Chapter 35 The Captain Who Subsidizes the Family... Who Does He Want to Kill?
There are three ways to say something, but it's best to say as little as possible.
Zijing's statement clearly has nothing to do with this statement.
The government office hall was spacious, which easily made it feel desolate. His words, however, only made that desolation feel even more eerie.
There were only six people in the hall: Xie Cheng and Lu Jinshi standing to the left and right of Zi Jing, Gao Ge behind Zhao Shuhuai, and the Prefectural Chief Secretary whose face was swollen like a walnut.
Of these people, only the first two remained calm, while of the latter two, only Liu Changshi's expression was not pleasant upon hearing Zijing's words.
Gao Ge remained expressionless, even with a faint smile playing on his lips.
Unable to calm down after being beaten, Chief Clerk Liu uttered wild words, his speech slurred: "What does Commandant Huan mean by this? Commandant...who do you intend to kill?"
They probably anticipated that Zijing would only say ambiguous things and dare not answer in person.
In a large country like Beiye, where class distinctions are rigid, no one dares to utter any disrespectful remarks to those of higher class; doing so would be tantamount to courting death.
Perhaps due to a poor memory, Chief Secretary Liu seemed to have forgotten what had just happened outside the gate.
If we're talking about insubordination, from the very beginning, those not far from him had already put this into practice.
As soon as Chief Secretary Liu finished speaking, Attendant Lu glared at him coldly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike.
The latter was so frightened that he shrank back. The pain from the slap on his face made him feel timid.
A doorman dared to yell at him, but Zi Jing's smile wasn't deep, giving off an impression that he was strangely easy to get along with.
Zhao Shuhuai, the master of that man, remained silent.
Silence can sometimes be interpreted as tacit agreement.
Gao Ge is indeed more capable. He can bring up the matter so quickly, from the moment Zi Jing brought up the charges against the He family, with a complete set of evidence. If he hadn't prepared a thorough plan beforehand, he wouldn't have acted so swiftly.
Then, Zi Jing, undaunted by the majesty of the imperial family, sent someone to inquire about the prince's son. When the prince defied orders, Zi Jing not only did not back down, but also faced the challenge head-on and sent people to arrest him.
This series of events is enough to reveal the formidable power of this young and impetuous captain.
Gao Ge was completely different from his colleagues who only knew how to show off their abilities and act recklessly. He liked to assess the situation and weigh the pros and cons of things, adapting to circumstances. He had different analyses for different situations. This insightful wisdom and adaptability were precisely why Zhao Shuhuai valued him.
Different people require different approaches; "treating the symptoms" is the best way to navigate the officialdom.
Gao Ge understood this principle well, and he spoke more shrewdly than Liu Changshi: "It is a common saying that those who come from the battlefield are basically illiterate. Only after meeting the captain today do I realize that this statement is definitely a fallacy."
"'Darkness is the best time to kill'... I remember there was a similar saying in 'Bao Zheng's Clever Ways to Earn Money in the Gray Column'." His tone was slightly admiring: "The captain is quoting classics, which shows that he is not only good at leading troops into battle, but also well-versed in literature."
Zijing, who had always disdained such flattery, did not utter a sarcastic remark, but simply said, "Gao's words are indeed pleasing to the ear; no wonder he is favored by the governor."
Gao Ge bowed politely and said, "Commander, you flatter me. I am merely showing off my limited skills before an expert."
Although he was talking, he did not forget the purpose of his visit.
Perhaps observing the person sitting idly on the couch, he seemed to be in a good mood, so he pressed on, saying, "Forgive my bluntness, but my master has come here today to explain He Renzhi's matter to the captain."
"Oh?" Zijing's voice rose slightly at the end, as if he was very interested in what he was saying. He put down his foot on the edge of the bed and leaned forward: "How do you explain it? Tell me, my advisor."
Gao Ge and Zhao Shuhuai exchanged a glance, and after a moment, Gao Ge put on his usual serious expression: "He Renzhi has betrayed his country and colluded with the enemy, abused his power for personal gain, and is greedy for money and bribes. The prefect knows nothing about this matter. I hope the captain will investigate thoroughly!"
The moment the phrase "completely unaware" appeared, Zi Jing knew that Zhao Shuhuai intended to distance himself from everything.
To be more precise, Zhao Shuhuai had been planning this for a long time.
Words alone are not enough to convince everyone.
Gao Ge waved his hand forward, and the attendants outside the hall understood and hurriedly carried a box forward and placed it in the center of the hall.
Zi Jing's gaze swept over the lacquered wooden box, and he raised his eyelids: "What's inside?"
Gao Ge bowed and said, “Reporting to the Commandant, this box contains all the registers approved by the Prefect since He Renzhi’s transfer. These include tax registers, population records, criminal case files, land surveys, and even registers for postal services and official granary transactions. The Prefect’s approvals were all in accordance with the law and regulations, with all seals and procedures in order. These documents prove that the Prefect has no connection with He Renzhi’s case. I hope the Commandant will verify this.”
He paused briefly, then added, “Although He Renzhi is the prefect’s subordinate, all his crimes were committed on his own. The prefect always adheres to official conduct in his daily decrees and affairs, and has never overstepped the bounds. I am now presenting the complete set of documents for the officer to examine thoroughly, so that the prefect can be cleared of any wrongdoing and the misunderstanding between us can be resolved.”
Zi Jing lowered his eyes to look at the box. Before he could speak, Zhao Shuhuai spat a mouthful of tea leaves on the ground, and said without looking at him, "I know that the junior officer is a new broom sweeping clean, so he has to kill some people to establish his master's prestige."
"Although He Renzhi is my father-in-law, as a member of the imperial family, how could I protect a traitor who seeks personal gain and harms the Beiye Kingdom? Anyone could do such a thing, but I would never do it."
He spoke with righteous indignation: "The captain suspects me because of this kinship, and I have nothing to say. Now the evidence is all in this box. The captain says that I conspired with the He family to collect taxes. He can check those tax books himself and see if it is true or false."
"As for the jewelry and gold that the junior captain's men mentioned, I'll say it again: these are birthday gifts from others, and I have never done anything for them just because I had to accept them."
Zhao Shuhuai said in a drawn-out tone, "Therefore... there was no private exchange between me and those people, let alone any embezzlement or similar matters."
The light outside grew dimmer, the wind howled through the trees in the courtyard, and the dark clouds rolled in like ink, making the interior of the hall even more gloomy.
The room was dimly lit. Two or three maids came in on tiptoe and lit the long candles on the bronze candlesticks.
After Zhao Shuhuai finished speaking, Xie Cheng turned his gaze to the boy, as if asking if he wanted to check the contents of the box.
But since the items are here, the accounts have most likely been settled and there shouldn't be any oversights.
Knowing that this was a box of documents without any problems, according to the rules, they should at least go through it, even if it was just a formality.
But... that's according to the rules.
Unfortunately, Huan Xun was not one to follow the rules.
Having said what he needed to say, the officials and others from the prefect's office were waiting for his response.
After sitting for a while, he lazily stretched and moved his neck a couple of times before slowly getting up.
He casually straightened his clothes with his slender fingers, then descended the steps, the soles of his boots making a steady sound on the wooden steps in front of the couch, which was particularly clear in the quiet hall.
With his hands behind his back, the flickering candlelight cast a dim, yellowish glow on his leather cuffs.
He didn't even bother to glance at the wooden box as he passed by.
Liangliang looked at Zhao Shuhuai and said, "A congratulatory gift? What a congratulatory gift! Our dynasty's laws clearly state that officials of the seventh rank and above may not receive more than ten taels of gold, twenty taels of silver, or three strings of copper coins as gifts during festivals. Your gifts exceed the limit by several times. Do you perhaps think that those laws are just for show, or that the emperor is far away and you choose to obey them on your own?"
With the law in place, Zhao Shuhuai would find it difficult to argue. But they were also well aware that presenting the money as a congratulatory gift would surely invite criticism.
Gao Ge, as an advisor, was the first to reply on Zhao Shuhuai's behalf: "The captain is right. As officials in the court, how dare we not abide by the law? The items on the register that Guard Xie found have already been returned by the prefect's office yesterday."
"As for the rest..." Gao Ge smiled slightly: "To be honest, the He family is subsidizing the Prefect's Office. He Renzhi dotes on his eldest daughter, who is my wife, and often sends people to the Prefect's Office to deliver some good things."
The governor's mansion had little left, but judging from the cart tracks leading to the back mountain, Zi Jing guessed that the group in front of him had already transported quite a lot of things into the mountain.
They haven't yet found any other hiding places for the funds. Based on the evidence Xie Cheng has gathered, it's insufficient to convict Zhao Shuhuai of the death penalty.
If he were to spend a few years in prison, or even if word got back to the Prince of Yan's residence, the circumstances of his imprisonment and the manner of his imprisonment would become uncertain.
Zhao Shuhuai's mother was also the daughter of the Wang family. Although the new emperor was at odds with the Prince of Yan, he couldn't openly break ties with these people over a corruption case.
The new emperor knows about this matter and will certainly punish Zhao Shuhuai, but he will never execute him.
That's why Zijing made other plans; he had to sentence Zhao Shuhuai to death.
Listening to them make up lies for themselves again, they pushed all the rest of the blame onto the He family.
Zi Jing said leisurely, "What a fine way to supplement the family income! A prefect of a prefecture, and the son of a member of the imperial clan, does he need a county magistrate to supplement his family income?"
He strode toward Zhao Shuhuai: "He Renzhi's annual salary is less than that of the prefect. In terms of subsidies... in my opinion, wouldn't it be more reasonable to do it the other way around?"
At this point, Zijing changed the subject: "Even if it's just to supplement household income, a mere county magistrate with only 530 shi of grain a year is giving the prefect gold and silver utensils, a hundred taels of gold, and over a hundred taels of silk. When the prefect accepts these, doesn't he... see something wrong with it?"
He walked around behind Zhao Shuhuai, leaned down in front of him and said, "Lord Zhao, as the head of a prefecture, you are in charge of the supervision. Your father-in-law and your subordinates have committed such a serious case, and you didn't know? Does the prefect not know? Not knowing is a crime of dereliction of duty. So, what should the prefect be punished for?"
He pressed on relentlessly, asking a series of questions. Moreover, being a junior, he infuriated Zhao Shuhuai, who was already proud and easily angered.
His advisor, Gao Ge, couldn't stop him. Instead, he slammed his fist on the table and said, "Commander Huan, what do you mean by this? Even if I am guilty of dereliction of duty, then let your Xuan Ce Army arrest me and put me in jail. In a few years, I'll be a hero again, while you..."
"Who knows where we'll be then... I advise Commander Huan to leave yourself some options. My mother is from the Langya Wang clan, and my father is the late Emperor's younger brother, the Prince of Yan." He glanced contemptuously at Zi Jing and snorted, "It's incredibly difficult for someone from a military family to gain a foothold in the court. Without the Xuan Ce Army, you'll be fighting alone. You'd better leave yourself an escape route. There's no benefit in wasting time with me like this."
After hearing this threat, Zijing straightened up and pretended to suddenly realize something: "So the governor comes from such a noble family."
He smiled slightly, raised his hands and clapped twice in the air. Lu Jinshi understood and stepped out the door.
A moment later, the screeching sound of chains dragging on the floor came from the doorway. Two guards escorted a gaunt and emaciated man named He Chenlao into the hall.
He Chenlao, who used to be adorned in red and purple, was now dressed in rags, with bloodstains congealed in his messy hair. He was handcuffed and shackled, and every step he took looked difficult.
Upon seeing his brother-in-law, Zhao Shuhuai frowned and covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
Zi Jing moved to He Chenlao, who was kneeling on the ground, and turned to Zhao Shuhuai with a smile, asking, "Young Master He, tell me... what did you want to report about Prefect Zhao?"
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