Prime Minister

Chapter 129, Section 128: [Willing People Take the Bait]

Inside the accounting office in the west wing of the Hu family mansion.

It is unclear what methods Jiang Sheng used, but the Hu family steward obediently handed over two contracts.

One contract stated an annual interest rate of 3%, while the other stated a monthly interest rate of 1%. Apart from that, the contents were exactly the same. What was even more surprising was that both contracts bore Wang Dayou's signature and fingerprint.

At this moment, besides Xue Huai, Zhang Shi, the clerk, and four guards with knives, there were also Wang Shuan, the Hu family father and son, Hu Ziyu, the head of Qingshan Town, and Xu Guozhong, the grain manager, inside the room.

Jiang Sheng and Wang Gui, along with other officials of the government office, followed Xue Huai's instructions and, with their guards and yamen runners, took control of the entire Hu family mansion without disturbing the inner quarters.

"Hu Qing."

Xue Huai sat at the table, his left hand pressing on the two contracts, and said in a deep voice, "Explain to me what exactly these two contracts are all about."

Hu Qing's back was hunched, and beads of sweat on his forehead became increasingly prominent. He said with great difficulty, "Your Excellency, this is...this is..."

“You spoke with such certainty in the county government hall that when you signed the contract with Wang Shuan’s father, Wang Dayou, the town’s headman was also present.”

Xue Huai turned and stared intently at Hu Ziyu, asking, "Hu Village Chief, which contract did you see at the time?"

When Hu Ziyu and Xu Guozhong arrived at the gate of the Hu family mansion, they saw Jiang Sheng cut Hu Bao to the ground with a single blow. Neither of them had ever seen such a violent scene before, and they were almost scared out of their wits. Even now, they are still unable to calm down.

Upon hearing Xue Huai's cold voice, Hu Ziyu subconsciously swallowed, knowing that there was no way to avoid it this time. He could only point to the document on the left and say, "Your Excellency, the document I saw at the time had an annual interest rate of three percent."

Xue Huai then said, "The witnesses and evidence are all here, Hu Qing, why don't you confess honestly?"

Hu Qing sighed deeply, filled with guilt and remorse, and said, “Your Excellency, I confess. Five years ago, Wang Dayou borrowed thirty taels of silver from me. At the time, we agreed on an annual interest rate of three percent for a term of five years. Because I suspected that Wang Dayou would not be able to repay the money, he made an agreement with me that if he could not repay, the debt would be settled with the Wang family’s land. I was blinded by greed and took a liking to the Wang family’s eighty mu of paddy fields, but thirty taels of silver at an annual interest rate of three percent would only amount to eighty-four taels in five years.”

Standing to the side, Wang Shuan gritted his teeth and said with hatred, "So after you signed the contract, you deliberately got my father drunk and then coaxed him to sign another contract! You beast!"

Hu Qing's lips moved, but he ultimately did not refute, because the guards standing on both sides held the hilts of their swords and were glaring at him menacingly.

Xue Huai gestured for Wang Shuan to step back for the time being, and then said coldly, "Even if you forged a contract, at a monthly interest rate of one percent, two hundred and forty-six taels is still not enough to buy the Wang family's eighty mu of paddy fields. So you should join forces with Xu Guozhong to change the Wang family's good land into wasteland in the Yellow Register!"

"My lord, spare me... spare me! I was forced into this by Master Hu!"

Grain Manager Xu Guozhong didn't dare to argue and immediately knelt down to beg for mercy.

With things having come to this, Hu Qing said dejectedly, "Your Excellency, please calm your anger. I confess my guilt."

Xue Huai asked, "What crime have you committed by seizing land, forging deeds, and bribing officials to alter land registers?"

Zhang Shi said at the right moment: "Your Honor, according to the criminal law of the Great Yan, the main culprit in this case, Hu Qing, should be sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane. The eighty mu of paddy fields belonging to the Wang family should be returned to their rightful owner, and Hu Qing should compensate the Wang family with five hundred taels of silver. Hu Ziyu, the village head of Qingshan Town, and Xu Guozhong, the grain manager, are accomplices and should be sentenced to sixty strokes of the cane, convicted of crimes and imprisoned for life, and fined three hundred taels of silver."

Hu Ziyu and Xu Guozhong felt a wave of dizziness, and Hu Qing had no choice but to speak up: "Your Honor, I am a student of the Imperial Academy, and according to the regulations of the court, I can pay silver to redeem my sins. I am willing to pay three thousand taels of silver to the county government to redeem this sin."

This was a response he had planned long ago.

The current situation is beyond his control. The reinforcements he sent Hu Bao to request may not have received the news yet, and Qingshan Town is already under Xue Huai's control. If he waits for the prefectural city to react, he may have already been killed by Xue Huai.

He confessed his guilt and readily handed over the money; Xue Huai probably wouldn't necessarily want to kill him.

Upon hearing the amount of three thousand taels, Zhang Shi's heart skipped a beat.

It's not that he's short-sighted; he's genuinely never seen so much silver before.

In the past two years, he had been pleading with the government for the river works and embankments in Yizhen County, but he could only get a few hundred taels of silver. Although Yizhen was a wealthy and superior county, the problem was that neither the silver from the canal transport nor the salt administration was something that a seventh-rank county magistrate like him could covet.

He carefully controlled his expression, only to find Xue Huai, who sat upright, saying with a hint of disdain, "Three thousand taels for one hundred strokes of the cane?"

Hu Qing felt a pang of heartache, but he was genuinely afraid that Xue Huai would have the yamen runners kill him. Even if he wasn't beaten to death, he couldn't accept being crippled. Therefore, he didn't want to take a single beating and could only say in an even more humble manner, "If Your Excellency feels it's not enough, I can try my best to raise more. How about five thousand taels of silver? I know Your Excellency is planning to build water conservancy projects, and this is my humble contribution."

Xue Huai remained noncommittal and said calmly, "Let's put this matter aside for now and talk about the deaths of the Wang couple."

Hu Qing couldn't help but curse inwardly. This young man from the capital had too big an appetite. Even five thousand taels of silver couldn't fill his stomach. Wasn't he afraid of overeating?

Knowing he couldn't rely on Hu Yong, he quickly said, "Your Honor, Wang Dayou's death was truly due to his own accidental fall, and has nothing to do with my son. However, this matter was caused by my own greed, and I am willing to compensate the Wang family with one thousand taels! In addition, I am willing to sell my family's property to raise ten thousand taels of silver to donate to the county government!"

The increasingly larger the amount, the more sincere Hu Qing's intentions seemed.

However, Xue Huai sneered a few times, his eyes narrowed slightly, and said, "Hu Qing, you still won't behave yourself. Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? I'm here today to seek justice for the Wang family, and you actually want to bribe me in public with silver. Do you know what crime that is?"

"I had no such intention! Your Honor, I sincerely confess my sins and beg you to show mercy and give me a chance to atone!"

Hu Qing bowed deeply.

Xue Huai looked at his hunched back, then turned his gaze to Hu Yong beside him, and slowly asked, "Do you plead guilty?"

"Your Excellency."

Although Hu Yong was useless, he knew that admitting it at this moment would lead to an unsolvable situation, so he said in a trembling voice, "I did not hurt Wang Dayou. He fell and hit his head. It was really not my fault."

"None of you will admit it. If I were to send someone to interrogate the servants who accompanied Hu Yong to find the Wang couple that day..."

Xue Huai hesitated, as if he wanted to speak. Hu Qing quickly said, "Your Excellency, after Wang Dayou passed away, those people disappeared. I originally wanted to find them to testify for my son, but they all ran away overnight. Perhaps they were afraid of getting involved in a murder case, but this has caused my son great suffering. I immediately reported them missing, and Hu Lizheng is aware of this."

Knowing that he would have to rely on Hu Qing to borrow money to pay the fine, Hu Ziyu said helplessly, "Your Excellency, this is indeed the case."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi frowned and rebuked, "Are you treating the government like fools? Hu Yong, as the mastermind, is still living a carefree life, so why would those accomplices need to flee?"

“Magistrate Zhang, they won’t admit it.”

Xue Huai stood up and looked at Wang Shuan, saying, "You heard it all. Even now, the murderer who killed your father still thinks he can escape the punishment of the law. So, have you thought it through?"

On the way here, he had told Wang Shuan that the Hu family’s encroachment on land was not a capital offense, after all, that was the custom in the Great Yan, and moreover, both the Hu father and son were students of the Imperial Academy, so this matter would at most result in a fine.

To make the Hu family pay the price, it is necessary to confirm that Hu Yong murdered Wang's father.

A look of deep sorrow appeared on Wang Shuan's face, but his eyes were resolute. He bowed and said, "My lord, in order to find the real culprit who killed my parents, I implore you to send someone to open the coffins and examine the bodies!"

These words struck like a thunderbolt into the room.

In this era where filial piety is of paramount importance, Wang Shuan's ability to make such a request completely surprised Hu Qing. He trembled as he said, "Your Honor, this town has no coroner..."

"It doesn't matter."

At this moment, Xue Huai was quite amiable towards him, saying calmly, "When I came, I specifically asked Magistrate Zhang to bring the coroner from the county office with me."

Hu Qing was speechless, while Hu Yong, standing beside him, had already turned deathly pale.

About half an hour later, on a gentle slope to the east of Qingshan Mountain.

Wang Shuan, draped in a white cloth, knelt on both knees and kowtowed repeatedly toward the grave in front of him, his eyes red and swollen from crying.

The coroner from the county government squatted on the ground, examining the two highly decomposed corpses with extreme care.

Xue Huai, Zhang Shi, Jiang Sheng, the Hu family (father and son), Hu Ziyu, Xu Guozhong, and more than ten elders from Qingshan Town stood not far away, waiting quietly.

About an incense stick later, the coroner rose and approached Xue Huai, saying solemnly, "Your Honor, after a thorough examination, I have confirmed that Wang Dayou suffered a severe beating before his death. His skull was fractured, and his ribs were broken. Even though the body is decomposed, subcutaneous blood is still visible. Therefore, it can be seen that Wang Dayou did not die from illness, but was beaten to death. His wife died of suffocation, but it is currently impossible to confirm whether she hanged herself or was strangled."

"Father! Mother! Your son is unfilial!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shuan burst into tears, the seven-foot-tall man kneeling on the muddy ground.

Xue Huai gestured for Jiang Sheng to go and keep an eye on things, then looked at Hu Yong with a cold expression.

"Hall... Your Excellency..."

Hu Yong's teeth were chattering, and he eventually collapsed to the ground, unable to utter a single complete sentence.

Hu Qing wasn't much better off; he looked as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

The elderly people from Qingshan Town standing nearby had complicated expressions. In fact, they all knew the cause of the Wang couple's death, but in the past, the Hu family had absolute power. They not only had a powerful backer in the prefectural city, but also controlled the income of families like theirs. Who dared to say a word?

"Magistrate Zhang."

"The subordinate is here."

"Have someone inform all the people of Qingshan Town that I will be holding a public trial of the Hu family father and son in the square in front of the Hu family mansion in two days. Let all the people come and watch. If anyone has evidence of the Hu family's wrongdoings, I welcome them to come up on stage and report them."

"Subordinate to obey!"

After listening to the conversation between Xue Huai and Zhang Shi, Hu Qing and his son Hu Yong could no longer hold on and both fainted.

Xue Huai didn't glance at them again. He turned and walked to the edge of the gentle slope, looking at the sparsely populated Qingshan Town ahead with a solemn expression.

Zhang Shi arranged for the yamen runners to take control of the Hu family father and son, and then sent someone to convey Xue Huai's orders. After finishing these tasks, he walked to Xue Huai's side and respectfully said, "Your Excellency."

"Ah."

Xue Huai gave a faint reply.

Zhang Shi thought for a moment and asked, "Your Honor, since the evidence against the Hu family father and son is conclusive, why wait until two days later for the public trial?"

Xue Huai gazed into the distance, a sharp glint in his eyes: "We have to give those people some time, otherwise how will they be able to get here in time to rescue the Hu family father and son?"

"them?"

“They are the real enemies of our efforts to clean up the corrupt practices in Yangzhou’s officialdom. I’m doing all this precisely to wait for them to appear; otherwise, why would we need to go through all this trouble with just the Hu family?”

Xue Huai said no more and turned to walk toward Wang Shuan, who was still kneeling in front of the grave.

As Zhang Shi gazed at the young official's retreating figure, he suddenly realized something and couldn't help but whisper from the bottom of his heart, "My lord, this road may be difficult and arduous, but I am willing to serve you faithfully!"

(End of this chapter)