Chapter 41: Not a Single Drop Leaks

  Jiangyou County has changed.

  This is the most rumored thing in Jiangyou County recently. No one expected that Chen Gui, the county lieutenant who had been rampant in Jiangyou County for many years and was above the law, would be knocked down overnight and then take his own life overnight. It is said that after leaving a will and a confession letter, Chen Gui untied his belt and took his own life in prison when the guards were not paying attention, making the people of Jiangyou County feel both delighted and regretful: he died too easily.

  All these years, what he did in Jiangyou is enough to be struck by five thunders and executed by dismemberment, at the very least, his body should be torn apart and left without a whole corpse. Now this way of death is really a bit cheap for him, especially for those victims' families who saw the county magistrate take the lead for them, letting them make depositions and write petitions, originally thinking they could get justice back, but unexpectedly Chen Gui had already taken his own life before even going to court, it's a bit disappointing.

  Although Chen Gui is dead, news about him has never stopped, and even the excitement and prosperity of the Lantern Festival cannot make the people of Jiangyou County reduce their attention to this matter. Now all the streets and alleys are discussing things related to Chen Gui.

  "Brother Zhao, have you heard? That Chen Baotian hanged himself in prison, what a wonderful day!"

  "You've finally figured it out, but you're just now realizing it? Chen Gui has done so many bad things and now he's getting his due. The ancients were right: good deeds are rewarded with good fortune, while evil deeds bring evil consequences. It's not that there won't be retribution, it's just a matter of time. Now, Yanluo Wang is coming for you at the third watch, how could you expect to live until the fifth watch? This is what they mean by 'retribution' - dying a good death."

  "What you've heard is just the tip of the iceberg. My nephew works in the government office, and he knows a lot more than that. This time, Chen Gui can be said to have betrayed his own kin. Those trusted followers he had cultivated before are now competing with each other to report Chen Gui's evil deeds to the county magistrate."

  A man in a Confucian robe also happily said: "This is the benevolence of County Master, following the example of Cao Cao of the Three Kingdoms, burning all the correspondence between Jiang County officials and Chen Gui, and issuing an amnesty for past mistakes. Those people had no more worries, so they actively reported Chen Gui's evil deeds, only punishing the ringleader. In this way, we can ensure the prosperity and stability of Jiang Oil, avoid major turmoil, and now it's all chaotic, and it's also a year of famine, the folks in Jiang Oil really can't afford to be tossed around anymore."

  Another old farmer dressed as an old man listened, nodded and said: "Mr. Xu is right, heaven has eyes, sent us a Lu Qingtian, one move, returned us a bright and clean sky, the blessing of Jiangyou, the blessing of Jiangyou."

  "Did you hear that? Lu Qingtian sent Cao the captain to search Chen's house, and now Chen Batian is getting his due, it was a good search."

  "That expensive store has also been sealed."

  "I heard that County Magistrate is going to take silver out of it to compensate those common people who were harmed by Chen Gui, what a great justice!"

  "That's right."

  Chen Gui dominated Jiang County for many years. To be honest, this Chen county magistrate was well aware of the principle that "rigidity is easy to break and fullness invites loss". He usually kept a low profile and sometimes still had the image of an old good man. His depth did not represent his son, nephew and other relatives' high awareness. On the contrary, they were all unscrupulous people who relied on his power to bully and tyrannize the countryside. Once something happened, it was naturally him who came to clean up the mess. Over time, the people's resentment was all placed on his head. When he was in power, no one dared to speak out, but now that he had fallen, everyone shouted loudly in celebration.

  There are two families with a deep-seated grudge, and after Chen Gui's death, they even bought firecrackers to set off in the street, calling it: Sending off the plague god.

  When Chen Guiyi fell, the people of Wang You were overjoyed and rushed to tell each other. Even within the yamen, there was a joyful atmosphere. The new county magistrate publicly burned all the letters exchanged between Chen Gui and others, letting bygones be bygones. To stabilize the people's minds, he secretly instructed Cao Hu to distribute "heart-calming pills" to the crowd: the benefits they had received in the past did not need to be returned, and their future treatment would only be better, not worse.

  This is what it means to have a great presence! The news spread like wildfire through the county government, and everyone knew that this new magistrate was someone with powerful connections, a man of great ability and cunning. After the Chen Gui affair, his reputation grew even more, and people looked up to Lu Haoshan with admiration. As long as they had food on the table and a steady income, who cared who was in charge? So, one by one, they all listened to Lu Haoshan's words and followed his plans, working diligently and trying to curry favor with this extraordinary magistrate.

  As long as I can keep my rice bowl, I'm satisfied. As for old feelings? Past friendships? Please, can those be eaten as rice? One by one, they drew a clear line and even took the initiative to report Chen Gui's crimes.

  Lu Haoshan's mood was also great, and he took down Chen Gui with one move, winning over the hearts of the county government officials, establishing his own prestige, it can be said that he killed three birds with one stone. Moreover, through the seizure of Chen Gui's property, he gained a large sum of money. Chen Gui had been the county magistrate for many years, and he was good at making money and managing affairs, accumulating a large amount of wealth, which just benefited Lu Haoshan, this is also why Lu Haoshan was happy.

  Raising an army and buying horses requires a lot of capital, with a large sum of money pouring in all at once. How could Lu Haoshan not be excited?

  In fact, Chen Gui was really rich, and it was known that he had a lot of money without being robbed. After being robbed, he was even more shocked. Silver ingots, gold bricks, antiques, mansions, shops, land, jewelry, and various fur goods made people's eyes widen. Not to mention other things, the cash alone was worth over 70,000 taels, not counting those slaves and maidservants.

  At this moment, in the warehouse of the county government office, Lu Haoshan is checking these goods with Cao Hu and Zhou Dayuan. They are all dazzled by the sight, and Cao Hu's mouth is watering at the sight of so many treasures.

  "This Chen Gui is really insatiable, he has embezzled so much money from the people, it's no wonder he died." Cao Hu said with some resentment.

  It's not just about the money, if you were to sit in the county magistrate's position yourself, you would also take the opportunity to make some extra cash. It's just that I've been following Chen Gui for many years and this old man gets all the meat, without even giving me a bone to gnaw on, it's not fair.

  "A single drop of vermilion on the official's desk, a thousand drops of blood among the people." Zhou Dajuan said with some emotion: "A county magistrate, his annual salary is only over thirty taels, Chen Guijin has been in the county government for over ten years, and it took him only a few years to become a regular eighth-rank county magistrate, which is less than two hundred taels in total. However, these family assets far exceed his income, obviously obtained through corruption and bribery. No wonder the people's resentment is so great. County Magistrate, you have eliminated a scourge for Jiangyou, now the people of Jiangyou all call you 'Land Qingtian'."

  These words are somewhat heart-piercing. Zhou Dàyuan is in charge of the household department, and over the years, he has also made a lot of money. His methods are very secretive, but he is very strict with his relatives and has always been low-key. Compared to Chen Guiyi, it's like laughing at someone who is 50 steps behind you. However, Lu Haoshan said that only the evil leader will be punished, and others will not be blamed for their past mistakes. Therefore, Zhou Dàyuan can confidently put himself in the position of a good official to deal with this matter.

  Lu Haoshan nodded and said: "In any case, fortunately, with the help of both of you, this official was able to take down this big tumor in Jiangyou at one stroke."

  "It's none of your business, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be stuck in this mess." Zhou Dàyuan hastily said.

  Cao Hu said straightforwardly, "This is the credit of the adults. To speak a psychological word, if it weren't for County Magistrate's opportunity to wear guilt and make merits, who knows, we might all be prisoners now. If it weren't for you, sir, I, Cao Hu, would not have been able to fulfill my wish in this life, to hold a beautiful woman in my arms. Sir, please accept Cao's bow."

  Lu Haoshan threatened Chen Gui and then made him write a divorce letter to Li Yunniang, which cleared her of any involvement in the case and allowed her to be with Chen Gui, creating the best conditions for them. This move was deeply appreciated by Cao Hu.

  "Hurry up and get up" Lu Haoshan quickly helped Chen Gui to his feet, saying: "Alright, no need for more courtesy, you've already thanked me many times. As long as you do your job with dedication, that's the best reward for this official."

  "How dare you disobey orders." Cao Hu said on horseback.

  Zhou Dayuan looked at Cao Hu and then at Lu Haoshan, saying with some regret: "Sir, although Chen Gui took all the blame on himself, he died easily and spared his family. Isn't that already merciful enough? Why leave them 20% of their wealth? Giving them a way to survive is already making them smile secretly."

  "Sir, Zhou Lao said something reasonable. You've said it before that past mistakes will not be held against us, and the benefits we got before don't need to be returned. However, most of the benefits went to Chen Gui, and many brothers only got a little money as compensation, so they're not wealthy themselves. This time, when we confiscate their property, we can't let them off easy, or our brothers will feel envious." Cao Hu said in a low voice: "We definitely can't let the people from the Chen family get away with it cheaply."

  Seeing Lu Haoshan's silence, although he didn't express his opinion, nor did he object, Zhou Dayuan continued with some difficulty: "Sir, your previous speech told us not to take red envelopes, not to harass the common people, and not to extort money from merchants. But relying solely on that meager monthly salary is not enough to make a living. And yet, sir, you promised that our lives would be better than they were under Chen Gui's rule. Sir, what are we going to do about this?"

  Lu Haoshan sat in the upper seat, smiling and letting the two finish looking, before laughing and saying: "This time's confiscation of property has yielded a huge profit, all of which will be stored away for public use. It's not that Lu is keeping it all to himself, as for welfare issues, this official had already come up with a plan."

  "Sir, what countermeasure is there? I am dull-witted, please enlighten me." Cao Hu asked curiously.

  "Yes, sir, we are your trusted followers. Since they are our own people, don't keep us in the dark anymore. My heart is like being clawed by a cat, I'm dying of anxiety."

  Lu Haoshan smiled slightly and said calmly, "First of all, let's talk about the treatment of government personnel. Those who are honest and hardworking will naturally not be treated unfairly. However, we are not Chen Gui, and we must take things in a proper way. I won't allow you to collect those '孝敬钱' (bribes) from the people, as that would be too burdensome for them. If we let those officials extort money from the people and they become desperate or unable to survive, they will join the rebels and turn against us. In this special period, we cannot take risks. Fortunately, Chen Gui has more than a dozen shops under his name, and business is still good. I've thought it over, and if we continue to operate them, the silver earned can be distributed according to rank and merit. That would be better than scaring those poor people who are struggling to make ends meet, and it would also be more justifiable."

  "As for leaving two-tenths of the wealth to their widows and orphans, this is a promise, and even I, as an official, cannot go back on it. However, many of those people still have pending cases against them, and we can't let them get away with their misdeeds." Lu Haoshan sneered: "I said leave two-tenths, but didn't say what to leave for them, so I'll leave the land that's hard to dispose of to them. When the time comes, as long as I set a deadline for them to relocate, they will sell it off without regard for cost. Zhou Siyi, you won't miss this good opportunity, will you?"

  Zhou Dàyuan's eyes lit up and he hastily said: "Your subordinate understands, I will definitely do it properly."

  "At this time, it's all up to you" Lu Haoshan turned his head and said to Cao Hu: "Sell the land, they will move to another place. Captain Cao, escort them out of Jiangyou, I heard that there are many violent civilians recently. Send them out of Jiangyou County, no matter what happens, it has nothing to do with us."

  When speaking, Lu Haoshan deliberately dragged out the two words "baomin" in a long tone, Cao Hu's eyes lit up and he secretly called out "awesome", immediately excitedly saying: "Yes, sir, I will definitely handle it properly."

  This move is ruthless, giving some difficult-to-cash-out land, limited time to leave the border, forcing them to sell at a low price. In this way, it's easy to make a lot of profits while appearing to be fair and just. Cao Hu escorted people out of the border, but once they left Jiangyou County, he didn't care anymore. Looking at Cao Hu's excited expression, everyone knew that he had gotten himself a lucrative deal. This county magistrate is indeed a hero who emerged in his youth, not simple at all.

  Fortunately, Chen Gui was not buried here, otherwise he would have been so angry that he would have crawled out from underground.