Chapter 385: Chapter 204: Traditional Craft, Familiar Face?
"County Magistrate Zhang, your misconduct has been exposed, please come with us!"
What do corrupt officials fear the most? It’s this sentence!
If told that their father or grandfather died, perhaps these corrupt officials would be slightly startled, thinking it’s no big deal!
But if they’re told their misconduct has been exposed, and the green-headed document flies toward them, it truly frightens their very soul!
Could it be that my dealings with land plots were discovered, or maybe it was the embezzlement of public funds, involvement in fake projects, or receiving elegant bribes that has been uncovered?
Surely it couldn’t be the embezzlement of disaster funds or selling off relief grains that was found out?
Impossible! The Prefect gets the big share in these matters, we were just forced to participate, they would go for the Prefect first, why would they come to me.
The officialdom is like a bandit den; sometimes not colluding would mean exclusion, just like when a bandit chief kills someone, and demands everyone under his command to stab the body to prove their loyalty, if you don’t embezzle, you’re not part of the group.
County Magistrate Zhang Yong clearly was a group-minded person, and upon seeing it was the Imperial Inspector there to interrogate him, his legs turned three shades of weak.
"Chief Zhao, can you give this official a hint, what exactly does the Imperial Inspector find me for?"
Zhang Yong’s movement of taking out the silver notes from his sleeve was smooth, indicating he had practiced often in the past.
"Lord Zhang, I act impartially, apart from my deserved salary, I do not take a single penny more!"
"As for the reason, once you arrive at the court and meet the authorities face to face, it will become clear to you."
As he spoke, Zhao Zhonghe suddenly felt something underfoot. He lifted his cowhide boots to find a silver crumb on the ground at the entrance to the Government Office.
"Money granted by Heaven is another matter." Zhao Zhonghe picked up the silver crumb, blew off the dust, feeling quite satisfied.
Seeing this, Zhang Yong’s suspended heart had completely fallen.
In his eyes, all officials under the heavens are corrupt, where would there be anyone not after wealth in the Government Office?
Zhao Zhonghe’s refusal to accept his money indicated blatantly someone wanted to target him deliberately, not giving him any chance to recant.
With the same tactic and same fate, Yang Hong, who was drinking merrily with wealthy merchants, was also abruptly taken to Linjiang County Government Office by the Government Officials.
As for the County Government Office here.
County Magistrate Zhang Yong was brought into the court first, with Chen Guangrui about to speak, when Zhang Yong let out a cry of surprise himself.
For no other reason than seeing his daughter Zhang Wan standing there, for Zhang Yong had once forced his daughter to remarry, causing her to attempt suicide by running into a wall.
Zhang Yong despised his daughter for losing him face, and did not even prepare a decent burial ground, just got a makeshift coffin and had her buried in the Chaotic Burial Mound outside the city.
If it weren’t for Xu Qing, entrusted by Old Madam Wu, going to the Chaotic Burial Mound to move the spirit and discovering in time that Zhang Wan was only falsely dead inside the coffin, by now Zhang Wan would have become a resentful spirit within a coffin.
"Are you human or ghost?"
Zhang Wan, gentle by nature, instinctively wanted to step forward to speak when seeing her once-unfeeling father.
"Don’t come near!" Zhang Yong hid among the crowd of Government Officials, although it was his own daughter, even if she turned into a ghost, it shouldn’t be feared so.
But Zhang Yong had one reason for his fear, guilt within his heart.
He feared Zhang Wan as a ghost, feared Zhang Wan even if she were alive.
If a ghost, it’s normal for people to fear, understood by all.
Fearing if alive, that is because in a moment of anger, Zhang Yong did not let his family guard the spirit, just had Zhang Wan buried, if she were alive, wouldn’t that mean he buried his own daughter alive.
Thus, Zhang Yong was afraid, afraid of his own sin, as well as losing face, becoming despicable before all men.
This was similar to Chen Feng.
Seeing Zhang Yong hide as if seeing a ghost, suddenly from the side, someone unknown stretched a foot, fiercely kicking Zhang Yong’s behind.
An official usually sitting high in court, entering and leaving in a sedan chair, how could he withstand such a kick?
At that moment, Zhang Yong fell to the ground, even the official’s hat rolled to the side.
"Who kicked?" Xu Qing beside Wang Lingyuan was the first to ask.
The people around looked at each other, not knowing, who dared so boldly, to kick the County Magistrate?
"Silence!" Watching this spectacle, Chen Guangrui felt his temple throbbing.
"Lord Zhang, no need to panic, within this court, even if there truly is a ghost complaining for justice, we are here, there’s no need for fear."
Hearing this, Zhang Yong felt even more frightened.
He feared Zhang Wan, more so feared Chen Guangrui and the others.
Family scandals shouldn’t be publicized, whether ghost or not, the face would inevitably be lost entirely.
At this moment, Chen Guangrui stood up, exchanging places with the Imperial Inspector, after all, no matter what, Zhang Yong was an official of equal rank, questioning him directly would be overstepping.
Imperial Censor Wei judged cases differently from Chen Guangrui who liked to start from the small details, Wei was more direct.
"Zhang Yong, I ask you, are you aware of your son-in-law Yang Hong’s scheme to murder the Wu brothers?"
Zhang Yong was puzzled.
Imperial Censor Wei then related the previous grievances told by the Wu brothers one by one, and upon Zhang Yong learning that his daughter was merely falsely dead, and today’s accusations were pushed by the Wu brothers, he erupted in anger.
Looking again at Wu Zhiyuan and Wu Wencai’s simple attire, no different from ordinary folk, compared to his eldest son-in-law who was just promoted to County Magistrate, it was as different as clouds and mud.
"My Lord, do not heed the words of lowly people. My eldest daughter is virtuous and wise, obedient, never disobeying her parents. Only the younger daughter was rebellious, always siding with outsiders. Although Wu Zhiyuan was once my son-in-law, I had high hopes for him, yet he dallied in pleasure and frequented gambling dens, and his father once conspired with the Celestial Heart Sect..."