The men from the regional supply office arrived before the morning meal.
There were five of them.
Two clerks, an armed escort, a records attendant, and a narrow-faced official who carried no baggage of his own.
Lin Han watched their arrival from the western storage yard, where he was helping repair a broken grain basket.
The official dismounted without assistance. His robe was dark, its hem free of the mud that covered the lower legs of the men accompanying him. He surveyed the compound, taking in the storehouses, the waiting carts, and the laborers already at work.
He did not look impressed.
"Who is responsible for these stores?" he asked.
Granary Overseer Han Qiu hurried forward.
"I am, sir."
The visitor handed him a wooden document case.
"Instructions from the regional supply administration. All accounts connected to the recent inquiry are to be examined."
Han Qiu bowed.
"Of course, sir."
"The original records, their copies, and the names of those who prepared them."
"Everything will be provided."
The official studied him.
"That would be wise."
Lin Han lowered his eyes before the man's gaze reached the workers.
He did not know the visitor's name.
He knew the kind of authority he represented.
An overseer could punish a laborer for failing to complete a task. A granary official could order inventories and restrict access to supplies.
But a man arriving with instructions from a higher office could demand explanations from the people who normally gave them.
And when officials were required to explain themselves, those beneath them often suffered first.
"Han!"
Overseer Gao's voice cut across the yard.
Lin Han looked up.
"Take those baskets to the eastern storehouse. Then report to the records courtyard."
"The records courtyard, Overseer?"
Gao scowled.
"Are you deaf?"
"No, Overseer."
"Then move."
Lin Han lifted the baskets.
He had spent the previous evening thinking about Wei Rong's widow and the fragment of writing she had shown him.
Three hundred shi.
East Ridge.
A replacement summary.
Now officials had arrived to examine the very records he had been trying to understand.
He could not decide whether that was fortunate.
Or whether it meant he was already too late.
The records courtyard had been cleared of its usual clutter.
Bundles of wooden slips lay on low tables beneath a covered walkway. Several document cases had been opened, their contents arranged by office and date.
Lin Han recognized Chen Yu among the clerks.
The young man was carrying a bundle of records from the inner office.
His expression was carefully composed, but he moved with unusual stiffness.
Beside him stood a senior clerk whom Lin Han had seen several times without learning his name.
The man was perhaps thirty-five, with a thin mustache and a habit of pressing his lips together before speaking.
"Place those here," the senior clerk instructed.
Chen Yu obeyed.
"Have the replacement accounts been included?"
"Yes, Clerk Qiao."
"And the copying instructions?"
Chen Yu hesitated.
"The instructions are in the office register."
"Then bring the register."
"Yes, sir."
Lin Han continued toward the courtyard's storage alcove.
Qiao.
He remembered the name.
It had appeared on several bundles delivered from the administrative offices.
Qiao Ren.
The senior clerk responsible for coordinating copies and outgoing records.
Lin Han had never spoken to him.
Until now, he had possessed no reason to remember him.
He set down the baskets.
"Laborer."
Lin Han turned.
Qiao Ren was watching him.
"Who ordered you here?"
"Overseer Gao, sir."
"For what purpose?"
"I was told to report after delivering the baskets."
Qiao looked toward the visitor from the regional office.
"Then wait by the wall."
"Yes, sir."
Lin Han moved to the indicated place.
He stood with his hands folded and his gaze lowered.
From there, he could hear almost everything.
That was not necessarily an advantage.
The visiting official introduced himself as Inspector Xu.
Lin Han did not catch his full title, but the clerks addressed him with enough deference to make his authority clear.
Xu began with the inventory registers.
He asked when the western granary had last been inspected, who had supervised the measurements, and which clerks had prepared the corresponding records.
Han Qiu answered carefully.
The inspector checked each response against the documents before him.
For nearly an hour, the examination proceeded without raised voices.
Lin Han found that more unsettling than anger.
An angry official might reveal what troubled him.
Xu revealed nothing.
He asked questions, listened, and made short marks on a writing slip.
At last, he reached the special dispatch accounts.
"Nine hundred shi," he said.
Lin Han kept his face still.
"Yes, Inspector," Han Qiu answered.
"Dispatched under the authority recorded here?"
"Yes."
"And the receiving acknowledgment?"
Qiao Ren stepped forward.
"Included among the copies, Inspector."
Xu examined the document.
"Why is this a replacement?"
"The earlier summary required preparation in a clearer form."
"Was it damaged?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Was the quantity incorrect?"
"No, Inspector."
"Then why was it replaced?"
Qiao paused.
Lin Han noticed.
It was a small hesitation, no longer than a breath.
But a man who handled records every day should have been prepared to explain why a record had been copied again.
"The replacement was ordered to consolidate the dispatch information," Qiao said.
"By whom?"
"The supervising office."
"Which officer?"
Qiao named a superior Lin Han did not recognize.
Xu made another mark.
"Who prepared the copy?"
"Chen Yu."
The young clerk stepped forward.
"Yes, Inspector."
Xu looked at him.
"You wrote this?"
"Yes, sir."
"From the original records?"
"From the materials provided to me."
"That is not what I asked."
Chen Yu swallowed.
"The original records and the instructions accompanying them, sir."
Xu studied him.
"Did you compare the quantities yourself?"
"I copied the figures as instructed."
"Did you verify the destination?"
"No, sir."
"Why not?"
"It was not part of my assignment."
Xu placed the slip on the table.
"A clerk who copies an error may spread it farther than the man who first wrote it."
Chen Yu lowered his head.
"Yes, Inspector."
"Remember that."
Lin Han watched Qiao Ren.
The senior clerk's expression had not changed.
Near midday, the inspectors ordered several laborers to be questioned about the movement of the old dispatch records.
Lin Han was among them.
He had expected it.
He had not expected to feel so unprepared.
A guard directed him into a small room beside the courtyard.
Inspector Xu sat behind a low table. A records attendant waited at his side, brush ready.
Overseer Gao stood near the doorway.
Lin Han knelt where instructed.
"Your name?" Xu asked.
"Lin Han."
"Your assigned status?"
"Penal laborer, sir."
"How long have you served here?"
"Approximately three years."
Xu consulted a slip.
"You were sentenced in connection with the unauthorized movement of state grain."
"Yes, sir."
"Did you admit the offense?"
"I admitted moving the grain."
Xu looked up.
"That is not the same answer."
Lin Han lowered his eyes.
"No, sir."
"Explain."
"I moved it under instruction. The judgment found that I had participated in an unauthorized movement."
"Did you know the instruction was irregular?"
Lin Han felt Gao watching him.
"I suspected it might be."
"And you obeyed?"
"Yes, sir."
Xu regarded him for a moment.
"Then you understand why records must be examined carefully."
"Yes, sir."
The inspector turned to the attendant.
"Record that he acknowledges the prior judgment."
The brush moved.
Lin Han kept his breathing steady.
He had been summoned to answer questions about the recent records, yet the inspector had begun with his conviction.
Perhaps Xu was establishing his credibility.
Perhaps he was reminding him that his word carried little weight.
Either way, Lin Han understood the disadvantage.
"Three days before Wei Rong's punishment," Xu continued, "you were assigned to clear a storage room adjoining the records office."
"Yes, sir."
"What did you remove?"
"Damaged baskets, broken containers, and discarded materials."
"Documents?"
"I was not assigned to remove official documents."
"Did you handle any?"
"No, sir."
It was true.
"Did you see any?"
"Yes, sir."
"What kind?"
"Bundles of wooden slips and dispatch tallies."
"Did you examine them?"
"No, sir."
Xu looked at him.
"You are certain?"
"Yes, sir."
The inspector leaned back slightly.
"Then how do you know they were dispatch tallies?"
Lin Han felt his stomach tighten.
There it was.
The question he had hoped no one would ask.
He could not claim ignorance.
The objects were recognizable, and he had already described them.
"From their form and markings, sir."
"Can you read those markings?"
"Some."
"How much?"
"Only familiar characters."
Xu glanced at Gao.
"Was this laborer assigned to clerical duties?"
"No, Inspector," Gao replied. "He carries grain and storage equipment."
"Yet he recognizes administrative documents."
"He has worked around them for years."
Xu returned his attention to Lin Han.
"Who taught you to read?"
"My mother, sir."
"Was she employed in an administrative office?"
"She served in a household where records were kept."
"Which household?"
Lin Han hesitated.
"It no longer exists, sir."
Xu watched him.
"That was not my question."
"I do not know the household's present registration."
The inspector made no comment.
For a moment, Lin Han feared he would ask more.
Instead, Xu returned to the dispatch records.
"Did you see a tally relating to East Ridge Station?"
Lin Han's heart struck once against his ribs.
He kept his gaze lowered.
"Yes, sir."
"Describe it."
"A wooden tally among the older dispatch records. One edge was darkened by moisture."
"Did you read its contents?"
"Only part of them."
"Which part?"
"The destination."
"Nothing else?"
Lin Han considered his answer.
He could lie.
But the inspector already knew he could recognize some characters.
And if Chen Yu had mentioned their earlier conversation, denying all knowledge might expose him.
"I remember a quantity, sir."
"State it."
"Six hundred shi."
The records attendant's brush stopped.
Xu looked at him.
"Six hundred?"
"Yes, sir."
"Are you certain?"
"I believe so."
"Believe, or know?"
Lin Han raised his eyes briefly.
"I remember what I saw. I cannot know whether the tally was complete."
Xu regarded him for several moments.
Then he said, "A sensible distinction."
Lin Han lowered his head again.
The compliment did not reassure him.
Inspector Xu asked several more questions.
Had Lin Han seen anyone remove the tallies?
No.
Had he heard instructions concerning their transfer?
Yes.
From whom?
A senior clerk, speaking to Chen Yu.
Which senior clerk?
Lin Han hesitated.
Qiao Ren stood somewhere beyond the doorway.
He could name him.
But doing so would place Lin Han directly inside a dispute among officials.
He had no protection.
No authority.
And no certainty that Qiao had done anything improper.
"I did not know the man's name at the time," Lin Han said.
It was true.
"Could you recognize him?"
"Yes, sir."
Xu made a note.
"Did the younger clerk answer?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"That the records were being gathered."
"Did he explain why?"
"No, sir."
"Did you ask?"
"No."
Xu studied him.
"You remember a great deal for a man who claims not to examine records."
Lin Han felt his palms grow damp.
"I remember what concerns my assigned work."
"Does the destination of military grain concern your assigned work?"
"Only when I am told to move it."
Xu leaned forward.
"And were you told to move the grain in question?"
"No, sir."
"Then why remember it?"
Lin Han searched for an answer.
He could not say that he had spent two days reconstructing the discrepancy.
He could not mention Wei Lan's fragment.
He could not reveal his conversation with Chen Yu.
So he offered the simplest truth.
"Because the quantity was large."
Xu said nothing.
"Large quantities require more work," Lin Han added. "I remember them."
The inspector considered this.
Then he nodded to the attendant.
"Record his statement."
The brush resumed moving.
Lin Han felt no relief.
He had answered without telling an outright lie.
Yet every answer had narrowed the circle around Chen Yu.
The young clerk had prepared the replacement summary.
He had discussed the old tallies.
He had acknowledged that they were being gathered.
And now Lin Han had confirmed that a tally bearing a different quantity had existed.
The inspector had not asked who benefited from the replacement.
He had asked who copied it.
Lin Han began to understand where the inquiry might lead.
He was dismissed shortly after midday.
Outside, the courtyard had become crowded with clerks and attendants carrying bundles between the offices.
Chen Yu stood near the records table.
His face was pale.
Lin Han approached cautiously.
"Sir."
Chen Yu looked up.
For a moment, he seemed relieved.
Then his expression changed.
"You were questioned?"
"Yes."
"What did they ask?"
"About the old dispatch records."
Chen Yu glanced toward the inspector's room.
"Did you mention me?"
Lin Han hesitated.
"I answered the questions I was asked."
"That is not what I asked."
Lin Han looked at him.
"I said you were present when the records were gathered."
Chen Yu closed his eyes briefly.
"Of course."
"Sir—"
"Did you tell them about the replacement summary?"
"No."
Chen Yu opened his eyes.
"Why not?"
"Because they did not ask."
The young clerk stared at him.
Then he gave a humorless laugh.
"You think that protects anyone?"
Lin Han said nothing.
Chen Yu looked down at the bundle in his hands.
"They already have the copy."
"I know."
"They know I wrote it."
"Yes."
"And now they know you saw an earlier tally with a different quantity."
Lin Han felt the words settle heavily between them.
Chen Yu continued, more quietly.
"Do you understand what that means?"
"It means the records disagree."
"No."
The young clerk shook his head.
"It means someone will be required to explain why they disagree."
He looked toward the inner office.
"And the person who gave the instruction may not be the person who is made to answer."
Lin Han had no reply.
Chen Yu stepped away.
"Do not speak to me about the records again."
"Sir—"
"Please."
The word was barely audible.
Then Chen Yu returned to his duties.
That evening, Lin Han was assigned to carry empty containers into the southern storehouse.
He worked without speaking.
His mind returned again and again to the questioning.
He had survived it.
That was something.
He had not been accused of theft, punished for reading, or detained for possessing forbidden documents.
But he had drawn attention to himself.
And worse, he had helped direct that attention toward Chen Yu.
He had not intended to.
Yet intention would matter little if the young clerk were punished.
Lin Han knew that better than most.
He had once obeyed an irregular order and been held responsible for its consequences.
Now he had watched another man approach the same danger.
He could tell himself that Chen Yu had chosen to prepare the replacement summary.
He could tell himself that a trained clerk should have questioned unusual instructions.
He could tell himself that he had merely answered an inspector's questions.
All of those statements might be true.
None changed what was happening.
The final summons came shortly before sunset.
Lin Han was returning from the southern storehouse when he saw two guards entering the records office.
They emerged with Chen Yu between them.
The young clerk was not bound.
But he carried no writing materials, and one guard walked close enough to prevent him from turning aside.
Qiao Ren followed at a measured distance.
Inspector Xu stood beneath the covered walkway.
"Chen Yu," he said, "you are required to produce the original document from which the replacement summary was prepared."
Chen Yu bowed.
"Inspector, I was given the figures to copy."
"By whom?"
"Under the instruction of Clerk Qiao."
Qiao Ren's expression hardened.
"I instructed you to prepare a proper copy of the account."
"Yes, sir."
"Did I instruct you to alter the quantity?"
"No, sir."
"Did I instruct you to change the destination?"
Chen Yu hesitated.
Lin Han watched from beside the storage yard.
The silence lengthened.
At last, Chen Yu answered.
"I was told to prepare the summary according to the materials provided."
Qiao Ren looked toward the inspector.
"You see the difficulty. He cannot identify the original record."
Xu turned to Chen Yu.
"Then you will locate it."
"Inspector, the original was not retained in my custody."
"Where is it?"
"I do not know."
"Who received it?"
"I cannot say."
Xu's expression remained calm.
"Then you will remain available until the matter is clarified."
Chen Yu bowed his head.
"Yes, Inspector."
The guards directed him toward the inner office.
Lin Han watched them disappear.
He had seen no arrest order.
No sentence had been pronounced.
The young clerk was merely being required to answer further questions.
That was what the officials would say.
Perhaps it was even true.
But Lin Han remembered his own conviction.
He remembered how an inquiry could become an accusation, and how an accusation could become a judgment.
He remembered Wei Rong kneeling in the punishment ground.
And he remembered Chen Yu's warning.
The person who gave the instruction might not be the person made to answer.
Night settled over Heiyang.
The laborers returned to their quarters.
Lin Han sat alone beside the wall, watching the last light fade from the courtyard.
He had learned three things that day.
The first was that the regional supply office knew the records disagreed.
The second was that Chen Yu had been ordered to prepare the replacement summary.
The third was that the officials conducting the inquiry were more interested in identifying the person who copied the document than the person who benefited from its contents.
Perhaps that was ordinary procedure.
Perhaps they were following the evidence as they understood it.
Perhaps Lin Han was imagining danger because he had spent too many years fearing authority.
He considered each possibility.
Then he remembered Qiao Ren's questions.
Did I instruct you to alter the quantity?
Did I instruct you to change the destination?
The senior clerk had not denied ordering the replacement.
He had denied ordering the alteration.
There was a difference.
Lin Han pressed his hands against his knees.
He could not prove that Qiao Ren had lied.
He could not prove that Chen Yu was innocent.
He could not even prove that the missing three hundred shi had been stolen.
But he understood something that troubled him more than the discrepancy itself.
The records had not merely been copied.
They had become weapons.
And the men who controlled them could decide whose name would appear beside the crime.
Beyond the wall, the night guards changed their watch.
A door closed somewhere in the administrative courtyard.
Lin Han listened to the sound.
Then he lowered his head.
For the first time, he wondered whether discovering the truth might be more dangerous than leaving it buried.