Chapter 40: You Get Promoted and I Get Rich (Seeking Recommendations)

  The officials left, and Jiang Yuangui looked at Yang Meng sitting beside him, also having some doubts in his heart.

  He Jiang Yuangui is not a fool, Yang Sanlang has a problem! Not coming early or late, but just at this time came to the county government office, if you come, then come! But what followed was the case of the Zhou family's extermination, is it to use He Jiang Yuangui as a shield?

  Some things can't stand scrutiny, the Zhou family is wealthy and influential, and as an official, although he's guilty of many crimes, thanks to the Zhou family's wealth, they haven't reached a dead end yet.

  Even if we have to sell our family property, it wouldn't be so urgent. From the day the contract was signed until now when the whole family has been slaughtered, this deal is really fishy! Although the Yangs are big merchants in Yunnan, their home isn't a silver vault. The Zhous have countless fields and properties, but such a large amount of gold and silver can be gathered in just one or two days? This is hard to believe.

  "Haha! Lord Jiang, there are several hundred dismembered corpses buried on the back mountain of the Zhou family's estate. This is the reason I forced Zhou Shiqing to sell his land cheaply. Governor He of Yunnan Province strongly advocates for the prohibition of opium. Do you know where the opium in the Yiliang area comes from? It's from the Zhou family's estate!"

  Jiang Yuange is the leader of the fox spirits, but Yang Meng is not much worse. What kind of day can a poisonous villain like him pass? With suspicion, doubt, cunning and ruthlessness, Yang Meng wouldn't have risen to power so quickly in his past life.

  Compared with the way of being an official, Yang Meng's is far inferior, but compared with the cunning and cleverness of Jiang Yuangui, he is still not good enough.

  He thought to himself, Yang Meng guessed roughly, and the annexation of Zhou Jia Jiang Yuanji was also a key point. He rounded it off here, and the whole thing was seamless and flawless.

  "Third Master! This week, Shi Qing is also an official, and even if his family property is sold out, why must he annihilate the entire family?"

  Zhou Shiqing has done what, Jiang Yuanyi can't control it, but in Yiliang, such a big case was made, the court will not investigate? After Zhou Shiqing's family died, the next unlucky one is Jiang Yuanyi.

  "Lord Jiang, how dare you speak like that? The Yang family may engage in business, but we don't deal with murder and robbery! You'd better watch your words, or I, Yang San, will turn against you!"

  This corrupt official is afraid of getting into trouble himself, so he wants to drag down the Yang family. But by dragging down the Yang family, can he avoid punishment?

  "Wasn't it Third Master who had a hand in the death of Zhou Shi Qing and his family?"

  Yang Meng's expression didn't seem fake, and Jiang Yuanguo was also somewhat indecisive. He was clear about the way of being an official, but judging criminal cases wasn't his strong suit.

  "Killing an official is equivalent to rebelling, I, the Yang family, don't need Zhou Shiqing's silver coins. For some petty wealth, putting the entire Yang family at stake, is it worth it?"

  Being an official requires weighing the pros and cons, doing business is no exception. Jiang Yuangui should understand this principle, right? This reason may not be convincing to others, but Jiang Yuangui will probably believe it.

  "What's going on at Zhou's house?"

  Yang Meng's words were believed by Jiang Yuanji, but what's the use of him believing? If the imperial court investigates, it won't be anyone else who gets into trouble, but rather Jiang Yuanji himself. The Yang family is powerful and influential, and only by clinging to this big tree can he stabilize his own position.

  If all else fails, this matter can only be pinned on the Yang family. If it's not possible to bring down the Yang family, I might still be able to escape unscathed. The Yang family is wealthy and influential, and many people in Yunnan are probably eyeing them covetously. If I can find a suitable big shot to collaborate with, I may have a chance to rise through the ranks smoothly in the future.

  "Lord Jiang, it's best not to scheme against the Yang family. Although they are merchants, they may have a foothold in Yunnan and have their ways, don't try to take advantage of them for temporary gain..."

  Jiang Yuanyi's idea was mostly seen by Yang Meng, who wanted to use the Yang family as a stepping stone for his own advancement. As a county magistrate, he was far from satisfactory.

  What is the Yang family? A big merchant in the southwest! Even a county magistrate can be overthrown, what did the old man start with? In Yunnan, without the official position of governor or the consent of most officials, the Yang family's boat will not sink for the time being.

  After hearing this, Jiang Yuangui was also shocked and frightened. He was facing only Yang Sanlang, not the Yang Buddha of Yunnan. How did the history book of Yiliang fall from the horse? He was a witness. If Yang Buddha took action in Yunnan, it would be more ruthless than the imperial court.

  "Let's see if we can catch a few human traffickers, Shi Qing has been doing this business for some time now. Maybe he didn't calm down his subordinates before leaving and they rebelled against their own kind."

  Yang Meng had already planned everything out. If Jiang Yuanguo didn't behave himself, Zhou Shiqing would be his superior and force him to settle the case of Zhou Shiqing. After that, getting rid of him wouldn't be difficult at all.

  "All we can do now is wait!"

  After figuring out some things, Jiang Yuangui's mind also settled down. Zhou Shiqing, a local tyrant who had dominated Yiliang for many years, was no match for the Yang family. If it were himself, he would probably be even more helpless!

  If it's true what Yang Sanlang said, that the Zhou family is a den of rebels, then things will be easy to handle. The victim isn't an innocent person, and with the opium incident, these things can also be explained away at the Governor's office.

  Once the guilt is established, the fate of this family will probably be like that of Yi Liang Dian Shi, becoming a sacrifice to cover up the entire Yunnan's shame.

  In this way, one's own future is also unpredictable. It is better to collude with the officials and merchants who sell opium, according to the correct reason, it should be a crime that I don't investigate myself, but eliminating such a scourge would also be a meritorious act for me.

  How to define it has also become a big problem. The current governor He Lao is a man of strong character, who can't tolerate any nonsense, and I'm afraid...

  "If Zhou Shiqing is guilty, our old master also knows Governor He of Yunnan and Guizhou, I wonder if General Jiang has any needs?"

  Things have been thought out by Jiang Yuangui, and it's time to offer an olive branch to comfort him. If not, the officials will be timid, and if he is frightened, he might do something unexpected, and his own plan will face failure.

  These words were music to Jiang Yuangui's ears! If he could really get in good with the Governor, then first, he wouldn't have to spend any money greasing palms, and second, he wouldn't have to go begging to grandfathers or telling tales to grandmothers - everything would be taken care of with just one word from that venerable old man.

  "Yuanji then thanked San Ye first."

  With Yang Sanlang's guarantee, Jiang Yuangui also made up his mind. Not to mention Zhou Shiqing, who was not clean himself, even if he was a good person, he would still be accused of trafficking in human beings, planting and selling opium.

  It doesn't matter if there are any witnesses now, Jiang Yuangui has already begun to plan in his heart how to report this matter, exaggerating the crimes of Dian Shi and Zhou Shiqing, and recounting the countless efforts he, Jiang Yuangui, made to eliminate them.

  It's almost time for the annual exam, and it's better to stay in Yiliang County for a while longer. Building a good relationship with the Yang family is also crucial. In this small place of Yunnan, it's not easy to leave even if you want to. By relying on the Yang family, you can get promoted to several levels in these few years. When the time comes, whether you are sent to Beijing or elsewhere, your own capital will be established.

  Yang Meng and Jiang Yuanji were handling the handover procedures while slowly waiting for news from the Zhou family. This matter had to be done well, as the mastermind was a big problem. If someone from the Zhou family survived, it would still be a trouble.

  It wasn't until late afternoon that the constables from Yiliang returned. The case was huge, involving nearly two hundred people from the Zhou family, all of whom were killed. Several dozen human traffickers also died. If this case is reported to the imperial court, it will be a shocking and major case.

  There were indeed a few living mouths, but none of them were from the Zhou family. They were all human traffickers who had been injured and still bore scars. After being subjected to Jiang Yuanguo's brutal torture, these human traffickers all confessed.

  This is how it happened: the leader of the human traffickers, upon hearing that the Zhou family was going to move, somehow gathered over a hundred skilled hands and prepared to rob the Zhou family.

  But Zhou's prestige over the years was too great, and with the Zhou family's strong men being unbeatable, many slave traders retreated in defeat. However, their leader refused to give up, using both soft and hard tactics to force them into a confrontation with the Zhou family.

  A group of over a hundred people, extremely fierce, quickly took down the guards at the Zhou family's estate. By the time these human traffickers arrived, aside from the Zhou family members, there were hardly any others left.

  A toothless tiger is not to be feared! A group of human traffickers rushed forward and fought with Zhou Shi Qing, resulting in both sides suffering heavy losses. The Zhou family was exterminated, the human traffickers were killed or injured, and the Zhou family's wealth had been looted. Those who were injured were abandoned.

  This case also coincided with Jiang Yuangui's intention. Wu Qing, the leader of the human trafficking gang, became the target of pursuit. After all, the Zhou family had a lot of wealth, and if they caught Wu Qing, Jiang Yuanji would also make a fortune.

  "General Jiang, things are clear now. Yang San has taken his leave and I will rush back to Kunming. As for the Governor's affairs, I will do my best."

  It's clear how things should be handled, Yang Meng just needs to let his old man go to the Governor's Mansion to blow some wind, and once Jiang Yuangui reports the case, after passing through the Governor's Mansion, the Zhou family's affairs will be perfectly settled.

  "Then I'll have to trouble Third Master from now on. In the future, in Yiliang, Yuanji will still have to rely on Third Master."

  This time sending Yang Meng, Jiang Yuange also gave up his official airs and escorted him out of the city of Yiliang County, which was also a disguised surrender.

  Returning to the Zhou family's estate, Yang Meng left most of his knife-wielding men behind. The current situation in the Zhou household is still unstable, and before things are settled with Jiang Yuangui, they must be extra cautious. If anything goes wrong, it will implicate the entire Yang family.

  Left behind Wei Tuozi and Qin Ziqi, Yang Meng led Ma Qinghu, Cen Yu'e, Tang Youwu and twenty or so knife-wielding men back to Kunming.

  The harvest from the Zhou family's side has already been told to Lao Yezi by Ding Baojun. Yang Shiqin is even more fond of his newly enlightened third child. Although this matter was handled in a risky manner, the gains for the Yang family are also extremely impressive.

  The Yang family's estate is not lacking in wealth, but the tens of thousands of hectares of good land in Yiliang are a great asset. The tens of thousands of hectares of good land in Dianzhong Granary can support not only the farmers who cultivate it, but also several tens of thousands of people. With grain in hand, one's heart is at peace.

  Yunnan is located in a remote and barren area, with these good fields, it was easy for the Yang family to gather people.

  "Dad! The good thing is that I've taken care of it, but we still need you to take the lead on the Governor's side!"

  Handling Yuan Yujin, Yang Meng's power is more than enough to deal with the Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. However, he can't control him just because of his reputation as the tyrant of Yunnan. The Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, He Changling, won't even see him, it's too humiliating!

  "Wow... Lao San, is there anything you can't do? You secretly and quietly took care of the big deal with Yiliang Zhou, you're really something!"

  Yang Shi-qin was also angry in his heart, this old three of his own family, did not deceive his subordinates, did not deceive Lao Ding, but deceived himself, this father, after all, he is also the real father!

  "No one knows a child better than their father, I thought you would understand without me saying."

  Yang Meng took one look at this situation and knew that Old Master was just messing around with himself because he had nothing better to do.

  "Get out! Tonight I'm going to the Governor's mansion for a banquet, you stay home and don't stir up trouble! Yiliang has done well, he has his father's style."

  If it weren't for the lack of time, I'd have to give this little brat a good scolding. If Old Ding hadn't reported it, I wouldn't have known anything about this matter. After tidying up his clothes, Yang Sizhen took Ding Baojun and went to wipe Old Three's butt.

  Having received the old master's praise, Yang Meng also respectfully sent off the old master to Kunming City, and only after watching the horse team leave did he happily return to his room.