Chapter Twenty-Seven: Qin Santai!-Eu sou um tolo, que más intenções poderia ter?(Pena de ganso selvagem batata-doce)

"Bring them in. This cargo is material evidence in the Su family case; take it to the Prince's Manor first!" Jian Qi said expressionlessly.

Zhao Yuancheng nearly spat out a mouthful of blood upon hearing this. Extortion was one thing, but you're not even letting the goods go? If this keeps up, he would be out over a million taels—how could his big boss ever let him off?

Forgetting his pain, he crawled to Xue Yuan's feet, begging, "Your Highness, you cannot take this cargo! If our big boss finds out, none of us will have an easy time, please, I beg you, I beg you!"

Xue Yuan glanced at the trail of blood behind him, suspicious that he might try to write the character for "misery" on his boots, and quickly kicked him away. "Talk all you want, but don't dirty my new shoes!"

Inwardly, he sneered. Some people were ruthless, but that didn't make them tough; they were inhumane to the weak but would only kowtow and beg when facing the strong. Xue Yuan had just read Zhao Yuancheng's status tags and knew he was the primary architect behind the Su family's frame-up. Why wouldn't he drive him to ruin? Of course, toppling the Yuxing Silk Shop was already part of his plan. Once Yuxing fell, the Su family could monopolize the Jiangnan silk market, and if he took a stake in it later, wouldn't that be a source of endless wealth?

"A messenger of justice has to eat, too!"

Soon, the manor guards, keeping a close eye on the workers, loaded the cargo and headed out. Xue Yuan was in a great mood. As he reached the door, he suddenly recalled that one of the accountants seemed quite bold, having spoken up for the Prince’s Manor the whole time. Moreover, he appeared to be the only one among the accountants who hadn't embezzled the manor's funds. That was interesting.

He turned to gaze at the status tags hovering above the man's head:

Xue Yuan was stunned by this long string of tags. Damn, is this guy a bit too narcissistic? And for heaven's sake, I can tolerate you thinking the Princess is interested in you, but you dare to imagine that Su Ruowei is conquered by you? Do you want me to make you kneel and sing "Conquered"?

However, after reading through the tags, he found them contradictory. "The tags say he's destined for a successful career, but also that he hasn't been able to get a post in twelve years since passing the exam. What on earth?"

Setting that aside, Xue Yuan concluded that this was just a down-and-out scholar wallowing in his own delusions. Although he had passed the provincial exam and was qualified to be an official, he couldn't secure a position because he lacked the money to bribe the right people. But what was rare was his belief in "repaying kindness" and his filial character.

A thought occurred to him. "Since he wants to climb the ladder so badly, why not give him a hand? If I can take down Li Yuanwang this time, the position of Magistrate of Ning'an will surely be vacant. If I use money to grease the wheels and have someone the Emperor trusts recommend him, then this city will be mine to control!"

Controlling Ning'an City would not only allow him to earn more money but also facilitate the expansion of his own influence. The significance was immense!

Thinking of this, Xue Yuan walked over and threw an arm around the accountant. "You were very brave just now. What is your name?"

"This student is Qin Santai, greetings, Your Highness!" Qin Santai immediately bowed to Xue Yuan.

Xue Yuan patted his shoulder and said, "I like you. Come play with me sometime!"

Qin Santai looked flattered and quickly added, "It is my greatest honor! Your Highness is wise and martial; whenever you summon me, I shall be at your side!"

As he spoke, the tags above his head shifted: [The Prince has also been conquered by my courage and decisiveness!]

Xue Yuan looked at the tag, then at the respectful Qin Santai, and couldn't help but kick him. "Damn you!" Yet, he felt a bit more admiration. "Good lad. You don't miss an opportunity to suck up even when facing a 'fool.' You've got the makings of a career bureaucrat!"

Qin Santai replied with a grin, "Thank you for the kick, Your Highness!"

...

Returning home!

Xue Yuan had the thirty carts of raw silk and semi-finished products paraded through the city, specifically choosing the busiest streets! Yes, he wanted to make a scene! Only then could he stabilize the price of silk in Jiangnan as quickly as possible and prevent many silk merchants from going bankrupt. After all, Ningzhou was his territory; if the silk merchants all went bankrupt, who would pay his taxes? Even if the Su family could hold on, they couldn't grow without an upstream and downstream supply chain!

Back home, he tallied the spoils. "Confiscated 860,000 taels in silver notes, plus seven taels and twelve copper coins," Jian Qi said, placing the notes and a pile of loose silver and copper on the table.

"Why is there an odd amount?" Xue Yuan frowned. "Did you rob Lin Nanshan of his pocket money too? That's not very dignified."

"That was operational funding. It counts as confiscation, not robbery."

"You have principles!"

Xue Yuan calculated: adding the 280,000 taels seized from Li Yuanwang and the 500,000 taels extorted from Zhao Yuancheng, he now had nearly 1.7 million taels in reserve. "Still not enough!" He estimated that to secure the position of Ning'an Magistrate, he would need at least 500,000 to a million taels in bribes. Not only was it a lucrative position, but the Emperor was keeping a close eye on it too; to find someone suitable to recommend Qin Santai to the Emperor, he couldn't skimp on the costs!

Money—there's never enough of it!

...

"However, the immediate priority is to finish off Li Yuanwang! And to do that, I really need a good plan." Xue Yuan knew the letters in his possession were enough to sentence Li Yuanwang to death, but the problem was, to whom should he hand them? Neither the Prefect, the Transport Commissioner, nor the Censor of the Jiangnan Circuit were reliable. Who knew if they were all protecting each other?

...

Meanwhile, inside the Ning'an County Government office!

Li Yuanwang stared at Manager Wei like a blade. "Tell me," he asked, word by word, "the Su family's cargo was hijacked? Overnight, everything was snatched, and nothing was left?"

Manager Wei nodded weakly, bloodshot eyes widening. "Yes, all eight of my best men were killed! It is said that over sixty people came, all of them experts. I don't know which faction they belong to."

Li Yuanwang clenched his fists, his voice cold. "Utterly lawless! No matter who they are, even if I have to turn Ning'an City upside down, I will dig them out!" This cargo was his offering to Prince Yu. If he couldn't even recover this, what face would he have to ask Prince Yu for the position of Prefect?

Just then, a bailiff came to report. "My Lord, there is news that the manor guards are parading thirty carts of silk through the streets... and they are saying this is the very shipment that was burned from the Su family!"

"What?!" Li Yuanwang and Manager Wei stood up in unison, then stared at each other with blank, wide eyes. They couldn't understand how the Prince's Manor could have obtained that cargo.

After a moment of silence, Manager Wei said, "It must be the handiwork of that monster, Jian Qi! My Lord, we cannot delay any longer. We must eliminate him as soon as possible!"

"Rest assured," Li Yuanwang said. "The men from the Divine Catcher Bureau will arrive the day after tomorrow. The lead catcher, Jin Shanye, is a fellow townsman of mine, and he has already agreed to capture Jian Qi."

Manager Wei rejoiced, "Jin Shanye is the top catcher in Jiangnan; catching that Jian Qi should be more than enough!" He paused, frowning. "But that Jian Qi is always with the 'foolish Prince.' Will the men from the Divine Catcher Bureau be afraid to act?"

Li Yuanwang sneered, "Don't worry, I have already made arrangements! In three days, it is the Ascension Festival. The fool will be presiding over the ceremonies. We will find an opportunity to separate him from Jian Qi. Do you think we won't be able to catch him then?"

"My Lord is brilliant! Prefect Chen will be there too, and he has many experts under his command. They will surely help. It will be foolproof!"

"Hmph, a mere fool and a brute. Do they really think they can turn the world upside down?"

"But what if they sell the cargo in the meantime? I have already bragged to Prince Yu that we would make over a million taels this time..." Manager Wei said, looking worried again.

Hearing this, Li Yuanwang's face twitched, and with a "clang," he smashed the teacup in his hand! "Sell it? This cargo belongs to me! I will decide where it goes and where it returns! Guards!"

A confidant ran in quickly. "My Lord, what are your orders?"

"Draft an official document. Order County Lieutenant Zhou Shen to immediately take two hundred men to surround the Prince's Manor. Claim that a monster is causing chaos and that they are there to protect the Prince! As for what happens next, wait for my further instructions!"