Chapter 336.1: Finally Making a Move
Towards this, Li Hong Yuan was rather indifferent, first pacifying his own wife. Everything else can all move to one side.
Jing Wan actually calmed down very quickly, closing her eyes and deeply inhaling two breaths, regaining her composure. Just, in her eyes, there was an unspoken and endless chilliness.
“The participating officials of Chuanzhou Fu have already all been imprisoned. The others, we have also gone to arrest. Don’t worry, the ones that have transferred away, even if serving as an official in the capital, absolutely won’t be able to escape.”
“Good.” Letting these people that were devoid of human conscience escape, that would truly be the ‘heavens having no eyes’. However, what Jing Wan didn’t know was that in the lifetime her husband once experienced, this big incident that was devoid of all humanity caused by greed, from beginning to end, all didn’t get exposed. The heavens were indeed very blind. Twenty thousand human lives, all just ended that soundlessly.
The Black Clad Guards set out. The family members of the involving personnels, regardless whether it was master or slave, entirely arrested without an exception, and the main residence was also pasted with seals.
(T/N: This is the best example I can find of a door seal in an ‘ancient’ setting, its main purpose is to prevent unauthorized entry. They’re still used in modern times as well.)
During this process, there were naturally people resisting, but what kind of people were the Black Clad Guards, that was just a bunch of cold face grim reapers. Even if the old, weak, women, or children, all won’t be lenient. Once the head broke with blood, each and every one also no longer dared to shamelessly cause a scene and loudly bawl, trembling in fear as the held one another, “Old madam, what exactly is going on? There wasn’t the slightest warning at all, just arresting like that. Jin Wangfei clearly………….”
“Shut up.” The black clad guards coldly drew the sword.
Similar words played out practically in every official residence of the arrested officials’. Because of not knowing the specific reasoning, they just assumed it was still the matter of the salt administration. Thus, Jing Wan became the definition of taking money but not working. With the black clad guards present, they didn’t dare to curse out loud, but in their hearts, they nevertheless had Jing Wan thoroughly cursed from head to toe, in and out, cursing all eight generations of her ancestors.
All the way until they were all escorted into the fu prison and met with the master of the house, who had their official hat removed and court attire stripped, could they no longer endure, breaking down. Those tears were just like a broken string of pearls, “Old master, master, exactly what is going on?” Doing everything they can to claw at the prison cell’s bars, wanting to ask clearly. The others also started wailing along with.
“What are you howling for, quickly move.” The handle of the blade fell, not at all merciful.
Seeing their madams raised in luxury, their either outstanding or clever children, and even their grandchildren still in the swaddling clothes, in this moment, they also could no longer hold back the tears, attempting to go grab their loved ones’ hands, yet their loved ones got ruthlessly pushed away, and perhaps would get locked up in an even damper, and even darker place with pests and rats running amuck. How can they bear, how can they bear?!
Li Su Yan held the blade at his waist, his back erect perfectly straight, his entire face carrying a stern cold expression, “Now you know to regret? In these last three years, in your dreams, have you ever once gotten plagued by the several tens of thousands of vengeful spirits that had died wrongly? Now you know to cry? At the time, when you all had that many living people forcibly pushed into the sea of fire, did you ever once hear their cries? Twenty thousand human lives, just because you all were greedy and insatiable, endlessly ruined. How were they not innocent? Even if you all just leave behind one-tenth of the money, they would’ve been able to survive, and would even be deeply grateful towards you all, yet you all insist on exterminating to the end. As long as there was the tiniest bit of conscience, then wouldn’t have done this kind of thing that’s less than animals. Wangye was even thinking of giving a lighter sentence, but if I have to say, exterminating up to the tenth relation all wouldn’t be enough to quell the people’s anger.”
These words were said for them to hear, but how was it not necessarily said for those family members to hear. Several tens of thousands of human lives, yet still want to cry in grievance?
This kind of thing, as the family member, the ones who knew were also very few. Seeing their startled look of disbelief, they actually had no face to face them, both hands covering the face, kneeling onto the ground, weeping endlessly. The person was like as if having become foolish, with only words like “I was wrong”, “I’m sorry”, and so on left.
Li Su Yan was unmoved, “What are you all standing around for, take them down and lock them up, and wait for further orders.”
Perhaps because of knowing the reason, no one said anything anymore, just falling silent all at once, losing their anger. Originally, perhaps there was still a trace of hope, but now, it all turned to despair. Twenty thousand human lives, how can they still be allowed to live?
Li Su Yan knew, this was only temporary. Once they are no longer able to endure the prison’s environment, they will explode again. When time comes, they won’t care whether or not that was their family. They will resent, they will curse, and won’t care that a very large portion of that money was actually all used on them. When time comes, those main offenders will finally experience true bitter anguish.
After taking care of everything, Li Su Yan returned to report.
Li Hong Yuan nodded his head, and afterwards, let him and Yu Zhong Qing separately write a memorandum, spurring the horse full speed to send back to the capital. Afterwards, he himself also went through the motions of writing his own opinion on handling the matter regarding the embezzlement, having the things Jing Wan ’embezzled’, minus the ones that were still considered pleasant to the eyes, with the rest all made into a list, and then had exactly how much these officials embezzled clearly written out one by one. Lastly, adding: ‘Respectfully awaiting your Majesty’s decision’. Everything else aside, just these last two additional things absolutely were able to let Le Cheng Emperor have a heart attack.
After he finished having a heart attack, he even praised ‘good job’, and moreover, a hundred percent will accept Li Hong Yuan’s opinion on handling this matter.
———–This son was good, truly considerate, preserving his face, while also at the same time chasing back what the state treasury lost. In the past, although he always contradicted him, he ultimately still had him, this father, placed in his heart, just a bit ‘the mouth not matching the heart’.
Although it was impossible to receive Le Cheng Emperor’s reply within a day or two, what kind of reaction he will have, Li Hong Yuan was completely able to predict, only expressing: ‘Heheheh…………….’
As for whether or not the memorandums Yu Zhong Qing and Li Su Yan presented up will make his blood pressure soar, this further wasn’t within Li Hong Yuan’s scope of consideration. However, what was certain was that it was still unlikely for him to just die on the spot. That person very much cherished his life, and wouldn’t go as far as to have himself thrown in because of these people.
“With this many officials getting arrested, what will happen to Shannan Prefecture’s as well as Chuanzhou Fu’s government affairs? How will it be handled?” Jing Wan was somewhat worried. With no one taking charge above, things might go wrong below. Once trouble occurs, it will directly affect the ordinary commoners.
“When preparing to make a move, I had already let someone have the accompanying officials from the capital scattered in the various other places all gathered in Chuanzhou Fu. At the latest, they will arrive tomorrow. Don’t worry, won’t have problems arising. Those people in prison have absolutely no possibility of coming out alive. At this time, it’s already a fixed matter. When the capital receives the memorandums, they will also select officials to replace them as quickly as possible, and then travel to take up the new post in the fastest speed. If it’s transferring from the other regions, at the latest, it’ll still just be a month. If transferring from the capital, the speed will even quicker.”
(T/N: I just want to clarify that the officials involved in the matter absolutely will be executed without a doubt, what’s undecided is how their family members will be sentenced.)
Jing Wan nodded, “Shannan Prefecture is very wealthy, and looking at these people right now, one will just know, how ample this profit is, and now, with this many important positions emptying out all of a sudden, the people in the capital afraid will start fighting again. Can this selection process really be quick?” Jing Wan very much expressed her doubts.
“The current Head Minister of Appointments is your grandfather, you know. Although this matter involves second and third rank high officials, where the Ministry of Appointments doesn’t have direct authority to appoint, but Head Minister Luo’s recommendations the previous few times, all deeply matched with that one’s intentions. Moreover, this current mess in Jiangnan is greatly connected to those brothers of mine, and currently, they are still ‘carrying guilt’. To be jumping up and down at this time, it will undoubtedly make that one unhappy. They aren’t idiots, but in front of benefit, they won’t give up that easily either. That’s why, nine out of ten will put their efforts towards your grandfather.”
Jing Wan smiled, “It seems I’d thought too much. Grandfather is ‘upright and honest’, so the speed won’t be slow.”
“Upright and honest?” Li Hong Yuan rubbed his chin. That was an old fox. The Luo family although wasn’t that wealthy, but still had a certain degree of foundation. At least, they won’t lack money, that’s why, that old fox has never cared about money. He similarly was a scholar official, but compared to others, he was much more humane. He had ambition, and his ambitions were also sufficiently big, yet it didn’t make one dislike.
Just, Jing Wan’s bitter experiences in his past life still made him harbor grudges towards the Luo family. Of course, some things, after reasoning through, rather wasn’t as heavy as before.
“What, is it not the case?” Jing Wan glared at him.
Li Hong Yuan rubbed her face, “If you say so.” Smiling very sincerely.
However, this sincerity was actually directly proportional to half-heartedness. How sincere he was to her was inherently just how half-hearted this answer was. Jing Wan was also too lazy to argue. That was because she was very clear that her own grandfather really wasn’t an upright and honest person. If she were to continue arguing, she will probably become increasingly lacking in confidence.
“Everything so far can be considered to have come to an end. The later matters, for the most part, are all just cleaning up. We can go sightseeing along the way, filling up Wan Wan’s travel records, while also collecting things along the way, filling up Wan Wan’s little treasury. Isn’t it very relaxing?” For things to have reached this current step, if the other prefectures as well as fu still don’t know to be sensible, then naturally can’t blame him for not being polite. This trip to Jiangnan, taking Wan Wan to sightsee was the most important. The rest were all merely done in passing.
Jing Wan was speechless. Was there a need to say it like this?
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