Chapter 54 - 50 Confiscation of Property

Words : 1732 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 54: Chapter 50 Confiscation of PropertyThe two guards looked at Niu Peng as if he were an idiot, not responding to his words at all. In those days, mountain bandits would stealthily rob, while the Officials could rob openly. Both were out for gain, aligning with the most promising; what fault was in that? Both were robbing Silver, could the Silver really be distinguished as noble or lowly? Guo Zhuang was very perceptive, finding a cloth to stuff Niu Peng’s mouth and incidentally twisting his jaw. This was a trick learned from the Patrol Room. The two guards secretly gave a thumbs up. Then, it was time to head back to the Government, handling the aftermath. Meanwhile, Magistrate He had the Government Officials post a public announcement in the city, stating that the Government had already uncovered the Lotus Sect Devil’s conspiracy, capturing several of their ringleader thieves... With a public announcement to reassure the populace, even if remnants of the Lotus Sect existed in the city, knowing that the Government was well-prepared and having captured Zhao Xiong and others, they would not dare to act rashly. After all, with Zhao Xiong, the local tycoon, they could stir trouble in the city. Without Zhao Xiong, they would not even be able to overrun the County Government. They could only cause aimless chaos, losing their manpower. Magistrate He didn’t first return to the Government Office but went to the County Government. This place had been the stronghold of the Zhao family for three generations; if there were any risks, they would definitely be in the County Government. Thus, he came here to oversee things personally, to ensure everything was foolproof. After arriving at the rear hall of the County Government, Magistrate He summoned County Magistrate Wu, Archivist Li, Xu Qing, accompanied by his two personal guards. On the way here, Xu Qing got acquainted with the two guards. They were sworn brothers, the elder named Wang and the younger named Ma. Both were secular disciples from the Great Zen Temple, a Holy Land of Zen and a formidable force in North Zhili, influential in both legal and illicit circles. However, as the current Emperor favored Dao, the influence of the Buddhist had waned, and the prominence of the Great Zen Temple was not what it had been before. Small gatherings for trivial matters, large gatherings for serious matters, so it has been through the ages. Guards Wang and Ma waited for Magistrate He to begin discussing matters before they voluntarily moved to the door to prevent outsiders from approaching and eavesdropping. In the hall, only Magistrate He’s group of four discussed matters. Though called a discussion, it was in fact a division of spoils. County Magistrate Wu was already aware of the general outcome, his face unable to hide his joy. The greatest credit was definitely Magistrate He’s, but he was not far behind, having earned substantial credit. At the same time, County Magistrate Wu also knew this was a favor from Xu Qing. "Conspiring against the country is a grave matter, the ins and outs must be clearly and thoroughly explained. This issue is of great importance, and I will personally interrogate," Magistrate He set the tone. Xu Qing clearly understood, Zhao Xiong would not end up in the hands of the County Government. Whether Zhao Xiong lived or died, or what he confessed, all would be decided by Magistrate He. "County Magistrate Wu." "Your subordinate is here." "You risked your life amidst the arrows and crushed the thieves. This office will certainly commend you for your bravery." "Thank you, my lord." "Archivist Li." "Your humble servant is here." "Your merits, this office has taken note of and will find an opportunity to rid you of your lowly status. There happens to be a vacancy for an Inspector of the river channel in Jiangning. If nothing goes wrong, that will be yours." Archivist Li couldn’t contain his joy, and quickly expressed his gratitude. Actually, in terms of influence within the county, being an Inspector might not necessarily be more prestigious than an Archivist. But it had advantages, controlling the tolls and having his own Government Office, and also being of the Ninth Grade. While the Archivist had no rank, and no path for promotion. Being an Inspector, though a Military Officer with a low status not comparable to a Civil Servant, opened up possibilities for advancement; most importantly it shed the lowly status. To achieve this, the greatest difficulty was not merit. Merit was merely a pretext for manipulating affairs, a secondary condition. The real core was having connections in critical positions at the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Personnel. Xu Qing understood in his heart, this was Magistrate He’s hush money and also a show of power. It indicated he had the authority to uplift or bring down, and it also showcased the extensive network of the Eastland University. Additionally, this Inspector of the river channel was also Zhao Xiong’s uncle. With Zhao Xiong causing trouble, it was certain that the uncle could not dissociate himself from it. Therefore, Magistrate He only mentioned there being such a vacancy. After all, official positions during the country’s dynasty are scarce, and countless people line up waiting for them. It’s not so easy to come across a vacancy, and it just happens to be your turn. A radish for a hole, when one radish is pulled out, a hole naturally appears. Magistrate He waited for Archivist Li to give thanks, then continued: "I will personally interrogate Zhao Xiong, but the matter of seizing his property must be handled by you. Moreover, filling the inspector vacancy requires a bribe, estimated at two thousand strings of cash. You must find a way to cover this amount yourself." "I obey the orders," Archivist Li understood that seizing property was a lucrative job, and Magistrate He considered that he might not be able to muster the money to buy his position, so he specifically gave him this task. Truly a righteous great lord! As his old servant, he sincerely thanked Qing Ge’er from the bottom of his heart. You must fight to win! It seems his mother fought his entire lifetime’s battles for him. Otherwise, how could everything be so easy for him? In fact, for an ordinary Ninth Grade official, a few hundred strings of cash would suffice. The key is that the inspector controls the merchant ships coming and going. Although the country’s commercial tax is low, it does not mean that the inspector lord and his subordinates don’t take bribes, that’s another matter. Jiangning Prefecture is a developed Zhili city. The waterways are flowing with bright white silver. Becoming an inspector, with a bit of ruthlessness, one can make back the investment in one or two years. However, one must continue to bribe higher and lower levels, otherwise, the position won’t last long. If those above find you displeasing, with one document they can send you to watch over a fishpond, and as an inspector, there’s no reasoning out of it! Magistrate He takes care of the big picture, specific subordinates, that’s Archivist Li’s concern. Of course, Guard Wang, as Magistrate He’s confidant, will also join the property seizure. The Zhao family’s gold, silver, deeds, and property, Guard Wang doesn’t touch any of it, but important documents, Archivist Li cannot see or touch. Seizing property is a profound art, the Government Office specifically has clerks responsible for inventory. Xu Qing naturally followed as well. As for how Magistrate He would reward Xu Qing, the vow previously made was already a guarantee, there’s no point in discussing other things. The rest will show in future actions! ... "Sir, the Zhao family’s wealth, lands, shops, and various calligraphy, antiques, and cultural relics together amount to a total of one thousand eight hundred taels." "That seems too little," Archivist Li exclaimed. He needed two thousand strings of cash to gather enough to buy his position. Taking all that wouldn’t be enough. Xu Qing spoke up from the side: "The Zhao family was originally a well-known local tycoon, and three generations have been the arrest officer of this county, operating for decades. It’s likely more than one thousand eight hundred taels." The clerk coughed lightly, tiptoed to Archivist Li’s ear, and whispered, "The remaining money, sir takes two thousand taels, County Master five hundred taels, Lord Magistrate eight hundred taels, the rest is for our hard work." "I’m taking more than the Old Master and Lord Magistrate, isn’t that inappropriate?" Archivist Li whispered to Xu Qing. Xu Qing nodded: "We won’t take this money." He looked towards the clerk, with a smile that was not a smile: "The position of archivist for our county is about to be vacant." S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The clerk’s expression changed, then he immediately showed joy. Xu Qing slowly continued: "Uncle, our family has an antique blue and white porcelain from the previous generations, I heard it’s worth at least three thousand strings of cash, just that it’s not easy to find a knowledgeable buyer." Archivist Li, bewildered, wondered where this porcelain came from in their house. The clerk suddenly realized, "Could it be the antique left unintentionally in the house by Old Master Gu? Sir is truly fortunate." Hearing the clerk, Archivist Li was half-confused, half-aware. Perhaps there really was this blue and white porcelain in their house. Since the house was now Archivist Li’s, if there really was a blue and white porcelain, it belonged to him, the homeowner. As for whether descendants of Old Master Gu would come to claim it? That’s a joke, all of Old Master Gu’s descendants died young. If any collateral relatives of the Gu family came to cause trouble, wouldn’t that be akin to accusing me in my own court? The clerk continued: "My family runs a pawnshop and is quite knowledgeable about antiques. How about we take a look tonight, if it really is an antique, we could buy it for three thousand strings of cash." "Hmm, thank you for the effort," Xu Qing made the decision for Archivist Li. In this transaction, Archivist Li essentially got the money from the property seizure at hand, yet without embezzling, leaving no handle for others to grab.

Chapter 54 - 50 Confiscation of Property

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