Prime Minister

Chapter 128, Section 127: [A Single Slash to Open the Mountain]

From the top of Qingshan Mountain, one can see the Yangtze River to the south and the vast Grand Canal to the west; this is the origin of the name Qingshan Town.

This town is nestled against the mountains, and according to the Yellow Register, it has more than 800 households and a total population of more than 3,200, making it a large town in every sense.

More than half of the families in the town are surnamed Hu, with the remainder being surnamed Xu, Zhou, Bai, Wang, and others.

Because of its proximity to Yizhen County and the Grand Canal, Qingshan Town Wharf became a key point for the berthing and inspection of salt boats from Lianghuai. At the same time, the town had granaries for the distribution of grain transported by the Grand Canal, as well as a large number of small workshops mainly engaged in bamboo weaving and ship repair.

Hu Qing and his clan were the leaders in various businesses in this area.

Dozens of riders rode along the straight road leading from the county seat to Qingshan Town.

Hu Qing and his son Hu Yong were surrounded by Xue Huai's guards. It was unclear whether they were being protected or held hostage. Based on Hu Qing's experience, the latter was more likely.

Looking at Wang Shuan, who had been called to walk alongside Xue Huai, and seeing the two talking in hushed tones, Hu Qing was filled with regret.

He felt he had made a fatal mistake: he shouldn't have obeyed and gone to the county government for trial, which led to him and Hu Yong falling directly into Xue Huai's control, and now they couldn't escape even if they wanted to.

But how could he have imagined that Xue Huai would act unpredictably? Instead of sitting in the county government hall waiting for others to find evidence, he personally led a group to Qingshan Town.

"father."

Hu Yong called to him quietly from the side.

Hu Qing turned his head and glared at Hu Yong with extreme ferocity. After all, Xue Huai's guards were right next to him. If this fool were to reveal any incriminating evidence, then he and his son would probably be doomed in Xue Huai's hands today.

Seeing this, Hu Yong had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

Not far from the two-mile mark, and with the group arriving on horseback, they soon saw the outline of Qingshan Town. In the distance, some locals watched the group with curiosity.

Xue Huai pulled on the reins, and the others all stopped.

He looked back and calmly said, "Gentlemen, I have some things to make clear to you beforehand."

Accompanying him on this trip were the three parties involved: Wang Shuan, the Hu family father and son, as well as nineteen guards led by Wang Gui, Kong Li, Hao Shifang, and Jiang Sheng. In addition, there were several officials and twenty yamen runners led by Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi, still on horseback, cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, please give your orders."

Xue Huai looked around at everyone and said, "Although I have taken on this case, the Hu family is the most prominent clan in Qingshan Town, and most of the townspeople rely on them for their livelihood. It is inevitable that there will be differences in kinship. If someone maliciously instigates or encourages others, it may cause great obstacles to this case. I am making this clear from the outset: no one is allowed to back down today. If you perform well, you will be richly rewarded after the case is closed. If you are timid and hesitant, don't blame me for settling scores later."

Upon hearing these words, Hu Qing's face paled slightly, and he forced a smile, saying, "Your Excellency is too kind. The people of this town are all good people; how could they—"

His words abruptly stopped as Jiang Sheng spurred his horse to stand before him, his right hand already gripping the hilt of his sword. Hu Qing swallowed hard, daring not to utter another word.

Xue Huai withdrew his gaze from Hu Qing and continued, "Just in case, I have already sent someone to inform the river patrol office. If necessary, patrol soldiers will come to help. However, I hope that you can keep the situation under control. You will be rewarded for your efforts afterward."

"I am willing to serve you, sir!"

Jiang Sheng and four Xue family guards spoke first, and the rest echoed in unison.

They didn't think Xue Huai was exaggerating. In fact, some of the county yamen runners had been feeling uneasy on the way there. After all, the Hu family had a strong background. It was said that Hu Qing's nephew was an official in the prefectural government, and the Hu family had connections with several powerful families in Yangzhou. Now that they were going to the Hu family's old stronghold to investigate a case, it was not impossible that an unexpected situation would arise and incite a popular uprising.

Seeing that Xue Huai had already prepared a solution, they felt somewhat relieved, and at the same time, they felt a surge of enthusiasm because of Xue Huai's promise.

Among the crowd, Jiang Sheng's expression was resolute, but he was somewhat puzzled. He had been following Xue Huai the whole time and had not seen Xue Huai send anyone to report to the patrol office.

He looked up and his eyes met Xue Huai's. He suddenly remembered Xue Huai's instructions before he set off, and then he realized that the young master was using a feint to stabilize the morale of the troops, and probably also to warn the Hu family father and son.

Xue Huai smiled slightly, turned his horse around, and continued forward.

The group entered Qingshan Town and headed towards the Hu family mansion under the watchful eyes of more and more people. Zhang Shi then arranged for a local clerk familiar with the area to find the village head and the grain chief.

Before long, the Hu family mansion appeared before Xue Huai and the others.

Hu Qing's expression turned even more unpleasant.

Zhang Shi's face was solemn.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he really couldn't have imagined that the Hu family's residence was even more magnificent than the government office!

In front of the gate is not a street, but a square about seven or eight zhang in circumference paved with bluestone. Even though Qingshan Town is large enough, unlike big cities where every inch of land is precious, these bluestones are still quite valuable.

Xue Huai gripped the reins with both hands and said quietly, "A mere student of the Imperial Academy can build such an extravagant mansion by relying on the profits from the river salt permits, and then he claims to have been extorted for three thousand taels of silver by a powerless and orphaned canal worker? Do you believe that?"

Naturally, everyone didn't believe it.

Wang Shuan doesn't seem stupid. He's from Qingshan Town, so he must know a lot about the Hu family's immense power. Where did he get the audacity to come to Hu Qing's door and extort money from him?

At this moment, more and more people gathered here, and the main gate of the Hu family mansion had been opened, and a group of servants and guards rushed out with sticks in hand and unfriendly expressions.

Zhang Shi immediately stepped forward and shouted, "This is Magistrate Xue, the Assistant Magistrate of the Prefectural Government. How dare you be so insolent!"

The man opposite stretched his neck and roared, "This humble subject dares not be presumptuous, but why is Lord Xue holding my master and young master hostage?"

"Bastard!"

Zhang Shi's face darkened, and he said angrily, "Put down the sticks immediately, or this county magistrate will not let you off!"

That man was Hu Bao, the head steward of the Hu family. He had actually received the news from outside long ago. Before Xue Huai entered the town, he used a large sum of money to incite and bewitch the guards in the house, and also sent people to the town to call the people who relied on the Hu family for their livelihood to come to the mansion.

It must be said that Hu Bao was very loyal. He knew that the Hu family father and son were in a precarious situation, and the only way to stop Xue Huai or buy time was to win the hearts and minds of the people.

"Hu Jiansheng, is this what you mean by the pure and kind-hearted people of this place?"

Xue Huai's expression was indifferent, with a hint of sarcasm.

Hu Qing said with some difficulty, "Your Excellency, I don't know why things have turned out this way. Perhaps it's because the villagers mistakenly believe I've been treated unfairly. The Hu family usually builds bridges and roads to benefit our hometown, and most villagers appreciate this kindness. How about... Your Excellency allows me and my son to talk to the villagers? Let them go home first?" He now realized that he had fallen into Xue Huai's trap the moment he stepped into the county government hall. The other party didn't believe his words at all. He had specially sent someone to invite him and his son over just to lower his guard. In reality, Xue Huai had been prepared to come to Qingshan Town from the beginning.

The reason for going through all this trouble was simply to control the father and son.

For Hu Qing, the most important thing right now is to break free from Xue Huai's control. He doesn't believe Xue Huai would dare to go on a killing spree in Qingshan Town. Inciting a popular uprising would be a consequence that a fifth-rank official like him couldn't bear. After all, Shen Wang's word is not yet law in the court.

Xue Huai completely ignored Hu Qing. When he turned to look at Zhang, the latter understood immediately and then announced the details of the case to the people who were getting closer.

However, no one was moved.

Xue Huai looked around. The people of Qingshan Town had blank expressions. Although they did not leave because of Zhang Shi's persuasion, they did not show much resentment either.

This is very close to his guess.

From the way the Hu family treated Wang Shuan's parents, it can be seen that this family must have been bullying others in Qingshan Town. These people gathered here at most because they were afraid of the pressure of survival and the Hu family's tyranny. How could they really be willing to risk their lives for the Hu family?

He turned to Hu Qing and said, "Hu Jiansheng, you said earlier that you signed a contract with Wang Dayou, stipulating a monthly interest rate of one percent, right?"

Hu Qing nodded quickly and said, "That's right."

Xue Huai then looked at Wang Shuan and said, "You said the contract your father signed with the Hu family had an annual interest rate of three percent, right?"

Wang Shuan solemnly replied, "Your Excellency, the annual interest rate is three percent."

Xue Huai asked, "Where is the contract?"

Hu Qing said, "Your Excellency, the contract is in my family's accounting office."

"Very well, I've decided to personally visit your home now. What do you think, Supervisor Hu?"

Xue Huai's question threw Hu Qing into a panic. He instantly saw through the other party's intentions. As the Assistant Magistrate of Yangzhou, Xue Huai could not possibly enter Hu's residence alone. However, if he were to bring in a group of eager yamen runners and officials, wouldn't they turn the place upside down?

"Your Excellency..."

Because Xue Huai had mentioned the Riverside Patrol Office earlier, Hu Qing hesitated. He dared not let Hu Bao incite those people to obstruct the officials, for fear of giving Xue Huai something to talk about and causing trouble later.

Seeing this, Xue Huai addressed the surrounding crowd: "Listen up, everyone! I judge cases based on evidence. We are now going into the Hu residence to search for evidence from that year. Anyone not involved in this case, disperse immediately! And you, how dare you resist my officers with sticks? Are you trying to rebel?"

As soon as the word "rebellion" was uttered, the crowd finally began to stir.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the head steward Hu Bao gritted his teeth and shouted, "Lord Xue, you may enter the manor, but why are you detaining my master and young master? Are you trying to help Wang Shuan? He clearly tried to extort my master, so he came to you to make false accusations! The deaths of the Wang couple have nothing to do with the Hu family!"

"I will say this one last time."

Xue Huai spurred his horse forward and said in a cold voice, "Get out of the way!"

The guards were a little nervous, but Hu Bao promised each of them a reward of two hundred taels of silver in Hu Qing's name, which was enough to make them stand in front of Xue Huai.

Seeing this, Hu Bao stepped forward and said, "Fellow villagers, you all know how my master has treated you. Now that these officials are clearly favoring Wang Shuan, do you all think you can—"

The guards behind him also followed forward.

Xue Huai shouted, "Jiang Sheng!"

"exist!"

Jiang Sheng squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth, raised his hand and tugged on the reins, propelling his mount forward. He then waved his hand dismissively.

A gleaming blade flashed.

"what!"

Hu Bao was terrified. He hadn't expected Xue Huai's men to be so fierce and decisive. He couldn't dodge in time and was slashed in the right arm by Jiang Sheng.

"Anyone who dares to defy the government again will suffer the same fate!"

Jiang Sheng raised his blood-stained waist knife, his expression fierce.

A deathly silence fell over the scene. After a few moments, a civilian cried out in terror, "Murder! Run!"

The people who had been forcibly brought here by the Hu family scattered in panic, quickly becoming like birds and beasts.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhang Shi breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Xue Huai with even greater admiration, only to realize that he had actually been holding his breath.

If Xue Huai's judgment is wrong, and the Hu family is extremely popular in the area, Jiang Sheng's strike might incite a popular uprising.

A group of government officials, swords in hand, rode up to Jiang Sheng and shouted angrily, "Surrender now!"

Hu Bao lay on the ground, clutching his arms and wailing incessantly. Dozens of guards from the Hu family looked terrified. As the first guard dropped his stick, the others followed suit, quickly squatting in several rows. At Jiang Sheng's command, they covered their heads with their hands and dared not move.

All of this happened in a short span of time. When Hu Qing came to his senses, he saw Xue Huai turn his head to look at him.

At this moment, Xue Huai's eyes no longer held any feigned calmness, but were filled with sharp intent.

Hu Qing felt a chill run through his body and muttered incantations.

"It's over."

……

……

(Hello readers, I'm back. Today's checkup results weren't too bad. I'll be taking a lot of medication from now on, and I'll also pay attention to exercising and resting. Thank you all for your concern. There will be another chapter before midnight tonight.)
(End of this chapter)