Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 453: Arrogant at first but respectful later, it makes people laugh!

Meishan County Government Office.

County Magistrate Chen Zhiyi frowned and looked at the yamen runner, saying, "Didn't find the person?"

The yamen runner said quickly, "The murder happened last night. When Su He found out, it was already past breakfast time. If we had sent someone to the county, Su Guo would have already run away! It's not that my subordinates didn't react quickly."

Chen Zhiyi brushed off his official robes and waved his hands slightly, saying, "No wonder you... Well, gather all the servants in the county government, and also gather all the archers in the county to stand by."

The yamen runner was stunned when he heard this and asked, "Are you going to search the mountain? I guess Su Guo has already escaped from Meishan. He must have reached Meizhou by now, right?"

Chen Zhiyi laughed and said, "Let's go to the Su Clan's Ancestral Hall."

The yamen runner was shocked when he heard this and asked, "Dozens of yamen runners and hundreds of archers are going?"

Chen Zhiyi glanced at the yamen runner and said, "Just go when I tell you to. Why are you talking so much?"

The bailiff hurriedly bowed and left in a hurry. When he was out of the yamen gate, he thought: So many people are going to the Su family together, are they going to confiscate the property and exterminate the clan?

The bailiff just thought about it and then hurriedly went to notify people.

……

The scorching sun made Meishan hot, and the air was filled with suffocating heat.

The red lacquered gate of the Su Clan Ancestral Hall looks like it will peel off and show cracks from the years at any time under the scorching sun.

The orderly footsteps of dozens of yamen runners came from afar, like a suppressed thunder, making the copper ring on the door buzz.

Chen Zhiyi sat upright in a sedan chair carried by eight men. The curtain embroidered with gold thread and cloud patterns was half-drawn, revealing his slightly narrowed eyes.

Looking at the four gold-plated characters "Virtue Lasts Forever" on the plaque, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were full of calculation and greed.

The bearers carefully lowered the sedan chair. Chen Zhiyi stepped on the stool hastily handed to him by the yamen runners, and his official boots rolled heavily over the exquisite brick carving of "A Hundred Blessings" on the bluestone slab, as if he wanted to crush all of Su's good fortune with this step.

The clan leader Su Chun, with his back straight, led a group of clan elders and had been waiting in front of the ancestral hall.

He stared at Chen Zhiyi's sedan with a sharp gaze, and his deeply wrinkled face was full of determination.

When Chen Zhiyi drew out the ivory-handled folding fan from his waist and casually knocked on the pillars of the ancestral hall, Su Chun stepped forward and said in a loud voice like a bell: "I wonder what it is that the county lord has come to visit you?
In the case of Su Guo's murder, the Su family has fully cooperated with the government in the investigation. How can you accuse my family of covering up for him without any reason?"

Chen Zhiyi raised his eyebrows, folded his folding fan with a snap, and pointed at Su Chun: "Su Guo committed a murder, but the Su Clan Ancestral Hall has not yet handed him over?
The Su family is known as a prominent family in Meizhou, but now they can't even catch a murderer. Could it be that they want to protect their accomplices?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hundreds of archers behind him pulled their bows into full moon shapes, and the arrowheads shone coldly in the sunlight.

Su Chun straightened his back and met Chen Zhiyi's gaze without fear: "If the county magistrate has evidence, you can escort the Su family members to the county government and deal with them according to the law!

Don't use such false charges to slander us!"

His words shocked the elders in the ancestral hall, but also made Chen Zhiyi's face instantly gloomy.

"What a sharp-tongued clan leader!"

Chen Zhiyi suddenly swung his sleeves and slammed his folding fan on the altar. The loud noise made the ancestral tablets rustle. "Someone, smash it!"

Before he could finish his words, the yamen runners rushed into the ancestral hall like wolves and tigers. The celadon incense burners and candlesticks on the altar were swept to the ground, and the exquisite porcelain was instantly shattered.

Su Chun looked at the mess on the ground, his eyes reddened, and his fists clenched tightly: "Chen Zhiyi! You are a parent official, but you are so cruel to the people. Aren't you afraid of justice?"

Chen Zhiyi slowly took out his handkerchief to wipe the fan bones, and walked towards Su Chun leisurely: "Justice? In Meishan County, I am justice!

I heard that Su's silk shop in Meizhou earns 2,000 taels of silver every month, and the bamboo weaving workshop makes a fortune every day. From now on, all of Su's business will be "managed on behalf of" the county government, and we will discuss how to deal with Su Guo when he is brought to justice! "

Su Chun laughed in anger: "Don't even think about it! Even if the entire Su family is executed, we will never let a corrupt official like you succeed!"

But at this moment, he caught a glimpse of Chen Zhiyi's eyes, and two yamen runners roughly pulled his young grandson out from behind the clan elder, with the blade against the child's neck.

"Grandpa!" The child's terrified cry was like a heavy hammer, hitting Su Chun's heart.

Su Chun's face turned pale instantly. He staggered forward two steps, his voice trembling: "You...you...are you a robber or an official? How dare you act like this! Despicable! Shameless!"

Chen Zhiyi played with the folding fan in his hand, with a smile on his face, and said, "When dealing with traitors and traitor families like you, I shouldn't reason with you too much.

Three days later, this county magistrate wants to see all the account books and contracts. If there is any mistake, the entire Su family will be guilty of the same crime as this rebellious son. "

When he turned around, the hem of his official robe swept down the candlestick on the altar, and the flames leapt up to the family tree, quickly igniting the dry paper.

Su Chun looked at his grandson's tearful face, then at the family tree engulfed in flames, his heart filled with despair and grief.

The ancestral hall was filled with choking smoke.

Su Chun collapsed to the ground helplessly, his voice hoarse: "I promise you"

As soon as these words were spoken, the clan members who were watching outside the Su clan ancestral hall burst into tears.

"Hahahaha!" Chen Zhiyi walked out of the Su clan ancestral hall with a loud laugh. He deliberately swept his eyes around. Those who were looking at him with hatred immediately lowered their heads and did not dare to look at him, which made him even more proud.

The spring breeze is proud of the horse's hoof disease.

Chen Zhiyi changed horses and returned to the county government office.

In the next two days, he received the information compiled by Su, which was Su's shops and various businesses in Meizhou.

He looked through it and was still a little dissatisfied, so he scolded Su He who was delivering the information, "Why are the stocks of goods in these stores so small?
Also, why is the purchase channel not clearly stated? Also, where is the deposit on the counter? Why is there no such section?"

Chen Zhiyi slammed the account book onto the table, and the remaining ink in the inkstone splashed onto Su He's pale face.

"How dare you, Su, fool me!" He kicked over the armchair, stepped on the mess on the ground with his official boots and approached Su He. "One third of the silk and satin store's warehouse is empty, and the fine stock of the bamboo weaving workshop has disappeared. Do you think I am blind?"

Su He fell to his knees, his forehead knocking against the blue bricks with a dull sound: "Your Excellency, please be wise! The silk shop was robbed last month, and the bamboo weaving workshop... the fine products of the bamboo weaving workshop were originally urgent orders from old customers..."

Before he could finish his words, Chen Zhiyi's folding fan had already hit his shoulder hard, and the bamboo bones broke.

"The thief is quite cunning, picking only the valuables?" Chen Zhiyi grabbed the account book and threw it at Su He's face, and the pages scattered. "The purchase channels are vague, and the accounts of money transactions are unclear - Su He, do you think this is a muddled account for your own family?"

He suddenly leaned in close, his foul breath spraying on Su He's face, "I heard that the Su family has a kiln factory that produces precious porcelain?"

Su He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, with cold sweat and blood trickling down his forehead. That kiln factory was the last of the Su family's assets, firing only precious porcelain. If Chen Zhiyi got his hands on it...

"Your Excellency, that kiln factory is just..." He couldn't continue, because the porcelain factory was the property that Su Yun bought for the Su family a few years ago. If he mentioned Su Yun at this time, it would most likely be confiscated directly, and it might even be used as evidence of collusion with thieves.

"But what?" Chen Zhiyi grabbed Su He's collar fiercely, "Three days later, the kiln factory's title deed, kiln workers' list, and all finished and semi-finished products will be sent to the county government."

He threw Su He to the ground and kicked the abacus on the table, causing the beads to clatter and fall all over the floor. "If one piece is missing, I will tear down the beams of the Su Clan's Ancestral Hall!"

Su He tumbled back to the door and ran into Chen Zhiyi's lawyer coming in with a pile of documents.

"Sir, the prefect of Meizhou sent an urgent document saying..." The lawyer glanced at Su He on the ground and stopped talking abruptly.

Chen Zhiyi straightened his official robes slowly and suddenly laughed grimly: "Tell the prefect that the Su family colluded with bandits and hid contraband. This county is conducting a thorough investigation."

He stepped on Su He's hand and listened to the crisp sound of bones breaking. "Su He, go back and tell Su Chun not to refuse a toast - if anyone dares to hide anything, no one in the Su family will survive!"

When Su He crawled out of the county government office, the dusk had already dyed half the sky red.

He looked at the empty streets and suddenly remembered that when he was a child, his grandfather took him to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors, and the eternal lamp in front of the tablet was always bright.

Now, that light is probably going to be completely extinguished.

Su He was walking on the streets, and suddenly he burst into tears.

This cry was not only for his brother Su Hang, but also for his clan.

……

The master quietly watched Su He walk out of the county government office in despair, and then said to Chen Zhiyi: "County Master, the prefect has sent an urgent document to ask Meishan County to collect food and fodder, and the archers must also be trained in time and wait for the state to allocate them at any time."

Chen Zhiyi was surprised when he heard this, and he banged the teacup he had just picked up heavily on the sandalwood table. The scalding hot tea splashed on his cuffs embroidered with gold cloud patterns, leaving dark marks.

"Why are you collecting food and fodder for no reason? Could it be that the Tibetan barbarians have invaded our borders again?"

He snatched the document from his lawyer's hand, his nails unconsciously dug into the edge of the rice paper, and squinted his eyes to read it word by word.

The sunlight shone through the carved window lattices onto the official document, making the two words "Su Yun" particularly dazzling. His originally arrogant face suddenly turned as pale as paper, like an eggplant hit by frost, and even the blue veins on his neck were throbbing.

"Su, Su Yun?" Chen Zhiyi's voice seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat. His fingers were tightly gripping the edge of the document. The parchment made a harsh rustling sound, as if it would be torn into pieces at any time. "The rumored Su family traitor Su Yun actually led 50,000 cavalry to capture Jianmen Pass?"

He staggered back two steps, knocking over the flower stand behind him with his back. The blue and white porcelain vase exploded with a "pop". The flying fragments brushed his ankle, leaving a bloody mark, but he was unaware of it. He just widened his eyes and muttered to himself as if he had seen a ghost, "Jianmen Pass is a natural barrier, easy to defend but difficult to attack. How is it possible..."

"This, this is impossible!"

Chen Zhiyi suddenly shouted loudly and grabbed the master's collar. The official hat was tilted on his head and almost fell off.

His rapid breathing sprayed on the master's face, spit flying everywhere, "Three days ago, he sent people to the Su clan ancestral hall to put pressure on him. Now Su Yun has captured Jianmen Pass. Jianmen Pass is the gateway to Sichuan. Once Jianmen Pass is lost, Sichuan will be in turmoil... I, I..."

His voice became smaller and smaller, and finally turned into a sobbing tone, with his Adam's apple rolling up and down, as if someone was strangling his neck.

Suddenly, he rushed to the coat rack like a madman and tore off his official robe. The sound of silk tearing was particularly clear in the silent county government office.

He grabbed his master's coarse cloth shorts and put them on in a hurry. The buttons were fastened in the wrong place, the hem was crooked, and the belt hung loosely around his waist.

"Quick! Prepare the horses! No, prepare the ox cart!" Chen Zhiyi, with a crooked turban on his head and two shoes on straight, stomped his feet on the ground and shouted, "Go to the Su clan's ancestral hall! Give me... give me the head of the Su clan!

"Send back all the deeds to the silk and satin shops and bamboo weaving workshops! And the kiln factory, send people to guard it overnight. If anyone dares to touch a piece of porcelain, I will chop off his hand!"

As he shouted, he rushed around the county government office, knocking down several bailiffs and knocking over the pens, ink, paper and inkstone on the desk. The ink splashed onto the blue brick floor like pools of blood.

The lawyer stared in amazement at the usually majestic county magistrate, who now had disheveled hair and untidy clothes, looking like a thief.

Before he could react, Chen Zhiyi had already rushed out of the county government office, tripped on the threshold, and hit his forehead heavily on the bluestone slab, causing a big bump instantly. Half of his front teeth were knocked out, and blood was dripping from the corners of his mouth.

But he seemed to feel no pain, grinning foolishly, blood and saliva flowing out of his toothless mouth, "Su Yun is a member of the Su clan, and the chief of the Su clan is his uncle! This... this is called a flood flushing the Dragon King Temple!"

In the twilight of Meishan City, smoke rises up.

The people stood on the street, staring in amazement as a broken ox cart rushed through the streets, the official boots hanging on the shaft jingling.

When the broken ox cart stopped in front of the Su clan ancestral hall, Chen Zhiyi took a deep breath, straightened his back and got off the cart.

His official robe was wrinkled beyond recognition and the jade belt around his waist was askew, but he still tried to look respectable, straightened his clothes, and walked slowly forward.

But his steps were weak, and every step felt like he was stepping on cotton.

When he arrived under the plaque, he bowed to Su Chun, the patriarch of the Su clan, and many clan members who had hurriedly come to greet him, and said in a flattering voice: "Patriarch Su, Chen offended me a lot the other day, I hope you will forgive me.

Your nephew, General Su Yun, is a man of great talent and vision. The Sichuan region will have to rely on the Su family in the future."

Su Chun stood at the doorstep with the help of a cane, and behind him stood a group of Su clan members, all of them with a look of surprise on their faces.

Su Chun'er's grandson Su Yuan widened his eyes, and the bamboo slips in his hand fell to the ground with a "click". He could not believe the scene in front of him: This... is this still the domineering County Magistrate Chen who wanted to exterminate my clan?
Su He stood in the crowd, his face still bruised by the blow from Chen Zhiyi's folding fan, and the wound on his forehead was still bleeding.

He opened his mouth, looking bewildered, thinking, "The day before yesterday he beat and scolded me, and forced me to hand over my property, but now he seems like a different person. What's going on?"

Countless questions surged in his mind, but he couldn't find the answers.

Su Chun stroked his beard, his eyes full of surprise, and he spoke slowly: "What is this, County Master Chen?
Three days ago, you brought yamen runners to smash my ancestral temple, and now you come to apologize?"

This sentence brought the doubts around to a peak, and everyone's eyes were focused on Chen Zhiyi, waiting for his explanation.

Su Dechang, the elder of the Su family, took a shaky step forward with a cane, his face full of disbelief: "County Magistrate Chen, what on earth are you up to?

My Su Group has already handed over all of its assets to you. What are you still not satisfied with? Do you really want to destroy my Su Group?
Although my Su family is only a small clan in the county, we are not weak and can be bullied. County Magistrate Chen, please stop!"

Chen Zhiyi gritted his teeth, took out a stack of land deeds from his sleeve, and when he handed them over, his fingers trembled slightly: "These are the deeds of the silk and satin shop and the bamboo weaving workshop. I will return them immediately.

I have sent people to guard the kiln factory strictly.

I hope Chief Su can say a good word for Chen in front of him."

These words made everyone in the Su family even more confused. Su Mingyuan couldn't help but ask, "Him? Who is he?"

(End of this chapter)