Chapter 166 People are alive, and so is morality.
"I didn't actually want to protect him," Yun Jianlin shook his head regretfully. "I feel guilty!"
The prefect of Shengzhou, a benevolent official who served as the father and father of the people, had been in office for nearly thirty years. He was conscientious and diligent in his duties, and the prefecture under his jurisdiction was thriving, with the people living in peace and contentment.
Against this backdrop, a malignant tumor like Xuan Yutang emerged.
"Years ago, this man was in the business of building houses with timber. He ventured out of Shengzhou on his own and made great contributions to the construction of Shengzhou." Yun Jianlin sighed and picked up his teacup to moisten his throat.
"Later, after his family business grew, he began to seize by force and robbery," he said. "I warned him many times. At first, he would listen, but later, I don't know who helped him, he actually managed to get in touch with the Ministry of Revenue. Every time I warned him, I would be summoned to the capital for various inexplicable reasons. By the time I came back after resolving these matters, he had already confirmed many things."
Yun Jianlin put down his teacup, his long-suppressed resentment written all over his face: "Take the matter of him forcibly seizing Old Man Su's land in the outer city, for example. When I received the news and was about to rush to Old Man Su's place, there were palace eunuchs standing at the door, blocking my way and demanding that I go to the capital to study. They said that not going would be disrespecting the court. Their words were so firm that they wished they could arrest me on the spot."
"I had no choice but to go. After I finished dealing with it, I rushed back overnight. By the time I got back, Old Man Su's land was gone. Xuan Yutang not only got the land deed, but also had the land deed transaction certificate signed and sealed by Old Man Su, which even had the Ministry of Revenue's seal on it."
At this point, Yun Jianlin frowned and said, "Old Su was afraid of retaliation, so he kept quiet and died in depression. It was then that I learned that half of the officials in Shengzhou City were the Crown Prince's protégés."
It's not just Old Man Su.
After Xuan Yutang got involved with the Ministry of Revenue, his business in Shengzhou grew bigger and bigger, and he became more and more arrogant and rude.
As time went by, the beastly and ruthless heart hidden beneath his human exterior became known to everyone in Shengzhou.
Yun Jianlin had considered various options. He thought of capturing the leader first, arresting Xuan Yutang, and then, before Xuan Yutang could get reinforcements, directly targeting the Six Doors (a government agency).
But this cunning merchant simply turned his mansion in Shengzhou into a villa where he would only stay in his spare time.
All year round, Yun Jianlin had people staking out his Xuanfu residence every day. As long as they saw Xuan Yutang, they could knock him out and bring him back.
Year after year passed, and Yun Jianlin had been waiting for almost three years, but he still couldn't catch a glimpse of Xuan Yutang.
"Ever since Yang Qingyun, who was sent by the Ministry of Revenue to Shengzhou, disappeared, Xuan Yutang has become elusive. I have conducted many surprise inspections, but apart from the servants, there is not a soul in the courtyard."
“It’s utterly despicable!” Yun Jianlin said. “I visited each household and knocked on doors to ask questions, and I found out that he had threatened all the people outside of Xuanfu, using their sons and daughters’ lives as leverage. If they revealed even the slightest trace of his whereabouts, he would kill their entire families.”
At this point, Yun Jianlin's face turned red with anger: "Not only the common people, but even the constables of my Shengzhou Prefecture have had their wives and daughters kidnapped by him more than once or twice."
He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, completely losing his composure, picked up the teacup in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp.
He poured fresh tea while taking a deep breath, then sat there staring at the teacup for a long time without saying a word.
Li Jin glanced at the teacup on the table, remaining silent.
The setting sun was like blood, and the sky over Shengzhou seemed to be pushed from east to west by a clear blue tide, chasing the setting sun as the stars shifted and the constellations moved.
Shengzhou, with its white walls and gray tiles, was bathed in red light. The setting sun shone through the carved windows, falling on the faces of Li Jin and Yun Jianlin.
Inside the room, the fragrance of sandalwood wafted from the incense burner. Li Jin remained silent, her fingers gently caressing the rim of the teacup, causing ripples to spread across the tea inside.
He is waiting.
Yun Jianlin slowly told him the truth behind the matter.
Upon learning that Xuan Yutang was a wood merchant, Li Jin almost instinctively connected him with Yang Qingyun of Shengzhou.
The Crown Prince's usual tactic is to cultivate relationships with wealthy merchants.
Song Zhen, the top merchant in the capital, Fang Qing, a wealthy merchant in Yiyang, and Xuan Yutang, a merchant in Shengzhou, all follow the same path and use the same methods.
In addition, there was his engagement to the Prime Minister's eldest daughter, his efforts to win over the Grand Tutor, and his unwavering maternal grandfather, Xu Weiyou.
In this way, he controlled the allocation of power, education, and financial and material resources in several wealthy prefectures.
While using people for his own purposes, he never considered recognizing and employing them effectively, nor did he ever consider their character or morality.
Anyway, I'll discard it after using it.
After a long silence, Yun Jianlin let out a long sigh.
He could speak of the above matters as if Prince Jing were a friend, but knowing he was in the wrong about what followed, he rose, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply.
“Tang Si was the lacquerer Xuan Yutang hired when it first started out.” He looked at the ground without raising his head. “Tang Si is an upright man, and his neighbors all admire his character. I don’t know about his past relationship with Xuan Yutang. The first time I met him was the day he beat the drum to appeal for justice.”
"At that time, Tang Si's youngest son was suffering from a serious illness and urgently needed money for treatment. Xuan Yutang owed him nearly a hundred taels of wages. Unable to get the money back, he beat the drum to appeal for justice."
In fact, when Tang Si arrived at the government office, Yun Jianlin had already been overwhelmed by the lawsuit against Xuan Yutang.
Xuan Yutang was cunning and had multiple burrows, so Yun Jianlin couldn't even catch a glimpse of him, let alone help Tang Si get her wages back.
"I raised over thirty taels of silver myself, and I'll let him take it to pay for the child's medical treatment." At this point, Yun Jianlin choked up slightly, and after a moment, all his words turned into a long sigh: "Alas... the doctor examined him and said that it had been delayed for too long and there was nothing that could be done."
"At such a young age, he closed his eyes." He paused, "Later, for a long time, I was unable to see Tang Si again."
"Although he still filed a complaint, it was more like his own monologue."
Upon hearing this, Li Jin took a sip of tea and glanced at the sky outside, where day and night met. It was as if he were reflecting on this horrific murder.
“Tell me about this case.” Li Jin stood up, lit a candle, and placed it on the table for light.
In the courtyard, the yamen runners lit the eternal lamp. Jin Shu looked at the light beside her, then looked up at the sky, feeling a mix of indescribable emotions.
Li Jin raised his hand, gesturing for Yun Jianlin to sit down and speak, but the man in front of him knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "This humble official is guilty."
As night slowly fell, Li Jin's face appeared aloof and cold in the flickering candlelight.
He guessed that the fact that Tang Sineng was able to transport four corpses at Hai hour (9-11 PM) and escape the city without being discovered must be due to the Shengzhou government being blindfolded.
But he sat there, expressionless, looking at Yun Jianlin, and said slowly, "Stand up."
Blowing away the foam on the tea, Li Jin's tone held no reproach.
"I have never said that Lord Yun is guilty." He took a sip of tea. "I have never said it before, I have never said it now, and I will never say it in the future."
“The laws of the Great Wei Dynasty are dead, but people are alive, and morality is alive.”
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