Be a proper Taoist priest in The Condor Heroes

Chapter 55 Evidence

Inside Zhou Cheng's private study, the candlelight flickered with a dim yellow light, casting long shadows of three figures.

Zhou Cheng's chubby face turned deathly pale, his oily little eyes widened, and his hands, raised high, trembled slightly, completely losing the composure he had shown at the Xu residence.

Su Yan's longsword dipped slightly, the cold iron blade grazing Zhou Cheng's warm neck, drawing a thin layer of blood. The young man's expression was calm, his eyes sharp as blades, devoid of any superfluous emotion; he simply spoke in a low voice.

"Magistrate Zhou, why feign ignorance? The Xu family patriarch sent you a lavish gift late at night. Do you think we are unaware of the Wang family case?"

Zhou Cheng was startled, but he forced himself to remain calm and offered a sophistry.

"It's just ordinary neighborly interaction, a few acts of kindness, don't make false accusations!"

Relying on his official position, he was certain that the two men would not dare to easily harm him, and a sense of wishful thinking lingered in his eyes.

Su Yanjian lowered his voice even further.

"I am a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. Today, you either confess the truth and I will spare your life, or I will take you to see the prefect and prosecute you for bribery and condoning bandits. You and your family will have to pay the price."

"The Quanzhen Sect!!!"

Zhou Cheng trembled, his face turning deathly pale.

In Xiangyang, everyone knew the fame of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, and Master Qiu Chuji was a highly respected and skilled master in the martial arts world, whom even the government officials treated with deference.

If things really escalated to the prefect's level, he, with his sinecure as a county magistrate, would be no match for the pressure from the Quanzhen Sect, not to mention that the Xu family might not stand up for him, a discarded son. His greed and fear of death caused his mental defenses to crumble instantly, cold sweat pouring down his forehead and sliding down his cheeks.

Su Ye stood to the side, gripping the hilt of his sword, his eyes cold and wary, watching Zhou Cheng's every move closely to prevent him from bluffing or triggering hidden mechanisms.

Zhou Cheng swallowed hard, his legs went weak, and he knelt down, his knees slamming heavily onto the bluestone slab, his voice trembling with tears.

"Master, spare my life! Master, spare my life! I'll confess everything! I only beg you to spare my life!"

Su Yan withdrew a portion of the sword's edge, leaving only a trace of coolness against his neck, his tone still icy.

"Speak. When did you begin colluding with the Xu family? How much benefit did you receive? Do you have any evidence of the evil deeds the Xu family has committed over the years? You are not allowed to hide a single word."

Zhou Cheng trembled all over, his lips trembling, no longer daring to make any excuses, and confessed the truth in a tearful voice.

"Ten, ten years ago!"

He crawled a few steps on his knees, his forehead touching the ground, and said in a trembling voice.

"Ten years ago, Xu Zhenghong had just established himself in Xiangyang when he came to me and gave me a hundred taels of silver, asking me to help him cover up the tax evasion of his shops. Later, as his power grew, he raised bandits from Black Wind Ridge to rob merchants and suppress his peers. Every time, he would give me money and land afterward, asking me to suppress the reports and block the news, and not allow the government to investigate further."

"Over the years, he has given me a total of five thousand taels of silver, twenty acres of fertile land, and two shops in the city —"

Zhou Cheng became increasingly frightened as he spoke, his voice trembling.

"After the Wang family's marriage proposal was rejected, Xu Zhenghong came to me that very night, slipped me five hundred taels of silver, and told me to suppress the Wang family's case at all costs, not to report it to the prefect or the magistrate, and not to let the government interfere in the Black Wind Ridge matter. I... I was greedy for a moment, and I agreed—"

Su Yan's eyes darkened, and she interrupted him.

"Are there any records of these exchanges?"

Zhou Cheng nodded quickly.

"Yes! I have account books! I was afraid the Xu family would turn their backs on me later, so I secretly recorded all the silver and land I received each time, as well as the cases I helped cover up, in the account books and hid them in a secret compartment in my study!"

"Go and fetch it."

Su Yan's tone left no room for argument.

Zhou Cheng dared not disobey. He scrambled to his feet and staggered to the bookshelf. His hands trembling, he moved a bronze paperweight aside and forcefully pried open a movable wooden board on the back of the bookshelf. Sure enough, a palm-sized sandalwood box was hidden inside. He carried the box back and respectfully handed it to Su Yan, bowing his head even lower.

Su Yan took the wooden box, opened the hidden clasp, and inside was a yellowed, thread-bound account book, its pages densely covered with writing. He twirled the pages between his fingers, quickly flipping through them; the records were crystal clear.

In the second year of the Baoqing reign, Xu Zhenghong gave 100 taels of silver to cover up a tax evasion case.

"In the third year of Baoqing, he accepted five hectares of fertile land and suppressed the robbery case of Zhang's cloth shop in the west of the city (Black Wind Ridge)."

"In the first year of Shaoding, five hundred taels of silver were confiscated for condoning Xu Chengye's case of forcibly abducting a woman."

"In the second year of Shaoding, three hundred taels of gold were used to cover up the case of the robbery of a merchant caravan at Black Wind Ridge."

"In the third year of Shaoding, ten acres of fertile land and one shop were seized, and the Wang family's report to the police was suppressed—"

As you read through the pages, the ledger not only records the details of Zhou Cheng's acceptance of bribes from the Xu family, but also indirectly confirms the Xu family's numerous crimes of harboring bandits from Black Wind Ridge and causing havoc in Xiangyang over the years. The timeline is clear, the amounts are definite, and it can be called irrefutable evidence.

Su Yan closed the account book, handed it to Su Ye to keep, and then asked further questions.

How did the Xu family contact Black Wind Ridge?

Zhou Cheng dared not hide anything and quickly replied.

"Using the specially made Black Wolf Token from Black Wind Ridge as proof, silver and messages are exchanged at the dilapidated temple outside the city on the first and fifteenth of each month. Xu Er Gongzi, possessing Xu Zhenghong's written edict, can also send messages and mobilize bandits at any time."

He paused, then added.

"I also know that the bandits of Black Wind Ridge split their loot in half with the Xu family, who in turn are responsible for bribing officials, providing them with provisions and weapons. They're already in cahoots!"

Su Ye took the ledger, carefully flipped through a few pages, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

This ledger is not only irrefutable evidence of Zhou accepting bribes, but also direct evidence of the Xu family's collusion with bandits and wrongdoing over the years. With it, even if the Xu family wanted to deny it, they would have no way to refute it.

"Write a personal confession detailing your ten-year collusion with the Xu family, the details of the bribes you received, and the contact information you just mentioned. Then put your fingerprint on it."

Su Yan gave the order in a cold voice.

Zhou Cheng slumped to the ground, trembling as he took the paper and pen Su Ye handed him, and gritted his teeth as he wrote his confession. He knew his life was over, but at this moment he only hoped to confess the truth and save his life.

After Zhou Cheng pressed his fingerprint, Su Yan put away the confession and sealed it together with the account book, gold, land deeds, and Black Wolf Token, and then asked further questions.

"The specific defenses of Black Wind Ridge, the One-Eyed Dragon's martial arts style, and the location where Wang Xingyi is imprisoned were not explained clearly earlier. Let me explain in more detail later."

Zhou Cheng dared not be negligent and racked his brains to recall: "Black Wind Ridge only has one main mountain road at the front gate, with sheer cliffs on both sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The front gate is guarded by twenty bandits in shifts all year round, equipped with bows and arrows and rolling stones; the dungeon is in the mountainside behind the stronghold, with the entrance hidden under the artificial rock behind the main hall of the Righteous Gathering, guarded by three of One-Eyed Dragon's trusted men; if the Wang family girl is imprisoned, she should be imprisoned in the deepest wing of the back stronghold, with four bandits on duty at the door, and only One-Eyed Dragon or someone with Xu Zhenghong's written order can mobilize the guards."

"That one-eyed man had a black cloth covering his left eye, was skilled with a ghost-head saber, possessed immense strength, and his martial arts were at the peak of second-rate level; his moves were ruthless."

Zhou Cheng added that he was afraid of missing even the slightest bit of information.

"If you dare to play any tricks or tip off the Xu family, this account book and your confession will be sent directly to the Censorate in the capital."

Although the Censorate was now largely powerless under Shi Miyuan's control, it didn't stop Su Yan from using his name to intimidate people. If Zhou Cheng really had connections, he wouldn't just be a minor, idle county magistrate.

"At that time, not only will you lose your life, but your family will also be implicated."

Zhou Cheng kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead splattering bloodstains on the bluestone slab.

"I wouldn't dare! I absolutely wouldn't dare! Tomorrow I will await the prefect's judgment at the county office, and will submit to any punishment I deem fit. I will not dare to make the slightest move!"

Su Ye stepped forward and pressed her fingertip on an acupoint on Zhou Cheng's chest. Zhou Cheng's body went limp and he collapsed onto the chair, falling into a deep sleep a moment later.

Returning to the shadows outside the Xu residence, the two quietly observed the activity inside.

The candlelight in the Xu residence was still burning, and Liu Shi's soft, comforting words could be faintly heard. Xu Zhenghong seemed to still be troubled by Xu Chengye's matter, completely unaware that the shadow of destruction had already loomed over the entire Xu family.

"Go to the prefectural government office early tomorrow morning."

77

Su Yan said in a low, steady voice.

"With this account book, Zhou Cheng's confession, and his identity as a member of the Quanzhen Sect, the prefect has no reason to shirk responsibility."

Su Ye nodded slightly, a resolute glint in her eyes.