BSI Chapter 93 Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey
Chapter 93 Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey
Why did Yang Chengde give up on Sun Jun?
Logically speaking, a clerk is basically the most powerful person in the yamen besides the three chief officials.
Is someone like that someone who can easily give up?
However, Yang Chengde had his own considerations. Sun Jun's intentions were unclear, and he might have already defected to Li Chong.
Sun Jun had been a clerk in Yanggu for many years, and he knew the ins and outs of the government all too well. If Li Chong were to get Sun Jun's help, it would be even easier for Li Chong to control the government.
This was unacceptable to Yang Chengde.
Moreover, even if Sun Jun hadn't sided with Li Chong, it's hard to guarantee he wouldn't have considered it in the future.
Aside from the current reason, even if Yang Chengde were the registrar, it wouldn't be so easy to take down a clerk.
If we don't take advantage of the fact that we still have leverage over Sun Jun now, it will be much harder to deal with him later.
By taking action against Sun Jun, we can also serve as a warning to others, making them consider the consequences of betrayal, and it can also delay Li Chong's takeover of power.
After weighing the options, Yang Chengde felt that taking action against Sun Jun would be entirely beneficial, so he naturally took action.
Yang Chengde was feeling quite pleased with himself when he heard Li Chong's question.
"Registrar Yang said he has caught the villain, but where is he? Let him come and confront Clerk Sun."
Yang Chengde casually replied, "That villain was too cunning. I was shocked that there was a bandit inside the county, so I lost my guard and let him escape."
With no one left to testify, what else could Li Chong say?
To everyone's surprise, Li Chong slammed his hand on the table and stood up straight: "Nonsense! How can we be sure this isn't a thief's scheme to sow discord? Since there are no witnesses, how can we so easily accuse someone based on a single letter?"
Yang Chengde frowned and looked at Li Chong. What was he doing?
Now that Li Chong is at the height of his power, doesn't he feel angry to hear that someone has betrayed him?
He had already prepared someone for Sun Jun to vent his anger on, so dealing with Sun Jun now was reasonable and justified, and he could also vent his anger. Why was Li Chong speaking up for Sun Jun instead?
One reason Yang Chengde chose Sun Jun was because of Li Chong.
Li Chong was, after all, a county magistrate, and after this reversal of fortune, he inevitably harbored some thoughts of revenge.
Pushing Sun Jun out at this moment would allow him to vent his anger and shift the focus away from others.
Yang Chengde had planned everything perfectly, but Li Chong didn't expect him to play by the rules.
What utter nonsense about sowing discord! They're just a bunch of bandits, crude and uncouth, how could they possibly know any tricks?
Yang Chengde clasped his hands and said, "Now that the county magistrate has captured the bandit leader, whether it was a divisive tactic or not can be determined with a simple question. With this letter as evidence, there is no doubt about it. What is there to hesitate about?"
Li Chong looked at him coldly and said, "That bandit leader was captured by this county magistrate. Do you think I wouldn't know if there were any inside agents? Yet Registrar Yang is now preventing Clerk Sun from speaking out. Is there perhaps some hidden reason behind this?"
Yang Chengde looked at Li Chong with a grim expression. Was Li Chong really going to turn against him?
Li Chong stopped looking at him at this moment.
"Come on," Li Chong waved his hand, "release Clerk Sun and let him explain himself."
The two men holding Sun Jun hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Yang Chengde.
Li Chong sneered, "What? Does this county magistrate's word no longer carry weight?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Wu Dalang led his men to rush forward, quickly pushing the two men aside and freeing Sun Jun.
Sun Jun immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Excellency, I have been wronged!"
"Speak quickly what you have to say!" Li Chong said in a deep voice.
Sun Jun was also clever; since Li Chong had already suggested the strategy of sowing discord, he certainly wouldn't try to implicate Yang Chengde.
Even if they manage to pinpoint Yang Chengde, they can't kill him. They can only try to extricate themselves first, and then find a way to take revenge.
In front of everyone, Sun Jun naturally shouted that he was innocent and, following Li Chong's instructions, pretended that he knew nothing about it and had no idea where the letter came from.
"Your Excellency, Registrar Yang, although I may not have done my utmost in suppressing the bandits, I did put in a great deal of effort. I really shouldn't be punished."
Li Chong looked at Yang Chengde: "What does Registrar Yang think?"
"Hmph!" Yang Chengde said sternly, "Even without witnesses, there's no smoke without fire. How can we convince the public if we just let him go like this?"
Li Chong chuckled: "Are you going to convict Clerk Sun on trumped-up charges?"
"The letter is here, how can you say it's baseless?" Yang Chengde argued forcefully.
Since things have already gone this far, we must see it through to the end. We absolutely cannot let Sun Jun get away with his crime so easily, otherwise, where will his authority as the registrar be?
But Li Chong went even further.
"Rip~~~"
Li Chong tore the letter to shreds in no time, then spread his hands and said, "Alright, now that the letter is gone, does Registrar Yang still have any evidence to accuse Clerk Sun?"
"you!"
Yang Chengde's face twisted in pain.
After a long pause, he glared angrily at Li Chong: "How can the people accept that the magistrate is so openly protecting him?"
"Is that so?" Li Chong smiled and looked around. "Clerk Yang is so ruthless to his own people, yet he asks me if I can win people's hearts. I don't know what to say."
"Gentlemen, is there anyone who disagrees with this county? Step forward now."
There was complete silence below.
The magistrate and the registrar were locked in a power struggle, and all the others remained silent, for this was a contest they could not meddle in.
Moreover, Yang Chengde's actions were truly disheartening.
Yang Chengde grew anxious: "Your Excellency is mistaken. I have always served the public good and have never engaged in any factionalism or favoritism. Sun Jun is not one of my subordinates, so how can you claim he is 'one of our own'!"
"See, you're getting impatient, aren't you? We all work in the yamen, can't we say we're on the same side? Let alone him, aren't Yang the Registrar and I on the same side too?"
Yang Chengde opened and closed his mouth a few times, but he had nothing to say.
In his haste, he thought Li Chong was going to accuse him of forming cliques for personal gain, so he hurriedly tried to defend himself, only to be lectured by Li Chong on a long and arduous course of reasoning.
After such a defeat, how could Yang Chengde have the face to continue? He had already lost face once, did he want to do it again?
Yang Chengde sat down angrily, no longer looking at Li Chong and the others: "Since the magistrate says so, then this humble official has nothing to say."
Li Chong smiled slightly and sat down as well: "Then this county will continue to announce the rewards for Clerk Sun."
Sun Jun was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, Magistrate! Thank you, Magistrate!"
Li Chong looked at him meaningfully: "Don't thank me, thank yourself instead. It's because you really put your heart into your work that you have this good fortune today. In the future, you'd better put more thought into your conduct and work."
Sun Jun understood, glanced at Yang Chengde, and then said earnestly to Li Chong, "From now on, I will follow your lead without any disloyalty!"
One wanted to make an example of him, while the other spared his life despite past grievances.
It's quite obvious what Sun Jun's choice will be.
As for why Li Chong wanted to protect Sun Jun, besides the fact that Sun Jun didn't have time to cause any damage, there was also his seniority.
With such a seasoned official who knows the government well, Li Chong's process of seizing power will certainly be smoother.