldly, "County Magistrate Wang and Granary Envoy Xue, you were responsible for putting the grain into the warehouse. Although this was an accident, it was mostly due to human negligence. You two are both responsible."

County Magistrate Wang: ...

He's in charge of collecting the grain; what business is it of his to put it into storage?

Ambassador Cang: .....

It's finally here, and I still can't escape being blamed!

In the end, County Magistrate Wang and Granary Ambassador each took half the responsibility and compensated the grain depot with good rice.

At the same time, County Magistrate Wang and Ambassador Cang were fined three months' salary.