Qing Yao

Chapter 368 Come on, let's settle the score for the old master.
This farce was something Zhao An hadn't expected.

I originally thought that breaking the other party's Dao heart would make them disheartened and want to leave Anhui, so that I could have some peace and quiet. I didn't expect that I would force the other party to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and it looks like they are about to break through to the Golden Core stage.

How to do?
I'm only at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment!

The academic officials were independent of the local official system. Zhao An, as the provincial governor, could legally cut off people's basic needs and force them to starve, but he did not have the power to arrest people.

If the provincial education commissioner is really arrested, the censors and officials in the capital will probably celebrate wildly.

Even the old master has to consider the public opinion pressure on the science and technology industry.

But we can't just let this guy surnamed Xu throw a tantrum here.

Just as he was having a headache, the gatekeeper who had been beaten earlier rushed forward and fell to the ground, wailing and crying, "Sir, you must do justice for me! I was just following the rules of the yamen, but the old master came up and smashed my nose without saying a word! Look at all the blood I'm bleeding! Oh dear, I'm dizzy, I'm dizzy!"

While howling, he secretly peeked through his fingers at the governor's reaction.

Ok?
The gatekeeper's wailing was like a floodgate opening; the clerk, who had been pushed around and whose documents had scattered all over the floor, also quickly cried out, "Sir, the old master just pushed me, causing my documents to fall apart and get lost. Please forgive me!"

The constable who had been elbowed and forced to squat down clutched his chest, grimacing and groaning, "Sir, I'm afraid the old master broke my ribs. It hurts to even breathe. Please, sir, do me justice!"

"My lord, the old master just kicked me in the chest, and it still hurts to talk."

"."

Everyone chimed in with their own complaints and grievances, as if the Provincial Education Commissioner hadn't just stormed in, but rather grabbed a watermelon knife and hacked the Provincial Governor's office right through.

"My lord, look at my forehead,"

Old Song, clutching his swollen head, came to Zhao An with a wronged expression.

Don't even mention it, at least he has a concussion.

Looking at the group of injured staff members and the mess of overturned showerheads in the courtyard, Zhao An felt a surge of amusement, but quickly put on a cold expression and snorted: "Lord Xu is not in your Education Bureau educating students, but he came to my Provincial Administration Office to start a fight, injuring so many of my subordinates and damaging so much public property. What should be the punishment for this?"

"Zhao Youlu, stop twisting the truth. If it weren't for you..."

The veins in the professor's neck bulged as he retorted: "Discuss, diss your mother's diss!"

Zhao An wouldn't let him speak, and resolutely shouted, "I ask you, what should be the verdict on today's events!"

Without anyone noticing, the official authority of the acting governor of the province instantly spread, causing the provincial education commissioner, who had been put down but was still being held firmly and unable to move, to inexplicably feel a tightness in his chest.

Butler Chen saw this and was anxious, but the master's reckless behavior had injured many people and destroyed a lot of things, so it was only right that they wanted to reason with him.

"Grandmaster, what an imposing official's presence!"

Zhao An turned to the injured Old Song beside him with a furious expression: "According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, what should be done if an official beats another person and causes injury without cause, or damages government property without cause? How should compensation be made?"

Old Song hurriedly replied, "Your Excellency, if an official beats another person without cause and causes injury, he shall pay for their medical expenses. If the injured person dies within twenty days, he shall be dealt with according to criminal law. As for the damage to public property, he shall compensate for it at its original price. In cases of particularly serious circumstances, the matter shall be reported to the Provincial Surveillance Commission and then to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review for handling, which may result in a fine, demotion, or dismissal."

Zhao An nodded slightly, his face still full of anger: "In your opinion, how should we claim compensation for the medical expenses of the injured personnel in this office? How should we claim compensation for the lost wages caused by their inability to work after the injury? In addition, the physical and mental harm caused by being beaten by the Education Commissioner without cause, how much should we compensate for that?"

Old Song understood immediately and solemnly calculated with his fingers, saying, "Your Excellency, although the injuries of each person are of varying severity, they have all suffered from excessive fright and need proper care. In my humble opinion, the Education Commissioner should compensate each of the injured with one hundred taels of silver."

One hundred taels?

How much does a grassroots worker earn in a year? When the injured people heard the amount of compensation that Director Song offered, they were all overjoyed.

The uninjured staff members were filled with regret. If they had known there would be huge compensation, they would have definitely gone and rammed their heads into the old master's knees.

The provincial education commissioner was clearly dissatisfied. He admitted that it was wrong of him to beat others, but why should he have to pay 100 taels for each person? At most, it should be three to five taels.

He was so angry that his beard stood on end.

Zhao An didn't care whether the Education Commissioner agreed or not, and said with a fair face, "One hundred taels of compensation is reasonable. Well, seven of us were beaten and injured by the Education Commissioner, so please, Lord Xu, pay seven hundred taels."

After saying that, he pointed to the mess in the courtyard and said with great distress, "The public property that Lord Xu damaged was all purchased with public funds of the imperial court, not purchased by me personally. Since it has been damaged by Lord Xu today, Lord Xu must compensate for it at the price, both publicly and privately. You can calculate it for Lord Xu."

"Yes, my lord."

Old Song bowed and accepted the order, his face expressionless. He slowly walked down the steps and began to stroll around the messy courtyard, just like the pawnshop owner was examining the pawned items.

At first, I guessed he couldn't remember it mentally, so I simply asked someone to bring an abacus, acting all businesslike.

The courtyard fell silent instantly, except for the crisp sound of Director Song moving the abacus beads.

Each sound sent a jolt through the hearts of the students.

Old Song walked to the overturned pot, squatted down, picked up a few broken pieces of porcelain, carefully examined the mark on the bottom, and touched the porcelain body. He then exclaimed loudly, "This is a blue and white porcelain pot made in Jingdezhen! The pot has a delicate body and a lustrous glaze, which is of official kiln quality. It has always been used to decorate the halls of government offices. Now it has been broken by Lord Xu and cannot be repaired. I will sell it for eight hundred taels of silver!"

Then, he walked to the larger bonsai that had been knocked askew and kicked by the magistrate: "A magnificent Taihu stone bonsai! This bonsai has a unique and exquisite shape with open pores. The purple clay pot is also a fine product from Yixing. However, the stone has shifted and the roots have become loose, which may have damaged its vital energy. In addition, the rim of the purple clay pot has a chip, which greatly diminishes its value. I would like to offer it for 1,250 taels of silver!"

"A chicken-wing wood file rack, the mortise and tenon joints are slightly loose, and a craftsman needs to repair it. The cost of labor and materials is one hundred taels!"

"A celadon hat stand that was knocked over and broken at the entrance of the lobby is valued at eighty taels!"

"Five uniforms belonging to the yamen runners were torn during the struggle and need to be re-sewed. The cost of materials and labor is three taels of silver!"

"."

No matter how big or small, whether it's something or nothing, everything becomes a treasure in Lao Song's mouth.

The abacus beads clicked loudly, and based on the existing damaged items, the provincial education commissioner would have to pay at least three thousand taels in compensation.

Zhao An shook his head, "Not enough!"
What if it's not enough?
In his desperation, Old Song turned his gaze to the clerk who had been pushed around by the education official, causing official documents to scatter all over the ground.

The clerk was quick-witted; he swiftly picked up several official documents that had been stepped on and even torn, and carefully presented them to Old Song.

Old Song took the documents and examined them, his brows furrowing immediately. He said with considerable distress, “Sir, the copies of the Anqing Prefecture’s autumn grain tax collection register and the summary of the Huizhou salt certificate verification archives have also been damaged. If there are any errors in the figures in these important documents, or if a crucial page is missing, it could lead to discrepancies in the grain tax calculation and the lack of evidence for verifying salt certificates. The implications and consequences are far-reaching and serious. This is no trivial matter. I believe that we must immediately remake the registers. The cost of making the registers will be at least two thousand taels of silver!”

After finishing his statement, he quickly calculated the total amount of damages he had caused to the abacus and presented the final claim figure: "My lord, according to preliminary calculations, Lord Xu has caused a total of 6,803 taels of silver in various losses today."

The data is complete, with both whole numbers and fractions, making it extremely reliable!
After closing the ledger, Old Song thought for a moment and added, "This is only the loss that can be verified at present. If it is found in the future that there are indeed missing or delayed documents that have caused greater oversights, then it will need to be accounted for separately."

Six thousand taels, that's about right.

Zhao An snorted and turned his gaze to the incredulous Provincial Education Commissioner: "Lord Xu, did you hear me clearly? Six thousand eight hundred and three taels of silver. Will you pay in cash now, or will I issue a document to the provincial treasury to deduct it from your salary and allowance for integrity, or will I transfer today's relevant case files to the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's office and handle this official business?"

(End of this chapter)