Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 367 Kill, kill them all (1)

Fang Wanlin, the youngest sister of the Fang family.

Not a legitimate child.

Fang Dezheng's wife passed away not long after giving birth to Fang Jiang.

Fang De did not remarry after that, but he still had concubines at home. Fang De was not the kind of womanizer who would do something like "one pear blossom pressing down on a crabapple," so the concubines were not too young.

Fang Wanlin was Fang De's daughter, born when he was almost sixty, and she was also his youngest child.

Despite the open and covert struggles among Fang Hai, Fang Jiang, Fang He, and Fang Hu, they all dote on their younger sister, treating her like a legitimate child, or even better.

Fang Wanlin is also gentle and kind, and usually well-behaved and sensible, which makes her even more likable.

Four years ago, Fang Wanlin was sixteen, the age when she should have been getting married. However, her mother passed away unexpectedly, and according to custom, she had to observe three years of mourning. As a result, the marriage was put on hold. Three years later, she was nineteen, which would definitely make her an older single woman in this era.

In addition, her brother doted on her, and although she had been introduced to several families, he always found fault with them. Before long, another year had passed, and now she was twenty. To make matters worse, during the mourning period, my younger sister somehow developed an interest in Taoism and often went to Taoist temples. She even prepared two sets of robes for herself, one of which was a Heavenly Immortal's Robe.

Her older brothers felt that their younger sister was considering becoming a nun, and they couldn't help but feel anxious.

A while ago, I heard my father vaguely mention that he wanted to match Song Yan and my younger sister together, but I didn't take it to heart. Now that Fang De brought it up again, I couldn't help but feel a little strange... The old man really dotes on my younger sister. He actually wants to marry her off to Song Yan as a concubine?

What exactly did Song Yan do to deserve such attention from his father?

Although he felt that this decision was a bit too hasty, he ultimately dared not disobey his father's arrangements.

Once the study had quieted down again, Fang De's gaze returned to the account books.

This time, Song Yan truly did the Fang family a tremendous favor.

But what exactly does Song Yan want to do by handing over the account books?
Did he want to hand over the account books to Emperor Ninghe himself?

Did he not know that once this ledger appeared, the court would be filled with heads and rivers of blood? If the case were truly tried according to the laws of Ningguo, hundreds of people would be implicated, and all of them would be executed along with their entire families, enough to turn the Yi and Luo Rivers red.

For the imperial court, this account book was nothing short of a major earthquake. Even Fang De had to treat it with utmost caution and dared not act rashly. His fingers would occasionally flip through the account book, his expression shifting between madness and solemnity, hesitant and uncertain.

Meanwhile, the actions taken in Fangshan were equally swift and decisive.

Leading three hundred guards from the Fang family, they arrived at Dongling Prefecture.

At this moment, a thousand or two thousand constables and police officers had gathered in Dongling Prefecture. They were all suffering in the freezing cold in the middle of the night, and they were all somewhat resentful. But Fang Shan didn't care about that. After stabilizing the situation, he immediately began to arrest people according to the list provided by Song Yan. Nearly a hundred constables were arrested immediately and thrown into the dungeon without saying a word. Their matter could be dealt with later.

The remaining constables were in a state of panic. After a brief reassurance, Fang Shan immediately assigned tasks. The Fang family's guards, along with the remaining constables, headed directly to the thirteen strongholds marked on the roster. These surface strongholds were scattered, with each stronghold having dozens of people, most of whom were ordinary people. The number of martial artists was not large, and they were incomparable to the hideouts in the underground trenches.

Moreover, some of the constables were quite skilled, and there were also three hundred guards from the Fang family. Relying on their overwhelming numerical advantage, they easily took over all the strongholds, and naturally, a fierce battle was inevitable in the process.

In some locations, a large number of young children were also found, some still intact and probably waiting to be sold, while others had been tortured beyond recognition.

Distorted limbs and visual impairments are commonplace.

This is the process of harvesting and cutting raw meat.

The term "采" (cǎi) refers to collecting or gathering information, often targeting children.

The term "生" (sheng) refers to raw materials, specifically children that have been collected and are in normal development.

The so-called "cutting" refers to using tools such as knives and axes to chop off the limbs of raw materials, artificially creating disabilities or deformities.

It is no exaggeration to say that the practice of mutilating and killing living people was one of the most inhumane crimes in ancient times.

Since the Ming Dynasty, those who were subjected to mutilation and mutilation were executed by slow slicing, the most severe form of torture.

There are hundreds of such young children.

Even though Fang Shan was known for his ruthless nature, and many of the constables were hardly good people who occasionally bullied the kind-hearted, they all felt their scalps tingle when they saw these hundreds of children tortured into deformities. Some of the more irritable ones even drew their swords and severed the limbs of several children, wanting these bastards to experience what it was like to be mutilated and tortured.

Fang Shan stopped his men, knowing that this case was likely to cause a huge uproar.

In an instant, the once somewhat empty dungeon in Dongling Prefecture became crowded, with several people crammed into the cell where Song Zhe had been held.

Immediately afterwards, Fangshan arranged for people and servants to guard the entrance to the underground ditch, and a large area around it was sealed off.

Immediately, a group of people were selected, each carrying a torch, and Fang Shan personally led the way into the dark ditch. Following the route provided by Song Yan, they encountered corpses not long afterward. As they went deeper, the number of corpses increased. At first, Fang Shan was able to remain calm, but when he arrived at the Ghost Cave lair and saw the corpses covering the ground and the river of blood, even Fang Shan could not hold back.

The strong smell of blood, mixed with the stench of the sewer, made Fangshan feel a violent churning in his abdomen.

Some of the constables with weaker mental fortitude couldn't bear it and began vomiting violently against the wall. As constables, they had seen corpses more or less and were considered to have some courage, but the scene before them, with corpses lying haphazardly and blood flowing like a river, was something they had never seen before.

Suppressing his nausea, Fangshan ordered all the corpses to be carried out. Although it was a culvert, so many corpses piled together could easily cause an epidemic if they rotted and stinked; they had to be dealt with properly.

Outside the blockade area within Dongling City, a large number of people gathered.

The common people didn't know what these officials were up to, but with such a grand display, it must be something important, so they all craned their necks to see.

Then they saw the corpses being transported out one by one, and there was a rustling sound from the crowd. Some of the bolder people asked the official what had happened. After inquiring, they learned that Dongling Prefecture, together with the Marquis of Champion, had wiped out the Ghost Cave.

The name "Ghost Cave" was known to everyone in Dongling City, and its fearsome reputation was widespread.

At first, the people thought it was just another big fuss with little action, but it seemed like the corpses were never-ending. Many people's expressions started to change, and they felt that this time it was for real.

When all the bodies were transported out, they were piled up into a huge hill.

The bodies were counted one by one, totaling 1,952.

As the numbers were announced, cheers erupted from the crowd. The malignant tumor that had plagued Dongling Prefecture had truly been eradicated. Now, their children and daughters would no longer have to worry about mysteriously disappearing.

Some people even prostrated themselves on the ground, wailing and crying, perhaps thinking of their sons and daughters who had been missing for many years.

……

It was past midnight when Song Yan finally finished washing up.

There was nothing I could do; my body was covered in so much blood. Even after rinsing myself with hot water repeatedly, I still felt sticky all over. Even after changing into clean clothes, I still felt a strong smell of blood emanating from my body.

The Fang family had prepared a meal in advance. Song Yan ate a quick bite and then, led by Fang Hai, went to the Fang family study. Fang Hai knew that his grandfather had something important to discuss with Song Yan, so he patted Song Yan on the shoulder, turned and left, closing the door behind him and arranging for people to guard the area around the study, forbidding anyone from approaching within thirty paces.

Fang De remained sitting there quietly, holding a calligraphy brush in his hand, motionless, like a statue, completely unaware even when ink dripped onto the table.

"Old man, do you perhaps want to change some names?"

Sitting down in the chair, Song Yan smiled and asked.

Fang De was startled out of his reverie and rubbed his forehead: "I do have that idea. There are two people in the account book who have a fairly good relationship with the Fang family. If we can protect them, we would like to try our best to do so."

“Just like Wei Dongling, the lineage of the Duke of Wei can be said to be full of loyal martyrs. During the founding period, the ancestors of the Wei family followed the founding emperor in fighting in the south and north. His father, Wei Ye, his elder brother, Wei Dongfei, and his younger brother, Wei Dongming, all died in the war against the Xiongnu more than 20 years ago, leaving only Wei Dongling in the family.”

"Compared to his father, elder brother, and younger brother, Wei Dongling was somewhat mediocre, but he was also upright and incorruptible. He once said: 'To die for one's country is to die a worthy death.' Whenever the late emperor and the current emperor thought of the Wei family's loyalty and bravery, they would reward them greatly, and even promoted them to the Imperial Guard as commanders of a unit."

The Imperial Guard numbered 30,000, divided into ten divisions, each with 3,000 elite troops.

Their daily work mainly involved guarding the city gates and patrolling the city. In times of war, they were also responsible for defending the capital region.

"The Wei family has accumulated considerable wealth over the past century, and the rewards bestowed upon them by the late emperor and the current emperor are countless. How could he have been so blinded by greed as to get involved in the Ghost Cave affair?"

Fang De sighed softly, his words filled with regret.

"It's nothing more than greed," Song Yan said casually, pursing his lips.

“If you want to erase his name, I will pretend I didn’t see it, but…” Song Yan paused briefly, “Such behavior is meaningless and may even implicate the Fang family.”

"Ghost Cave can bribe so many people, who can guarantee that these people haven't had contact with each other?"

"What would happen if those people saw themselves being dismissed from office, their property confiscated, and beheaded, while Wei Dongling went unpunished? They might very well implicate Wei Dongling, and then your act of erasing the list would be exposed."

Song Yan knew very well what was most important to Fang De.

It's not imperial power. It's the Fang family.

As expected, upon hearing this, Fang De frowned deeply and put down the brush in his hand: "Are you really planning to submit this list?"

Song Yan nodded: "Could it be that there are many royalists on the list?"

"There are a few, but thankfully not too many. The real majority are people from Bailu Academy and the Yang family."

"Then what's the problem?"

Fang De sighed: "I just went through the list carefully. This list involves three prefects of Dongling Prefecture. One of them is currently serving as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, one as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and one as the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. In addition, there are countless other judges and prefects."

"Some minor officials from decades ago have now been promoted and are mostly serving as senior officials in the Six Ministries."

"There is another person who has been promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Chancellery."

"This time, although it did not involve officials of the Six Ministries, the Grand Secretary, the Grand Secretary, or the Grand Secretary, there were seven officials of the third rank, eighteen officials of the fourth rank, twenty-four officials of the fifth rank, and more than one hundred officials of the sixth rank."

"There are also more than a dozen imperial guards patrolling the city, and more than a dozen officials who have already been transferred to other places, including a prefect."

"There are hundreds of head constables and constables."

Song Yan's expression also turned somewhat gloomy.

The number of people involved was far more exaggerated than he had imagined.

But think about it, the Ghost Cave has existed for so many years. Over the years, countless officials have been bribed. Some officials have been promoted or demoted. New officials have to be bribed again. Over time, the number of officials has increased. No wonder, after so many years, the Ghost Cave has only accumulated 570,000 taels of silver. The bulk of it has already been spent.

Fang De also let out a sigh of relief: "The implications are far too great."

"The current court is probably no match for this kind of upheaval."

"Even if we hand this ledger over to His Majesty, he may not have the courage to deal with all these people."

stable.

Regardless of the dynasty or the emperor, stability was always the top priority.

Compared to stability, justice and truth mostly take a backseat.

The imperial court is not a black-and-white place; it is an art of exchanging interests and compromising.

Song Yan did not answer the question directly, but instead asked in return: "The Ghost Cave is just the festering surface, while these corrupt officials are the tumors inside. What's the use of just cleaning the surface? Over the years, how much tribute has the Ghost Cave sent to the higher-ups?"

"The Ghost Cave has existed for sixty years. The scholar you killed was the second master of the Ghost Cave." As he spoke, Fang De shook the account book in his hand, which was as thick as his palm when held upright. "Every single transaction is meticulously recorded in the account book. Over the past sixty years, it has amounted to approximately fourteen million taels of silver..."

Fourteen million... Even though Song Yan had prepared in advance, hearing this number still made his heart jump.

This is comparable to the annual tax revenue during the reign of Emperor Taizong.

But then I thought about it again, this is a total of 60 years of planning, which averages out to only about 200,000 a year, so it doesn't seem so exaggerated anymore.

With hundreds of officials involved, and over 200,000 taels of silver a year, that's only a few hundred taels per person on average. What's the point of risking your life like that? But that's not how it works. The Ghost Cave doesn't need to bribe that many officials at the same time. It might only be a few dozen. So, on average, it would be several thousand or tens of thousands of taels of silver a year. The temptation just skyrockets.

"Send it up." Song Yan slowly exhaled. "How to arrange it is His Majesty's business."

"In that case, you will come with me to the palace tonight. Song Ge'er, go and rest for now, and I will do another round of statistics."

Song Yan nodded slightly, then got up and left.

He couldn't help but do some mental calculations, and the accounts didn't seem quite right.

The tributes sent out by the Ghost Cave amounted to more than ten million taels, so how could the wealth they accumulated be only five hundred and seventy thousand?

hateful.

There should be another place in the Ghost Cave where silver is hidden, but it has not yet been discovered.

Perhaps I'll have to find some time to go to the culvert again.

……

Starting at noon, a cold weather enveloped Dongling City.

Snow began to fall from the sky.

The weather has become increasingly abnormal in recent years.

In previous years, the weather in Dongling would gradually warm up after the first month of the lunar calendar, but this year, even though it's already the end of the month, heavy snow has started to fall, quietly enveloping the ancient city in white.

The snow hadn't yet reached the point where people couldn't go out. As night fell, Song Yan and Fang De were all bundled up and entered the palace. Although the palace was heavily guarded and had many rules, given their status, there was no problem for them to enter the palace to meet Emperor Ninghe.

Emperor Ninghe was considered a diligent ruler.

Although it was late, he was still handling government affairs.

After exchanging greetings, Fang De briefly recounted how Song Yan and Fang Shan had joined forces to destroy the Ghost Cave.

Emperor Ninghe was overjoyed and clapped his hands, laughing, "Good, good, good!"

"Ghost Cave, White Building, Underground Emperor?"

"It was my fault to let such a cancer occupy Dongling City. Now that one has finally been eliminated, it would be even better if the White Tower could be eliminated as well someday."

As she spoke, she found Song Yan, her son-in-law, to be more and more agreeable.

Look at him, no wonder he chose his son-in-law. He can defend against foreign tribes on the border and eradicate cancer in the capital. He is a young hero and truly worthy of his daughter.

As the saying goes, "When people are happy, they are in high spirits," and for a moment, one seems to look several years younger.

Seeing Emperor Ninghe's happy expression, Fang De hesitated for a moment before finally taking the account book out of his sleeve.

"What is this?"

"The ledgers found on the body after killing the master of the Ghost Cave."

Emperor Ninghe reached out and took the book, his face beaming with joy as he began to read. But as he read, the smile faded, his expression growing increasingly grim, until he became utterly ferocious, his eyes bloodshot and venomous, like a wolf ready to devour its prey. Finally, having finished reading, Emperor Ninghe could no longer contain himself and slammed his hand heavily on the imperial desk.

"You bastards, how dare they!"

The guards, eunuchs, and palace maids at the gate were all silent, utterly bewildered as to what had happened to provoke His Majesty's furious wrath.

With a loud crash, a teacup on the table shattered into pieces, causing Song Yan a pang of heartache. More than a thousand years later, these things would be priceless antiques.

Song Yanfang and the two foxes, one big and one small, exchanged a glance, silently took a step back, lowered their heads and remained silent, letting Emperor Ninghe curse and vent his anger here.

After venting his anger for about fifteen minutes, with most of the items on his desk smashed, Emperor Ninghe finally calmed down. No matter how furious he was, he had to consider the consequences of dealing with so many officials at once; a misstep could lead to political turmoil.

At that moment, Song Yan suddenly said, "Your Majesty, over the years, the Ghost Cave has bribed these officials with a total amount of 14 million taels of silver."

Originally, he was considering whether to just arrest a few officials as examples to give them a minor punishment, when he suddenly heard this and his expression froze: "How much?"

He wondered if he had heard wrongly.

"Fourteen million taels of silver."

Gudong.

You heard right, Emperor Ninghe swallowed hard, his eyes seemingly flashing with a scarlet light:

"Kill them all."

"Confiscate their property and exterminate their entire clan."

(End of this chapter)