Chapter 177
Chapter 177
Zheng Xuan led the county office officials to the entrance.
Wang Fugui recognized only the assistant magistrate and the registrar.
Then there was the former magistrate’s adviser, whom Wang Fugui had dealt with most often and given quite a few gifts over the years.
However, he now noticed an unfamiliar young gentleman among them. The man possessed an extraordinary bearing and a stern expression. One glance was enough to tell that he was not someone to trifle with.
Zheng Xuan stood before the other officials and looked down at the wealthy gentry gathered below.
Apart from Wang Fugui, the crowd included more than a dozen landlords and rich local notables.
Each man had a round belly and wore luxurious silk robes, with his household servants trailing behind him.
The dense crowd completely blocked the main entrance to the county office.
By now, the street outside was also packed with common people who had come to watch the commotion.
They all wanted to see what their newly appointed magistrate could do. Would he be just like the previous one, conspiring with the local gentry to exploit the people and squeeze them for every last coin?
“Assistant Magistrate, Registrar, what is the meaning of this order to measure all the land again? Now that the magistrate has been beheaded, the two of you are in charge of the county office. We’ve shared plenty of wine over the years. You can’t cast us aside now that you no longer need us…”
Wang Fugui blurted out their sordid history without the slightest hesitation.
The assistant magistrate and registrar both went pale. At the same time, they stole a glance at the upright figure before them, who stood as straight as a stalk of green bamboo.
“Wang Fugui, shut your mouth! This is Lord Zheng, the newly appointed magistrate of Pingyuan County. You have not even saluted upon meeting the magistrate. Do you know what punishment you deserve?”
The assistant magistrate had served in Pingyuan County for many years. It was impossible for his hands to be completely clean. However, the common people had not directed their anger at him, which meant that apart from accepting some silver, he probably had not committed any truly heinous acts.
Otherwise, Xiao Che certainly would not have spared him.
Even so, having Wang Fugui expose his past before the entire crowd left him deeply embarrassed.
The county administration was changing hands. For Wang Fugui to make a scene at the county office and say such things at a time like this was practically an attempt to get him killed.
He had spent a considerable sum to purchase his position as assistant magistrate years ago.
After sitting in that position for so long, he had grown accustomed to being flattered by those beneath him.
If he fell from power, everyone who had once fawned over him would surely kick him while he was down. He would have no place left in Pingyuan County.
Fortunately, Zheng Xuan did not seem to take the matter to heart. He simply fixed his gaze on Wang Fugui.
“Your name is Wang Fugui?”
Zheng Xuan clasped his hands behind his back. His bearing was almost otherworldly, and the clarity in his eyes made it difficult for anyone to meet his gaze.
“I… I am Wang Fugui. You’re the newly appointed county magistrate?”
Zheng Xuan remained calm, showing no anger at Wang Fugui’s provocation.
“Do you know that, under the laws of Great Xia, gathering a mob to blockade a county office is punishable by thirty strokes and one month in jail at the lightest, or exile for a thousand miles at the harshest?”
At those words, Wang Fugui hastily withdrew the hand he had been pointing. The thick flesh on his face began to quiver.
He lowered his head and whispered to the man beside him, “Since when did Great Xia have a law like that? How come I’ve never heard of it?”
“How would I know? We’ve barely read any books. What would we understand about the laws of Great Xia?
“He’s the magistrate. Whatever comes out of his mouth is the law. There’s no room for the likes of us to argue.
“I don’t think we’ll accomplish anything today. Why don’t we hurry and withdraw our men?
“The proclamation said they would conduct random inspections. They might not inspect either of our families. We can always send him more silver later. He looks young, so he surely won’t be able to resist the temptation.”
Wang Fugui stroked his chin, his beady eyes darting back and forth as he considered whether the plan would work.
He had not expected the county office to appoint a new magistrate so quickly. Otherwise, he would never have led his men here so brazenly.
But then again…
“You claim to be the new magistrate, but do you have the official documents to prove it? Our previous magistrate was only just beheaded. How could the imperial court have sent someone so quickly? Are you an impostor?”
Wang Fugui’s words immediately stirred murmurs among the surrounding common people.
If Zheng Xuan could not prove that he was the legitimate magistrate, every task he undertook from this point on would meet with tremendous resistance.
Xie Chengyan had clearly anticipated this issue, which was why he had arranged for Zheng Xuan to appear before everyone today.
As soon as Wang Fugui finished speaking, he saw the common people pointing at the county office and whispering among themselves. Knowing that he had struck the right spot, he raised his head once more, looking like a rooster itching for a fight.
Xie Chengyan quietly signaled to Ye Qi with his eyes.
Just as the confrontation reached an impasse, more than a hundred soldiers poured out of the county office.
They were fully armed and carried long spears. The watching civilians immediately scattered to make room.
The soldiers surrounded Wang Fugui and the others on all sides.
Only then did Xie Chengyan emerge, holding Jin Bao’s hand.
His gaze swept over Wang Fugui’s group before shifting to the common people farther away.
“This is our proof. Do you accept it?”
The moment Xie Chengyan finished, the soldiers leveled their spears at Wang Fugui. The nearest spearhead stopped just short of his throat.
Wang Fugui nearly wet himself in terror.
He raised both hands, trembling all over. “I accept it! I accept it. I was only joking just now. Please don’t be angry, my lord.”
Xie Chengyan did not order the soldiers to withdraw. Instead, he seized the opportunity to announce, “From this day forward, Pingyuan County is the domain of Princess Jin of the present dynasty. The Princess will decide all matters here, and the imperial court will no longer interfere. If any of you refuse to accept that, step forward.”
Xie Chengyan lifted Jin Bao into his arms so that everyone could see her face clearly.
Only then did the common people realize that Princess Jin was the Star Maiden.
This was another plan Xiao Che had devised. He had covered every conquered county seat with portraits of Jin Bao and announced that they depicted the Star Maiden’s true appearance.
Word of the Star Maiden had already spread throughout the Northern Frontier.
The moment the common people saw Jin Bao, they dropped to their knees in a great wave.
Wang Fugui thought, I’m finished.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Xie Chengyan finally dismissed the soldiers.
Held in Xie Chengyan’s arms, Jin Bao looked down at Wang Fugui kneeling on the ground.
“Uncle, this man hid something in his house. Go search it!”
Jin Bao did not speak loudly, but the surroundings were completely quiet. All the common people standing nearby heard her.
They had heard rumors that the Star Maiden could foresee the future, but none had ever witnessed it. Now they had personally heard Jin Bao reveal that Wang Fugui was concealing something in his home.
Wang Fugui had a guilty conscience, yet he suspected the Star Maiden might be bluffing. He refused to admit anything.
“My lord, the Princess is slandering this commoner. What could I possibly be hiding in my home?”
Xie Chengyan ignored him. “We’ll know what you’ve hidden once we search the place. Men, search the Wang residence.”
Jin Bao eagerly volunteered to lead the way.
“Uncle, Baby will go! They won’t find it. He hid it real good!”
Xie Chengyan set Jin Bao down. With Ye Qi leading the party, they headed straight for the Wang residence.
Wang Fugui tried to follow them home, but the yamen runners pinned him to the ground.
“His lordship did not permit you to leave. Who gave you the right to go?”
Wang Fugui let out a scream. It felt as though these men were about to wrench his shoulders from their sockets.
Meanwhile, Zheng Xuan had an adviser retrieve the acreage the Wang family had reported the previous day.
He opened the record and saw that it listed only three hundred mu.
A cold light flashed through Zheng Xuan’s eyes.
As far as he knew, even the least wealthy of these men owned at least a thousand mu of land. Wang Fugui was the richest among them. How could he possibly own only three hundred?
No wonder he had gathered this group to cause trouble.
The new rules would cost him too much silver at once, and he was unwilling to accept the loss.
It was easy to imagine how much tax he had evaded over the years.
Zheng Xuan did not question him immediately. He waited.
At the Wang residence, Jin Bao led the search party inside.
The Wang household initially tried to stop them, but one look at Ye Qi’s deathly expression and the dozens of soldiers behind him robbed them of all courage.
Jin Bao entered the Wang residence without difficulty.
The servants dared only whisper among themselves from the sidelines. None attempted to interfere.
Jin Bao led everyone straight to the privy in Wang Fugui’s courtyard.
Standing outside it, Ye Qi looked utterly bewildered.
“Princess, why have we come…”
Jin Bao pointed to the roof of the privy.
“Uncle Ye Qi, it’s up there. There’s an oxhide bundle. Take it down and you’ll know.”
Ye Qi did not doubt her. He strode into the privy.
Even the Wang family’s privy was better built than the homes of ordinary people.
Following Jin Bao’s directions, Ye Qi leaped up to the rafters. Sure enough, he found what looked like an oxhide bundle, apparently placed there only recently.
The dust had clearly been disturbed not long ago, while the bundle itself was spotless.
Without opening it, Ye Qi brought the bundle down and handed it to Jin Bao.
By then, the streets outside the Wang residence were packed with common people who had come to watch. Everyone wanted to know whether Jin Bao could truly uncover something from the household.
When Jin Bao emerged from the residence, they saw a small bundle cradled in her arms.
The crowd followed her back to the county office.
The moment Wang Fugui saw the object he had hidden with his own hands in Jin Bao’s arms, every last hope vanished.
He collapsed onto the ground.
Jin Bao handed the bundle to Xie Chengyan.
“Here, Uncle.”
Xie Chengyan opened it and found a thick stack of land deeds.
He skimmed through them and estimated that the properties totaled around three thousand mu.
Yet Wang Fugui had reported only three hundred mu.
Wang Fugui had never imagined that Jin Bao would uncover the deeds he had hidden so carefully.
Ordinarily, every deed would have been registered at the county office. A simple comparison with its records would reveal who had concealed land.
However, a fire the previous year had destroyed half the county archives. The land registers belonging to the county’s wealthy families had been among the records lost in the blaze.
Whether the fire had been an accident or deliberate arson could no longer be determined.
Fortunately, all the land would now be measured anew.
Xie Chengyan handed the deeds to Zheng Xuan.
The common people had witnessed the entire process, confirming that all the tales of the Star Maiden were true.
The news seemed to sprout wings, spreading swiftly throughout the county seat.
From then on, common people came to worship outside the county office every day.
After examining the deeds, Zheng Xuan understood everything.
“The proclamation has already been issued. Wang Fugui, you know the consequences of concealing land and failing to report it. The amount you hid is enormous, so you must be severely punished.”
This was the perfect opportunity to make an example of one man and warn the rest. Wang Fugui’s willingness to serve as that example had saved the county office considerable trouble.
Zheng Xuan pronounced his sentence on the spot.
“The Wang family is disqualified from the tax reduction and will continue paying taxes under the laws of Great Xia. Furthermore, for concealing land and deceiving the authorities, I hereby sentence you to thirty strokes, one month in jail, a fine of one hundred taels of silver, and repayment of ten years of unpaid taxes. The sentence will be carried out immediately.”
Wang Fugui finally panicked in earnest.
He would be beaten, imprisoned, and forced to pay years of back taxes. Would this not ruin the Wang family?
Paying ten years of taxes on three thousand mu was impossible. Even selling all the land would not raise enough money.
Zheng Xuan gave Wang Fugui no chance to argue. He ordered the sentence carried out then and there, before the entire crowd.
Not one of the thirty strokes was omitted. Wang Fugui fainted from the pain on the spot and was hauled away to jail.
The others who had accompanied him were already drenched in cold sweat. Wang Fugui might have been the one beaten, but each blow felt as if it had landed on their own hearts.
“I will give you another half a day. Think carefully, then return to the county office and register your property again. Every family represented here today will be investigated. If I discover any more fraud or false declarations, you will meet the same fate as Wang Fugui.”
Zheng Xuan’s cool voice carried unquestionable authority.
None of the local gentry dared object. They kowtowed before leaving, hurried home to gather all their land deeds, and returned to the county office to register them again.
The common people erupted in cheers.
They had long despised Wang Fugui for conspiring with the authorities.
Now that he had finally been punished, everyone felt a deep sense of vindication. At the same time, Zheng Xuan had firmly secured his position as county magistrate.