Chapter 518: Cheng Family
“Cheng Xu was brought to Cheng Village by Cheng Shan and locked up. I’ve already gotten someone to rescue him. There are also two young ladies locked up in the woodshed in the inner courtyard.
“The servants said that they are the daughters of the third branch. The servants also said that the third branch of the Cheng family is the son of a concubine. The first and second branches are the legitimate descendants. The first and second branches have never been on good terms with the third branch. They also said that Master Cheng even ruined the Madam of the third branch.” After saying that, Zhao Cai turned to look at Cheng Shan disdainfully.
Zhou Jia looked at Cheng Shan in surprise. He did not expect the dignified Master Cheng to do such a despicable thing.
Two hours later, the guard walked in with a young man covered in blood and reported to Zhou Jia, “Sir, the third branch of the Cheng family, Cheng Xu, has been brought here.”
Zhou Hia saw that he had entered and was looking at the Cheng family. Cheng
Xu then laughed and walked up to Cheng Shan and his wife. “Master Cheng, First Madam, the heavens have eyes. To think that you guys would have such a day.” As he spoke, he knelt down and looked at the sky. “Father, Mother, did you see that in heaven? The people who harmed you have all received retribution.”
Cheng Shan, his wife, and the dozens of people from the Cheng family glared at Cheng Xu. Cheng Shan’s eyes bulged with hatred as he cursed angrily, “Bastard, you’re indeed a traitor.”
“The Cheng family should have collapsed long ago.” Cheng Xu got up from the ground with tears on his face and kicked him in the face. “The Cheng family is a dirty evil ghost cave. You’re an evil ghost in human skin. I can’t wait to eat your flesh and drink your blood. Just wait! You evil ghosts, just wait to be exiled. The high and mighty ladies, just wait to spend the rest of your lives in the education office!”
Eldest Madam Cheng looked at Cheng Xu and cursed sinisterly, “You’ll die a
horrible death. Your mother, that slut, will be burned to hell!”
Cheng Xu rushed over angrily. After grabbing her hair and flipping her to the ground, he stepped on her face. “You’re the one who will branded in hell.” As he spoke, he leaned over and said sinisterly in her ear, “Just you wait. I’ll ransom the two ladies you raised and send them to the private residence in Western City. Didn’t you often threaten my sister like this? I’ll let your two daughters stay there for the rest of their lives.”
The First Madam whimpered and her eyes widened. Cheng Shan and the men from the Cheng family roared and struggled to hit Cheng Xu, but they were restrained by Zhou Jia.
Cheng Shan growled at Cheng Xu, “You traitorous dog. If I had known earlier, I would have chopped you up and fed you to the dogs.”
Cheng Xu let go of First Madam and walked up to him. He punched the bridge of his nose. Cheng Shan was in unbearable pain, and tears and blood flowed out of his nose.
Cheng Xu looked at him disdainfully and let go of him. He walked up to Zhou
Jia and knelt down to kowtow. “Sir, please let me go out to find my sisters and
Auntie Qiong. I’ll come back immediately if you need me.”
Zhou Jia looked at him sympathetically and said gently, “Your two sisters are still waiting for you inside. Go and see them first. I’ve already gotten someone to bring them to a safe place. I’ll get someone to call her over later.”
“Thank you, sir.” After Cheng Xu kowtowed to Zhou Jia, he stood up and staggered towards the inner courtyard.
Zhou Jia asked the officials to take the Cheng family away and escort them to the prison of the government office.
The Cheng family was tied up and escorted to the government office by the officials. The commoners who rushed over after hearing the news threw rotten vegetables at the Cheng family.
An old man pointed at them. “To think that you would have such a day! The heavens are fair- Karma is coming!”
There were also commoners who brought rotten eggs with them and threw them at the Cheng family. They hit Cheng Shan and a few men, making them smell.
It was not until someone rushed up to fight that the officials stopped him.
Some of the scribes sent by the government office began to count tally belongings and record them one by one. Some were sorting out the letters and accounts.
Looking at those things, Zhou Jia said to himself, “His Majesty is rich again. The warehouse of the Ministry of Revenue is getting more and more full. He said that Great Yong has no money. This is because the money is in the hands of corrupt officials and rich people.”
Wu Tong arrived at the Cheng family and reported to Zhou Jia, “Senior Zhou, Magistrate Feng’s family has already been investigated and his family has been imprisoned. ”
Zhou Jia nodded. “This is the outcome of a corrupt official like Feng Qing.” Wu Tong agreed. He cupped his hands and said, “Sir is right.”
The two of them looked at the mountain of gold, silver, jewelry, and jade artifacts in the courtyard. They were packed into wooden boxes by the officials. The large wooden boxes gradually filled the courtyard. Even the ledgers and letters were filled with a few boxes.
Judge Wu remarked, “Everyone in Yuezhou says that the Cheng family is rich.
This gold, silver, and treasure are more than the taxes of the entire Yuezhou
Prefecture over a few years.”
Cheng Xu walked out with two frightened and uneasy girls. Zhou Jia said to him, “This place is going to be sealed. You can take the property and servants of the Cheng family’s third branch away. Take your two sisters and settle them down first before going to the government office to be interrogated.”
Cheng Xu gratefully bowed to Zhou Jia and Wu Tong. “Sir, don’t worry. I’ll go to the government office after settling my sisters down.”
Zhou Jia looked at the small courtyard in front of him with a headache but still walked in.
After entering the house, he saw the Eldest Prince lying on the bed. He was already dead. Below him knelt two women who were crying.
Zhou Jia said to the officials following him, “Bring the two of them to the prison of the government office and lock them up individually. As for the person on the bed, buy a good coffin to place him in.”
After the official agreed, he left with the two women.
Zhou Jia returned to the posthouse and began to write a memorial to report the situation in Yuezhou and the news that the Eldest Prince had committed suicide.
“After getting the secret guards to send the memorial away,” Zhou Jia said as he planned, “When the Cheng family and Magistrate Feng are interrogated and the case is closed, I can bring my people back to the residence to reunite with Yu’er and the children and report to His Majesty.”
Zhou Jia interrogated the Cheng brothers overnight. Cheng Shan denied what the Cheng family had done and cursed at Zhou Jia, saying that he had framed a good citizen. He only stopped when Zhou Jia slapped the evidence on his face. He still refused to admit to the private forging of weapons and pushed the blame onto the steward.
The second branch of the Cheng family blamed all the crimes on the first branch. The two families complained about each other and fought in prison.
Even when Cheng Xu went to the government office to accuse Cheng Shan of privately opening an iron mine and forging weapons, Cheng Shan still denied it. He argued that Cheng Xu was taking revenge and refused to confess even with torture. He even scolded Zhou Jia for wanting to force him to confess.
After Chu Shan returned to Yuezhou with the weapons and the steward’s confession, Zhou Jia saw that it recorded that the Cheng family had built more than ten thousand weapons in the past two years, as well as various armors. Most of the weapons transported out were placed in the cellar of the Cheng family village. More than 40 miners’ corpses had been cleaned out of the pits. After bringinz people to retrieve those weapons from the cellar of the Chenz
Family Village, the evidence was placed in front of Cheng Shan before he bowed his head and confessed. However, he refused to admit that he had colluded with General Zou to rebel. He only admitted that he had colluded with Feng Qing to sell iron ore.
There was no evidence of General Zou colluding with the Cheng family. Zhou Jia could only detain him first and wait to report him to the Imperial Court for punishment.
One after another, the commoners went up to sue the Cheng family for allowing their servants to bully and occupy the farmlands, as well as tricking the miners and blacksmiths into entering the mountains.
Zhou Jia reported Cheng Shan’s confession and Feng Qing’s corruption to the capital to await the emperor’s verdict before bringing people to the various counties and towns to check..
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