Be a proper Taoist priest in The Condor Heroes

Chapter 60 The Xu Family Brought to Justice

Outside the Xiangyang Prefectural Government Office, a great commotion arose as people, having heard the news, gathered in front of the office, eagerly awaiting its arrival. News of the annihilation of the Black Wind Ridge bandits had already spread throughout the city, and now everyone knew that the government was going to settle scores with the Xu family. Those who had been oppressed and harmed by the Xu family came to witness this moment of justice, and the atmosphere inside and outside the government office was both passionate and solemn.

In the main hall of the prefectural government office, Prefect Lin Wenyan sat in the main seat, his face stern.

Su Yan and Su Ye stood calmly to the side of the hall. Wang Xingyi, dressed in plain clothes, looked haggard, but her eyes were unusually firm. Beside her stood two maids who could barely stand up. All three were covered in wounds, but they could not hide their grief and indignation.

Before long, Xu Zhenghong, dressed in a brocade robe, stepped into the main hall surrounded by a group of servants, followed by the still charming Liu Shi.

He feigned composure, bowed to Lin Wenyan with his hands clasped, and spoke with a hint of arrogance.

"Prefect Lin, may I ask what brings you here today? I heard that the bandits of Black Wind Ridge have been wiped out, and I should have come to offer my congratulations, but I do not understand why I am being treated with such a grand display?"

His gaze swept over Su Yan and Wang Xingyi in the hall, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes. His fingertips unconsciously clenched the silver notes in his sleeve, yet he still feigned innocence, his face displaying the arrogance of a noble family.

"I have heard that there is some misunderstanding between my son Chengye and Miss Wang. I presume that the bandits of Black Wind Ridge are greedy and taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble. This has nothing to do with my Xu family. Chengye is young and ignorant. If he has said anything offensive, I am willing to go to his door to apologize and compensate the Wang family for all losses. I urge the Prefect to investigate thoroughly and not be misled by the bandits' nonsense."

"Misunderstand?"

Lin Wenyan sneered; the evidence on the table was already piled up like a mountain.

"Xu Zhenghong, even now, you still want to deny it? The Black Wind Ridge bandit leader, One-Eyed Dragon, has confessed that he has been colluding with your Xu family for ten years, and the abduction of Miss Wang was ordered by your son, Xu Chengye. Do you dare to say you know nothing about it?"

Xu Zhenghong's face paled instantly, and his heart skipped a beat. Had the one-eyed man really confessed? He suppressed his surging panic and his mind raced. The Xu family had deep roots, and his eldest son was still a sixth-rank official in the capital. The prefect might not dare to really touch him. He straightened his back, his tone still firm.

"Your Excellency is joking! My Xu family is a distinguished clan in Xiangyang for centuries, with a clean reputation for generations. One of our ancestors even served as an imperial censor. How could we possibly collude with bandits? It must be that the bandit, after being captured, is trying to implicate us and drag my Xu family down with him! As for my son, although he is unruly and headstrong, he would never dare to collude with bandits to kidnap anyone. I beg Your Excellency to investigate thoroughly and not listen to slanderous words that could tarnish the reputation of my Xu family!"

"calumny?"

Su Yan stepped forward, holding a sandalwood box in her hands, and slowly opened it.

"Xu Zhenghong, take a look at these words. Aren't they slanderous lies!"

Zhou Cheng's handwritten confession, the yellowed ledger of bribes, the correspondence stamped with the Xu family's private seal, and the black iron wolf token were all laid out on the table.

"This is the confession of County Magistrate Zhou Cheng, detailing his collusion with your Xu family for ten years. He accepted over a thousand taels of gold, silver, and land from you, along with two thousand hectares of fertile land, to cover up tax evasion and suppress competitors. These are your correspondence with Black Wind Ridge, bearing your signature, instructing you to plunder merchants who competed with you for profits. This account book records the details of your profit sharing with Black Wind Ridge; your Xu family took 70% of the loot each year. The evidence is irrefutable; do you still want to deny it?"

Xu Zhenghong's gaze swept over the familiar handwriting and personal seal, and his blood seemed to freeze instantly, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

His confidence had largely dissipated, but he still clung to a last sliver of hope. His eldest son was a sixth-rank official, a relative of a court official, so the prefect had to be wary of him.

He licked his dry lips, his tone softening slightly, and began to subtly probe.

"My lord, even if these things exist, they could be forged and used to frame someone. The Xu family has been operating in Xiangyang for a century, with shops and farmland all over the city. They contribute 30% of Xiangyang's taxes every year. If the Xu family is truly harmed, Xiangyang's trade routes will be thrown into chaos. I am willing to donate half of my family's wealth to provide relief to disaster victims and repair the city's defenses. I only ask that you investigate more carefully and not wrongly judge a loyal and virtuous person."

These words were both a gesture of goodwill and a form of pressure. The Xu family's wealth was crucial to Xiangyang's tax revenue, and he didn't believe the prefect would dare to disregard the consequences. Seeing that Lin Wenyan's expression remained unchanged, he revealed his trump card, raising his voice slightly, with a hint of arrogance and intimidation.

"Moreover, my eldest son is currently serving in the capital as a sixth-rank official, highly regarded by his superiors. If he learns that our family has been falsely accused, he will likely submit a memorial to the court to explain the situation, which may affect your career."

"Hahaha!"

Lin Wenyan suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter full of sarcasm. "A sixth-rank official? Xu Zhenghong, are you out of your mind! Colluding with bandits, kidnapping and murdering, and neglecting human life—each of these is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of the entire family! Don't think that your eldest son is just a sixth-rank official; even if he were a third or fourth-rank official, he couldn't protect the lives of your entire family! On the contrary, as an official of the court, with his relatives committing such heinous crimes, he's probably in deep trouble himself. His official hat is probably finished!"

These words struck Xu Zhenghong like a heavy hammer blow.

His body went limp, and he staggered back half a step, the color draining from his face instantly. Yes, colluding with bandits was no small matter. If it were reported to the court, not only would his family be in danger, but his eldest son would also be implicated! He had only thought of using his official position and wealth to exert pressure, but he had forgotten that this was a serious crime that could lead to the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

His last shred of hope crumbled completely, and fear overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. Looking at the irrefutable evidence on the table and listening to Wang Xingyi's suppressed sobs, he finally understood that he truly couldn't get past this hurdle.

"Framed?"

Wang Xingyi stepped forward, her voice filled with suppressed grief and indignation.

"Xu Zhenghong, you still dare to say you framed me? Three months ago, your son Xu Chengye came to propose marriage, wanting me to be his concubine. After my father refused, he led his men to break into the mansion, smashed up the gates, and threatened to make me wish I were dead!"

"Later, I ran away from the manor, intending to roam the martial world, but I was kidnapped by the bandits of Black Wind Ridge who colluded with your son! My sixteen guards all died tragically under the bandits' blades while trying to protect me, and my two maids were violated and tortured by the bandits! All of this was caused by your son Xu Chengye, and it was all orchestrated by your Xu family! Do you dare to say that you know nothing about it?"

Wang Xingyi became more and more agitated as she spoke, and tears welled up again, not from weakness, but from anger and accusation.

"The bandits were even more blunt, saying that they were henchmen raised by your Xu family, taking your Xu family's money and doing things for your Xu family!"

Xu Zhenghong, you are utterly depraved! To satisfy your son's selfish desires, you colluded with bandits and disregarded human life. How can you face those innocent people who died?

Looking at the grief-stricken expressions of Wang Xingyi and the maids, listening to their tearful accusations, and seeing the irrefutable evidence in the courtroom, Xu Zhenghong's last line of defense completely collapsed. His legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. Liu Shi rushed forward to support him, her face also ashen.

"Your Honor, please, spare Zheng Hong!"

Liu fell to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her face.

"It's all my good-for-nothing son's fault, it has nothing to do with us! Our Xu family is willing to give away all our wealth to compensate all the victims, please have mercy and spare our lives!"

Xu Zhenghong also came to his senses. His instinct for survival overwhelmed all pride. He trembled as he took out the 500,000 tael silver note from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Wenyan, his voice trembling with tears.

"Prefect Lin, this is 100,000 taels of silver. If you spare the Xu family, all this money is yours! In the future, the Xu family will fully support your career. Please, have mercy and spare our lives!"

"presumptuous!"

Lin Wenyan slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups on it jump, and shouted angrily.

"Xu Zhenghong, even now, you still dare to bribe this official! Your Xu family has colluded with bandits, kidnapped and murdered people, and oppressed the common people. Your crimes are heinous and countless! It would not be too much to cut you into a thousand pieces."

"Someone come here!"

Lin Wenyan gave the order sternly, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Proceed to the Xu residence immediately, confiscate all property and account books, and arrest Xu Chengye. Do not fail! Anyone who obstructs the operation will be killed without exception!"

"yes!"

The constables who had been waiting outside responded in unison and turned to rush towards the Xu residence.

Upon seeing this, Xu Zhenghong turned ashen-faced, slumped to the ground, and muttered to himself.

"It's over, everything is over—"

Liu wept bitterly, her face streaked with tears, but no one paid her any attention. Su Ye stood to the side, watching the scene with icy eyes, her heart utterly unmoved.

Half an hour later, the constables escorted Xu Chengye, who was bound hand and foot, back to the government office, followed by a group of soldiers carrying away the stolen goods. Xu Chengye was disheveled, his face full of fear and resentment. When he saw Xu Zhenghong and Liu Shi, he immediately cried out.

"Father! Mother! Save me! I don't want to die! It's all because that Wang family girl was ungrateful that I did this, it wasn't my fault!"

"evil creature!"

Xu Zhenghong was trembling with anger, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

The head constable stepped forward to report.

"Your Excellency, the Xu residence has been searched and confiscated! A total of 300,000 taels of silver, dozens of land deeds and shop deeds, and over a hundred privately amassed weapons were found. In addition, an account book was discovered, recording all the crimes committed by the Xu family over the years, including oppressing the people, seizing land, and evading taxes!"

Lin Wenyan looked at the evidence and the Xu family of three before him, his face darkening to the extreme.

"Xu Zhenghong, you colluded with bandits, masterminded the kidnapping and murder, and condoned your son's evil deeds; you deserve to die! Liu, you spoiled your son and aided and abetted the evildoers; you cannot escape blame! Xu Chengye, you forcibly abducted women, colluded with bandits, and harmed the innocent; you deserve to die!"

"This prefecture hereby pronounces its verdict: Xu Zhenghong and Xu Chengye shall be executed immediately, at noon three days later! Liu shall be exiled three thousand li away, never to return to Xiangyang! Half of the Xu family's property shall be confiscated, and the other half shall be used to compensate the victims' families!"

"My lord, spare me! I don't want to die!"

Xu Chengye was terrified and struggled desperately, but the constables held him down firmly.

Xu Zhenghong closed his eyes, two lines of tears sliding down his cheeks, his heart filled with regret.

He never imagined that his family business, which he had painstakingly built up over many years, would end up like this.

Upon hearing the verdict, the people outside the government office cheered and shouted applause and shouts of approval that lasted for a long time.

Those people who had been harmed by the Xu family knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude, thanking the government for standing up for the people and thanking Su Yan and Su Ye for stepping forward.

Lin Wenyan walked to Su Yan's side and bowed to express his gratitude.

"Master Su, thanks to your and Miss Su's help, we were able to wipe out the bandits and settle scores with the Xu family, restoring peace to the people of Xiangyang. The people of Xiangyang will never forget your great kindness!"

"You flatter me, sir."

Su Yan returned the greeting and said, "Eliminating harm for the people is our duty. Now that the Xu family has been brought to justice and the bandits have been wiped out, Xiangyang City has finally returned to peace. This is the most important thing."

Three days later, at noon, Xu Zhenghong and Xu Chengye were escorted to the execution ground and publicly beheaded. Crowds flocked to watch, witnessing firsthand the execution of these two wicked men. With the executioner's blade falling, the sinful lives of the Xu father and son came to a complete end.