BSI After beating him up in Chapter 39, he was thrown out.
After beating him up in Chapter 39, he was thrown out.
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and turned to look at the minor official. A glint of shrewdness flashed in Zhao Wude's eyes, and he quickly said, "Oh? You have evidence of his crimes? Speak quickly! If it's true, this prefect will reward you handsomely!"
The minor official hurriedly replied, "Your Excellency, I learned by chance that many years ago, Zhu Yao secretly colluded with mountain bandits to rob people of their property and even seized fertile land that originally belonged to them. However, he acted discreetly and often did good deeds to cover his tracks, so no one knew about it!"
Anyone with eyes can tell that this is clearly a frame-up. Zhu Yao started from scratch back then. If he really colluded with bandits and robbed people, he would have been reported long ago. Why would it have waited until today?
Zhao Wude naturally understood that this was a fabricated accusation by a minor official to curry favor with him. However, he was just looking for something to hold against Zhu Yao, so upon hearing this, he was overjoyed and a satisfied smile appeared on his face: "Good! Good! Well said! This is the evidence against Zhu Yao!"
He immediately ordered: "Effective today, you are promoted to county magistrate, succeeding the one who was previously dismissed. Do a good job, and you will surely be given an important position in the future!"
The minor official was overjoyed and immediately knelt down, kowtowing: "Thank you, sir! Thank you for your promotion! I will serve you faithfully and will never let you down!"
Zhao Wude waved his hand, signaling him to stand up, and then instructed, "Take the clerk with you now to Zhu Yao's residence and deliver a message to me: make him voluntarily hand over half of his fertile land and pay a sum of money as atonement. If he refuses, arrest him immediately and take him back to the government office. He will be severely punished for colluding with bandits and seizing fertile land!"
"Yes, sir!" the newly appointed county magistrate and his clerk replied in unison, their eyes full of pride. The two turned and left, leading the soldiers, and sped off towards the Liu family manor.
Zhao Wude stood before the table, looking at the silver before him, and thinking of the Zhu Yao family fortune that was about to be his. A greedy smile appeared on his face as he secretly plotted:
Zhu Yao, this prefect of Chenzhou is determined to have his cake and eat it too!
...
The newly appointed county magistrate, dressed in brand-new official robes, rode in a sedan chair with his advisor, looking very proud, and led a few soldiers towards the Liu family manor.
Throughout the journey, the two were full of smugness as they discussed how to force Zhu Yao to comply and profit from it.
As the sedan chair arrived at the gate of the Liu residence, a soldier stepped forward, pounded on the door knocker, and shouted, "Listen up, those inside! The Prefectural Clerk and the County Magistrate have arrived! Open the gate immediately to welcome them!"
Butler Chen Zhong rushed over upon hearing the commotion, opened the gate, and, seeing the scene before him, remained respectful, bowing and saying, "We were unaware of your arrival, gentlemen. Please forgive our lack of hospitality. Please come in."
The newly appointed county magistrate stepped out of his sedan chair first, chin slightly raised, a smug look on his face. He glanced contemptuously at Chen Zhong and said arrogantly, "No need for formalities. We are here on the orders of the prefect to see your master, Zhu Yao. Go and inform him immediately!"
The clerk followed closely behind, stepping down from the sedan chair. With his hands behind his back, he exuded arrogance and spoke with a hint of threat: "Tell your master that if he knows what's good for him, he'll obediently come out to receive the imperial decree, hand over half of his fertile land, and offer silver as atonement. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite; we'll raze your Liu family to the ground today!"
Chen Zhong's respectful expression faded slightly, but he still patiently said, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen, I will go and inform my young master."
Having said that, he turned and strode quickly into the mansion.
At this moment, in the courtyard of the Liu residence, Zhu Yao and Liu Bowen were playing chess. On the chessboard, black and white pieces were intertwined. The two men were focused and the atmosphere was very pleasant. A maidservant was quietly serving tea beside them.
Chen Zhong strode into the courtyard, bowed, and walked to Zhu Yao's side. He then quietly reported the situation outside the mansion gate in detail, his tone tinged with worry: "Young Master, the prefect's clerk and a newly promoted county magistrate have arrived. They are extremely arrogant and have threatened you, demanding that you hand over half of your fertile land and silver to atone for your sins."
Zhu Yao paused, raised his eyes and smiled, his tone calm but with a hint of coldness: "Oh? Quite the boast. I meant well, and if they were willing to behave, I would treat them to good wine and food. Since they are unwilling, then let's find another way to 'treat' them properly."
He waved his hand at Chen Zhong and ordered firmly, "Go, take a dozen servants and give these arrogant fools a good beating. Don't hold back. After they're done, throw them out of the Liu residence. Let them know that this is Zhu Yao's place, not a place they can come and go as they please!"
"Yes, young master!" Chen Zhong was overjoyed and quickly responded before retreating to gather the servants.
Liu Bowen, standing to the side, also stopped playing chess. His expression gradually turned serious, a flash of anger crossing his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "This newly appointed prefect of Chenzhou, Zhao Wude, is far too arrogant and domineering!"
"Upon arriving in Chenzhou, he has already allowed his subordinates to bully others and even dared to openly provoke Young Master Zhu. He is simply lawless!"
Zhu Yao waved his hand and said, "Mr. Liu, don't get angry. There are plenty of corrupt officials like Zhao Wude; it's not worth it!"
Liu Bowen paused for a moment, somewhat surprised, and said, "Young master, you seem to have a very open-minded view."
Zhu Yao: "You get used to it after seeing it so many times, right? Come on, let's continue playing chess!"
.....
Outside the mansion gate, the newly appointed county magistrate and his advisor were impatiently urging him on, their tone becoming increasingly arrogant. They even started cursing at the gate of the Liu mansion, showing no sign of restraint.
Just then, Chen Zhong led a dozen servants, armed with sticks, and strode out. Without saying a word, he charged toward the county magistrate, his advisor, and the guards.
The newly appointed county magistrate and his clerk's expressions changed drastically, and they immediately shouted, "You dare to lay a hand on us? We are from the prefectural government! How dare you defy your superiors? Don't you want to live?"
But the servants ignored their shouts and swung their sticks, beating the men mercilessly. The county magistrate and his advisor, used to a life of luxury, could not withstand such a beating and were instantly beaten until they cried out in pain. The guards tried to stop them, but they were all subdued by the servants and beaten until their faces were bruised and swollen.
Before long, the county magistrate and his advisor were beaten and left covered in wounds, their clothes tattered and in a sorry state. The servants stopped hitting them with their sticks, dragged them up, and threw them hard onto the ground outside the gate of the Liu residence.
The newly appointed county magistrate lay on the ground, clutching his wound, his eyes filled with hatred. He roared at the gate of the Liu residence, "Zhu Yao! You just wait! We will definitely report to the prefect and have him send an army to raze your Liu residence to the ground, confiscate your property, and exterminate your entire clan to avenge this day!"
The clerk struggled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and said venomously, "Zhu Yao, you're dead! The prefect won't let you get away with this. Just wait and see!"
The two supported each other and limped away from the Liu residence, followed by equally disheveled guards, looking extremely miserable.