Chapter 284: The Road to High Office 84

Chapter 284: The Road to High Office 84

Prefect Xu looked at the two case files in his hands, his face turning pale with anger. He slammed the table: "This is outrageous! They truly have no regard for the law!"

"Magistrate Xu, please calm your anger. Justice will prevail, and the capture of the wicked will avenge the wronged citizens."

Xu Zeping presented a cup of hot tea to Prefect Xu, offering humble comfort.

From the dark circles under Prefect Xu's eyes, it was evident that he had rushed here overnight after receiving the news.

Prefect Xu looked at the young official beside him, his anger subsiding slightly. He praised, "County Magistrate Xu, you have done an excellent job."

Since County Magistrate Xu arrived in Lingbei County, he has been committed to developing the county's agriculture and economy. At the end of last year, he even pleased the Sage with a New Year's play, which led to Prefect Xu receiving a mid-level evaluation at the beginning of this year. How could Prefect Xu not be pleased?

The Great Jing Dynasty's system for evaluating local officials differs from that of ordinary dynasties.

County magistrates and prefects are assessed annually, with a comprehensive assessment every three years, and the Ministry of Personnel determines their promotion.

Prefects are assessed every three years, with a comprehensive assessment every nine years, and the Sage decides whether they are promoted.

These assessments determine their career trajectories.

There are six levels of assessment: lowest, lower, middle, upper-middle, upper, and highest.

In previous years, Prefect Xu's assessments were always the lowest or lower, which is why he has remained in Liaobei Prefecture for over a decade, due to poor performance.

The reason the assessment system differs from ordinary dynasties is that county magistrates are assessed by prefects or governors at the end of the year.

Prefects, on the other hand, are assessed at the beginning of the following year by governors and the Provincial Administration based on the overall performance of the year.

This year, Lingbei County's exceptional tax revenue has elevated it from a poor county to an upper-middle county, which is a significant achievement for Prefect Xu. How could he not be happy?

Honestly, given the current situation, an upper-middle assessment is almost guaranteed.

But with these two cases surfacing, Prefect Xu is utterly exhausted. If this news spreads, not only will his superiors be furious, but even the Sage will hold him accountable for lax governance and poor local administration, which allowed the Hu, Zhuang, Gao, and Chen families to tyrannize for over a decade!

This setback has completely overshadowed his joy for the entire year.

But it is fortunate that County Magistrate Xu took personal charge and discovered the issue early, otherwise, who knows how many innocent citizens would have suffered.

On his way here, Prefect Xu was both angry and relieved.

Thankfully, County Magistrate Xu reported to him and did not bypass him to report to higher authorities.

"Magistrate, you must be exhausted from the journey," Xu Zeping, pleased with the praise, continued to comfort him: "Why not rest at my residence first? We can proceed with the trial at noon, and I will invite you then?"

Over a year in office has made Xu Zeping increasingly polished, and he has naturally learned these diplomatic phrases.

"Very well."

On the 29th day of the 10th month of the 20th year of Sheng'an, the case of the blocked Xiaoli River officially entered the trial phase.

Zhuang Xiangui looked at the middle-aged official sitting on the high platform, dressed in a green and white pheasant official robe, while County Magistrate Xu, who had been present the day before, was now seated below as an observer. He realized that this time, there was truly no escape.

Regret welled up in his heart as he thought of his crying grandson, and tears of remorse streamed down his face.

—Court in session!

—All rise!

——All rise!

As the constables called out, Zhang Cainv, Gao Jin, Chen Ping, Hu Yong, and others were brought to the main hall.

"Let me go! I can walk on my own!"

"Release me, you mutt constables, release me!"

...

Seeing the serious situation, the previously arrogant individuals immediately quieted down. Although they did not recognize Prefect Xu, seeing that County Magistrate Xu could only sit as an observer, they knew they had made a big mistake.

Officer Zhou gave Hu Yong a kick in the rear, "Quick, show respect to Prefect Xu!"

Officer Zhou had good reason to dislike Hu Yong. While heading to Dahu Township to arrest Hu Yong, he had heard plenty about the evil deeds the Hu family had committed there.

The Hu family not only owned land in Dahu Township but also operated gambling dens.

Gambling and prostitution have always gone hand in hand. When gamblers couldn't pay their debts, they often took their children as payment. You can imagine how many ordinary people suffered.

During his arrest, Hu Yong even bragged about his connections and ordered thugs to confront Officer Zhou.

Luckily, Officer Zhou was skilled, and with his colleagues and the crowd's help, they arrested Hu Yong despite the thugs.

While Zhang Cainv and the others resisted, they didn't shout like Hu Yong, who dared to challenge the constables.

"Hu Yong, a humble commoner, pays his respects to Prefect Xu."

"Zhang Cainv/Chen Ping/Gao Jin, humble commoners, pay their respects to Prefect Xu."

Prefect Xu banged the gavel, glaring at the four kneeling before him in disgust: "Zhuang Xiangui accuses you of conspiring to block the Xiaoli Town river, poisoning villagers, kidnapping children, and other crimes. Do you admit or deny these charges?"

"I am wronged!" Hu Yong spat a glance at Zhuang Xiangui: "Prefect Xu, please see the truth. I am loyal and would never do such evil things. Zhuang Xiangui resents me for revealing his affair with Zhang Cainv, so he's lying about me."

"Yes!" Chen Ping quickly chimed in: "Everyone knows I'm a respected good person in Xiaohu Township. How could I possibly do such evil things? Zhuang Xiangui and Zhang Cainv's affair was exposed by us, and now he's lying to cover his shame."

Then Gao Jin glared fiercely at Zhuang Xiangui and angrily said: "Prefect Xu, don't be fooled by Zhuang Xiangui, a murderer of his own family. We are all good people; you must not be deceived by him."

"Your Honor, please see the truth." Zhang Cainv tearfully wiped her tears, not expecting her former friends to directly accuse her and Zhuang Xiangui, "I'm innocent and have done nothing wrong."

..

Prefect Xu watched the villains turn on each other, feeling satisfied. Even before presenting the evidence, they had already started accusing each other.

"Quiet!" Prefect Xu banged the gavel again.

With the constables' batons at the ready, Hu Yong and the others fell silent, not daring to cause trouble.

"Zhuang Xiangui, they say you are falsely accusing them. How do you defend yourself?!"

"Your Honor, there is a hidden compartment under the desk in my study. Inside are the account books of our four families inflating grain prices over the years, as well as contracts for buying and selling decent women. As for the river blockage, it was indeed a verbal agreement, and I have no evidence. But I have evidence of the four families using poison to harm the common people and a list of gamblers who worked for the four families.

The poison used was mostly arsenic. Since arsenic transactions are quite special, our four families took turns purchasing it. I was afraid that these people would later deny it, so I kept the prescriptions for each arsenic purchase.

These prescriptions and lists are stored in the hidden compartment along with the contracts.

Those gamblers took medicine from me, Your Honor. If you capture them and question them, you will know."

Hearing Zhuang Xiangui's words, Zhang Cainv and the others felt a chill in their hearts and collapsed to the ground. They had not expected Zhuang Xiangui to truly drag them down with him!

"Shut up, Zhuang Xiangui, you beast, shut up!" Hu Yong got up, ready to pummel Zhuang Xiangui.

"Ah!"

Before Hu Yong could reach Zhuang Xiangui, Officer Zhou kicked him aside.

"Prefect, you can't touch me," Hu Yong muttered, blood in his mouth as he struggled to his feet, repeating, "You can't touch me."

Prefect Xu narrowed his eyes, "Can't touch you? Who's backing you up?"

Hu Yong met Prefect Xu's gaze, shuddered, and sobered up, slumping to the ground in silent despair.

"Men, round up the gamblers!"

At Prefect Xu's order, the constables from Lingbei County and those he brought with him split into two groups: one went to the Zhuang family to collect evidence, and the other went to Xiaoli Town to arrest the gamblers Zhuang Xiangui remembered.

Xu Zeping, seated in the lower position, listened intently, realizing the case implicated many, possibly even officials.

Otherwise, Hu Yong wouldn’t have been so brazen from the start!

In fact, it was as Xu Zeping thought.

The trial lasted ten days and eventually caught the attention of the Xiliao prefect.

The case implicated not only Xiaoli Town's four major landlords but also the bribery scandal involving Liaobei Prefecture's assistant prefect.

The assistant prefect, a cousin of Hu Yong from Huzhong Township, Xiaoli Town, had used his influence to suppress the case for over a decade, evading the previous county magistrate's notice.

It might have been noticed earlier, but for some reason, it was never brought to light.

In the end, the Hu, Chen, Zhuang, and Gao families were executed, and their property was seized.

Zhang Cainv, Yuan Gang, and the other gamblers were executed as well.

The gamblers' families were exiled a thousand miles from their homes.

The assistant prefect, guilty of bribery and causing innocent deaths, was beheaded and his head put on display!

His family was sent to the Jiaofangsi (government brothel), and the men were exiled.

This scandal became one of the most far-reaching local cases since Emperor Sheng'an took the throne.

The Xiliao prefect, for failing to supervise properly, was fined a year's salary.

The Liaobei prefect, though lax in oversight, had his punishment offset by his effective handling of the interrogation.

The Xiaoli Town Head was removed from office, and Xu Zeping, under the Liaobei prefect's supervision, was tasked with selecting a replacement.

The Lingbei county magistrate, who played the biggest role in resolving the case, received neither reward nor punishment.

The Liaobei prefect expected County Magistrate Xu to be bitter, but the young official's calm, humble demeanor showed he was no ordinary man.

Once the case was closed, calm was restored.

The Xu family's backyard overflowed with gifts from Xiaoli Town's grateful residents—mostly grains and vegetables.

Cheng Ge Er paid the townsfolk the market value for their gifts.

Some refused, but Cheng Ge Er insisted, finding ways to ensure they accepted.

With no immediate replacement for the deposed Town Head Jiang, Xu Zeping had him oversee matters temporarily.

Town Head Jiang, knowing he'd failed, took on every task the county magistrate assigned without complaint.

Under the supervision of Town Head Jiang, all waterways in Xiaoli Town's eight villages were cleared and made navigable...

"Xu Zeping, what are you busy with now?"

Cheng Ge Er came up to Xu Zeping, who only then noticed him.

Xu Zeping lightly tapped his forehead and joked, "Walking so quietly, are you trying to give me a heart attack and leave me a widow?"

"Stop it with that bad luck talk!" Cheng Ge Er shot him a dissatisfied look and said indignantly, "I called you a bunch of times, and you didn't answer, so I came over!"

"Okay, okay, my bad," Xu Zeping quickly admitted his mistake. "Don't be mad, alright?"

"Quit with the bad luck talk, or I'll get mom to handle you," Cheng Ge Er looked at him irritably. "Come on, dinner's ready."

"Alright, I'm coming."

After the case was wrapped up, it was time to start prepping for next year's county exams.

Even with his great memory, he had to admit that after a break from studying, some of the basics had gotten a bit fuzzy.

Xu Zeping wanted to see if there were any good candidates for Town Head from this year's county exams.

A Town Head should at least know how to read and write, right?

It's too bad that County Deputy Yang didn't have any good candidates to recommend.

With one thing after another, being a local official is no walk in the park.