Chapter 287.1: Half Wielding Power, Leaving
All the arrangements afterwards were smooth and unhindered, including the banquet at night, all appearing very auspicious and peaceful, no ‘unexpected surprises’, making Jing Wan once again feel whether or not she’d thought too much.
All the way until they returned to the villa, it was still nothing happening at all. Jing Wan blinked, really just concluding like this?
Li Hong Yuan was amused, “Wan Wan really want something to happen?”
“Not really, just feel that something will happen eventually, so better sooner than later, else if something were to suddenly happen when one’s currently in a good mood, it’d be quite annoying.”
“Don’t worry, if the good play didn’t happen during the day, then it’ll happen at night. It won’t continue to drag on. After all, this prince has ‘told’ them before, if they miss out on today, they won’t have anymore opportunities, and will be reduced to lambs waiting to be slaughtered.” Li Hong Yuan somewhat meaningfully glanced at the villa, “Perhaps this good play will even be one act after another. All in all, won’t let you be disappointed.” Although he didn’t know the specific plan, but he can still roughly guess it. “However, tonight, Wan Wan won’t be able to sleep well.”
“This rather isn’t a problem. If we can’t sleep well, others certainly won’t be able to sleep well even more.”
“Whether or not they sleep well has nothing to do with us, but them letting Wan Wan not sleep well will make me very unhappy.”
“If unhappy, then just let them sleep even more restlessly. Not just tonight, but also the many many nights afterwards. All the way until they go to the place they should go, and everything all settles, knowing that a certain path is their final destination, the heart at rest, and also dead.” Jing Wan faintly spoke.
Jing Wan was also unhappy. Kaiming Fu, as well as the entire Tong Prefecture’s situation, Li Hong Yuan for the most part all didn’t hide from her, entirely just a bunch of blood-sucking vermins, squeezing dry the fat and wealth of the people, stuffing one’s own pockets, yet as a result, even having an enormous deficit of over a million taels appearing. This was even just Kaiming Fu’s amount. Including the other fu………In fact, Jing Wan even believed, solely just the Tong Prefecture alone, afraid it was all enough to reach half the amount of money written in Le Cheng Emperor’s secret memorandum, then adding on the entire Jiangnan region, heheh, more than ten million taels, what the h.e.l.l!
(T/N: Jiangnan has a total of four prefectures and twenty-eight fu. Not sure if it has been clear, but Kaiming Fu is part of the Tong Prefecture.)
Speaking of which, for Li Hong Yuan to have been able to grasp the situation this clearly, he must have spent an enormous effort. This time frame already wasn’t just one or two days, nor was it one or two months, but several years ago when he started planting people in various areas, he was already laying the foundation, walking step by step to today. And when the timing was more or less ripe, he finally prodded it out. His purpose was precisely having Jiangnan’s official circle ruthlessly purged clean. Not exactly saying that he wants however many to lose their job or lose their life, but rather wanting to straighten them out, having what’s been eaten spat back out. Of course, those that should be killed definitely need to be killed, and those that should be dismissed must be dismissed. As for the rest that remain, it’s not that the living Enma suddenly became benevolent, but rather, the debt owed, they will have to repay using the rest of their life. This was the living Enma’s true ability.
Entering the main courtyard, Jing Wan actually saw someone unexpected. After the other party greeted, “Sir Li returned today?”
“Replying to w.a.n.gfei, arrived an hour ago.” Li Su Yan respectfully replied.
Jing Wan nodded. Not knowing if it was just her imagination or not, but she kept feeling, the cold air on Li Su Yan was heavier. She looked towards Li Hong Yuan, “Then, I’ll go rest for a bit first?”
“Afraid Wan Wan won’t be able to rest. Go change into a simple and brisk set of clothes, need to leave Kaiming Fu tonight.”
Jing Wan glanced at Li Su Yan again. In other words, this person coming back was actually just some kind of signal. “Okay.”
Once Jing Wan left, Li Su Yan reported to Li Hong Yuan the results from this outing, “………….The actual situation is far more serious than what’s stated in the secret memorandum his Majesty received. One hundred black clad guards, already lost four. Additionally, this subject even found out another matter. The Minshan County earthquake three years ago, the surviving commoners, at the time, the memorandum reported fifty thousand people, but in reality, it was just twenty thousand people. The money issued by the imperial court to settle down these fifty thousand people, all got privately swallowed, and those twenty thousand people………….”
Li Hong Yuan’s face at this very moment was completely cold, “Secretly put to death.” This wasn’t questioning, but rather a.s.serting, and his voice was further cold without a trace of warmth.
“Yes.” The coldness on Li Su Yan’s face wasn’t any less than Li Hong Yuan. “Setting aside the people buried alive by the earthquake, the plague brought about after the earthquake also killed quite a few people, and those remaining got mixed in with the dead and all burned to death alive. To have been able to find out about this matter was completely coincidental.”
Turns out, at the time, there was a lucky survivor, who even personally witnessed his perfectly fine family members getting thrown into the corpse pile. Regardless whether it was out of cowardice, or enduring in silence as part of an important mission. All in all, he just didn’t come out. Relying on his familiarity with the terrain, he hid left and right, and actually escaped from the officers repeated search. In fact, when those officers were searching, they even unconcernedly and jokingly revealed certain things. Although the words weren’t clear, but who let him be a scholar, even pa.s.sing the county level exam, someone the village was proud of, having too many people’s hopes entrusted onto him, yet in the end……………….From those conversations, he had the truth deduced pretty accurately.
He was reduced to a beggar, never once forgetting that deep-rooted hatred, thinking of every possible way to take revenge. But he was a ‘dead person’, and didn’t have any money on him, so even if he wanted to enter the capital to report to the imperial court, he was still unable to move a single step. The hatred tormented him every day, but he was originally just someone infatuated with studying. For the sake of revenge, he perhaps can put down his dignity and beg for food, but it can’t change the fact that he was weak and powerless. As a ‘newcomer’, he didn’t understand the rules and got beaten by the other beggars. Even he didn’t know how he has survived all this time.
Li Su Yan was acting under Li Hong Yuan’s orders. The fifty black clad guards on the surface, including himself, all weren’t investigating in secret, but rather very openly walking to the various areas.
Although he didn’t understand Li Hong Yuan’s intentions, he still just acted according to his orders, and afterwards, just obtained this kind of ‘harvest’.
“Where is that person right now?” Li Hong Yuan asked.
Speaking of which, this matter also wasn’t a small matter, yet Li Hong Yuan didn’t hear the slightest news of it in his past life. It can be seen, it’d gotten completely covered up. But this time, once this matter gets verified, the related personnels, with the County Head Magistrate, Prefectural Magistrate, Inspector General and Governor-General above, and the various partic.i.p.ating officers below, all don’t even think about was.h.i.+ng clean.
“That person’s body truly is not good, not suitable for long travel. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, didn’t move him, just sent someone to watch over.”
“How many of your people have returned?” Although on the boat, he’d already dispatched fifty of the black clad guards, but in reality…………
“Replying to w.a.n.gye, fifty-three, fifty are the hidden ones, and the other three returned together with this subject.”
“The four that were lost, how did they die?”
“Got schemed against.” Li Su Yan coldly stated, but the specifics, he didn’t want to say. However, everyone could all tell, his mood right now was relatively bad.
Since he didn’t want to say, Li Hong Yuan didn’t continue questioning. After all, they weren’t his people, so it didn’t matter. “After going back, properly settle down their family, the money, this prince will provide.”
(T/N: I finally understand why the author calls Li Hong Yuan a tsundere.)
“Many thanks w.a.n.gye.” Regardless whether Jin Qinw.a.n.g was bribing the heart, or purely just wanting to take care of those black clad guards’ family, this favor, he will bear.
“Go make preparations, leaving tonight.”
“Yes.”
Once Li Su Yan left, An Yi went forward, “Master, regarding Inspector General Su’s matter, already investigated clearly.”
“Since you all spent this much time, it probably won’t make one disappointed, right?” Li Hong Yuan took the letter An Yi presented up. It was relatively thick.