Li Huan smiled calmly, his eyes shining as he looked directly at Li Ying.
"Lu Junyi attempted to use Liangshan's treasury to purchase fertile land and houses in other places, which was stopped and rebuked by Wu Song. What do you think of this matter?"
Li hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Li Huan urged, "Speak freely, there's no need to be shy or hide anything!"
Li Ying clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Master Lu is using the money from Liangshan to buy land and houses in other places, but in reality, he is leaving himself a way out."
Li Huan nodded.
Li Ying continued, "Master Lu originally did not want to join Liangshan, but Song Jiang and Wu Yong used their schemes to force him into a corner, so he was forced to go to Liangshan and become an outlaw!"
"Song Jiang and Wu Yong attempted to be granted amnesty, submit to the imperial court, and bring glory to their ancestors, which suited Lu Yuanwai's wishes perfectly! Now that Song Jiang and Wu Yong are dead, Lu Yuanwai's escape route has been cut off, and he will naturally seek other paths!"
"Therefore, under the guise of making money for Liangshan, Master Lu used the treasury to purchase fertile land and mansions..."
Li Huan laughed and said, "You see things very clearly, don't you? Do you share the same thoughts as Lu Junyi?"
Li Ying was startled and quickly shook his head, saying, "Brother, don't misunderstand. Although I saw through Master Lu's thoughts, I have no intention of betraying Liangshan!"
Li Huan said, "Back then, Song Jiang sent troops to attack the Zhu Family Village three times, and it was only with the help of the Li Family Village and the Hu Family Village that he was able to take down the Zhu Family Village!"
"As a result, Song Jiang took the opportunity to burn down the Li Family Village, kidnapped your whole family, and forced you to join Liangshan. Aren't you resentful?"
Li Ying said, "At that time, I was indeed resentful and cursed Song Jiang and Wu Yong for their viciousness. But then I thought, my Li Family Village is not as strong as the Zhu Family Village. If we join forces in name only, we will be bullied in secret. Sooner or later, the Zhu Family Village will take over our village, and my whole family will die tragically under the swords of the Zhu family father and son!"
Li Huan asked again, "Soaring Eagle, tell me the truth, do you want to be recruited?"
Without hesitation, Li Ying replied, "I swear to God, I have no desire to be granted amnesty! Brother Li Huan, you should know that I am neither a civil official nor a military general of the court, so why should I be granted amnesty and subject to the control of the court?"
Li Huan laughed and said, "You like being a nouveau riche, living a carefree life."
Li Ying said, "Exactly!"
Li Huan said, "Alright, since you don't want to accept the imperial pardon, you have no intention of betraying Liangshan, and you will never become accomplices with Lu Junyi in the future!"
Li Ying said, "Thank you for your trust, brother!"
Li Huan's expression hardened: "Let's get this straight from the start. If you collude with Lu Junyi and betray Liangshan, your fate will be the same as Song Jiang and Wu Yong's!"
Li Ying shuddered, immediately knelt down, and swore a series of solemn oaths.
Li Huan said, "You may step back now. Summon Little Whirlwind Chai Jin to come see me."
Li Ying responded and got up, leaving the Hall of Righteousness.
Before long, Chai Jin strode into the hall and bowed.
Li Huan said, "Master Chai, are you satisfied with your position as the 'Grand Steward of the Internal Affairs Department and Supervisor of the Treasury' of Liangshan?"
He managed internal affairs and controlled the treasury, wielding considerable power.
Chai Jin hurriedly said, "That's perfect!"
Li Huan said, "Most of the silver in Liangshan was robbed from the government and wealthy people, as well as seized during sieges and raids. The brothers paid for this with their blood, sweat, and even lives!"
"Therefore, no one is allowed to squander the silver in Liangshan's treasury, much less embezzle it for personal gain!"
Chai Jin's shoulders trembled a few times.
This detail stirred something within Li Huan.
It is obvious that Chai Jin used his position to secretly embezzle a lot of money.
Li Huan summoned Chai Jin to the Hall of Righteousness, intending to instruct him to be dutiful and prevent Lu Junyi from abusing the treasury's silver.
Unexpectedly, this inadvertently touched a nerve with Chai Jin, leading him to mistakenly believe that his embezzlement had been exposed.
Li Huan decided to go with the flow, first intimidate Chai Jin, and then assign him tasks.
Bang!
The table next to Chai Jin suddenly exploded, turning into countless fragments.
The sawdust, like sand and dust, enveloped Chai Jin, startling him so much that he retreated repeatedly and leaned against a pillar.
Li Huan shook his right palm and coldly asked, "Master Chai, is your flesh and blood harder than a table? Can it withstand the force of my palm?"
With a single palm strike from a distance, the sturdy and heavy wooden table was shattered, instantly shaking Chai Jin's very soul!
He had never heard of or seen such a skill before!
With a thud, Chai Jin knelt down, his face deathly pale.
"Brother Li Huan, I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong..."
Li Huan questioned, "What did you do wrong?"
Chai Jin said tremblingly, "I deserve to die. I shouldn't have taken advantage of my position to embezzle the gold and silver treasures from the treasury and kept them for myself..."
Li Huan said, "You'll be living and eating on Liangshan, what use is all that money to you?"
Chai Jin felt ashamed and dared not meet Li Huan's gaze.
"I...I fear Liangshan will fall, so I have made preparations in advance..."
Li Huan said, "Don't you have confidence in Liangshan?"
With a mournful face, Chai Jin said, "Song Jiang and Wu Yong betrayed me and harmed Chao Gai, which has deeply disappointed me! Therefore, I must find a way out for myself..."
Li Huan said, "Song Jiang and Wu Yong are dead. No one will dare to accept amnesty anymore. Aren't you at ease?"
Chai Jin said, "Lu Junyi is acting unilaterally, attempting to use the treasury's silver to buy fertile land and houses in other provinces. His actions make me extremely uneasy, and I have no choice but to be on guard..."
Li Huan understood that Lu Junyi's selfish behavior had triggered Chai Jin's selfish tendencies.
As the saying goes, "If a person doesn't look out for himself, he'll be punished by heaven and earth."
The recent scandals at Liangshan Marsh have caused many heroes to lose faith in the concept of "righteousness."
Song Jiang, known as "Timely Rain," was famous throughout the land. Everyone knew that he was loyal and righteous, willing to give up his family fortune and go through fire and water for his brothers.
As a result, in order to submit to the imperial court and to make a name for himself in history, Song Jiang conspired with Wu Yong to kill Chao Gai, who was the most loyal and righteous man!
While hating Song Jiang and Wu Yong, the heroes of Liangshan also lost faith in the future of Liangshan.
Just like a pure-hearted boy who is devoted to the girl he loves, how can he believe in love again if he is suddenly deceived and betrayed by her?
Therefore, Chai Jin struggled internally and ultimately decided to make a fortune to prepare for leaving Liangshan in the future.
Li Huan asked, "So far, how much silver have you embezzled in total?"
Chai Jin replied, "A total of...a total of two hundred thousand..."
Li Huan cursed, "Damn it! In just one month, you actually embezzled 200,000 taels of silver!"
Chai Jin said, "A few days ago, I led my brothers into the capital and robbed several wealthy merchants, making a total of one million taels of silver."
Li Huan asked curiously, "Going to the capital to rob someone? What's going on?"
Chai Jin said, "My brothers disguised themselves as merchants and robbed wealthy merchants who frequented brothels in Jinqian Lane in the capital. They even... they kidnapped the famous courtesan Li Shishi..."
"Holy crap!" Li Huan exclaimed, "They've kidnapped Li Shishi?!"
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