"Selling commoners as labor conscripts?!" Zou Yuwan was shocked, rushing over to take a look at the letter in Zou Yuzhen’s hand. The paper was crumpled but the writing on it was clear to see. After reading, Zou Yuwan wished she could just die on the spot.
"What on earth is Dad doing? Our family has a huge fortune, so much money, and yet, is he lacking the petty change from selling people?"
In bumper crop years, selling a strong laborer could fetch at least five taels of Silver, and if the person were sold to the mines, it could bring in at least eight taels. County Magistrate Zou had sold many people, and selling a few hundred would amount to a few thousand taels of Silver. Such a sum of Silver twenty years ago would have been regarded as large money for the Zou family.
"Third Master, what should we do now? We can’t just sit here and wait for death." The servant felt like dying; originally, he had even thought about asking his uncle to transfer him elsewhere to serve, so as not to follow Zou Yuzhen, but now it seed that the whole Zou Mansion was no place to stay.
"Jizi, Jizi, co out quickly, your mother is looking for you," Mrs. Gu Cao burst directly into Zou Yuzhen’s yard, calling after the servant’s retreating figure with her neck stretched out.
Mrs. Gu Cao was Master Cao’s sister, and upon hearing that Master Cao and a group of Protectors had been arrested, she was extrely anxious and wanted to ask her son if he knew any news about his uncle, and whether he could be released.
Zou Yuzhen, having seen Mrs. Gu Cao, angrily picked up a vase from the table and hurled it out of the door, smashing it at her feet.
With a loud crash, the vase shattered, and Mrs. Gu Cao was so scared that she let out a scream: "Ah!"
Zou Yuzhen shouted furiously: "Mrs. Gu Cao, is there no order left? Do you all think you can turn the world upside down just because your father has been arrested?"
He pointed at the servant and warned, "Gu Fugui, I am warning you, do your duty well. If you dare show any cunning, there’s no need to wait for the governnt office to co and arrest people; I will beat you to death myself!"
The servant quickly knelt down, trembling as he spoke, "Third Master, please calm your anger; my mother simply lost her composure, forgetting the rules. Rest assured, Third Master, my mother and I would not dare double-cross you. Whatever Third Master wants from my whole family, we shall do."
"Hmph, rember your status. As re servants, as long as I am not dead, I decide your life and death." After rebuking the servant and his mother, Zou Yuzhen stood up, went back into the inner room, and wrote a letter, which he then handed to the servant: "Deliver this letter. The people in Willow Leaf Lane know what to do."
The servant quickly took the letter and said, "Rest assured, Third Master, I will certainly carry out the task properly."
Having said this, he respectfully withdrew.
Mrs. Gu Cao wanted to follow her son out, but Zou Yuzhen shouted at her, "Stop right there."
Mrs. Gu Cao imdiately didn’t dare move, bowing as she addressed him, "Third Master."
"Send for Zou Hai, Zou He, Zou Hu, and Nanny Zou, all the housekeepers, to co see ." Zou Yuzhen ordered, "Also, pass a ssage to your husband; tell him to bring along twenty Protectors to the old lady’s and Zou Chengji’s yards, and keep them watched. Whoever dares to let them out, that person will die."
He must hold onto the Zou family and not allow the old lady’s faction to turn the tide in this chaos.
"Yes, yes," Mrs. Gu Cao ran off hurriedly, delivering the ssage to her husband, then went to find Zou Hai and the others, and brought them to see Zou Yuzhen.
"Third Master, what do you need from us?" Zou Hai ca with the other housekeepers and Nanny Zou into Zou Yuzhen’s yard, standing there, addressing the main house.
Zou Yuzhen was very respectful towards Zou Hai, rising to welco him, but only Zou Hai was allowed into the house. The two of them spoke behind closed doors, not revealing their discussion, until finally, the other housekeepers and Nanny Zou were invited in.
...
This night was destined to be restless in the county town, with many people moving under the cover of darkness.
County Magistrate Xu and his team were up all night, busy until the next morning, without a mont’s rest before village chiefs ca into the city with villagers to report deaths in the villages from compulsory labor with no bodies left behind.
County Magistrate Xu was nearly driven mad, having t with all the village chiefs of Tianfu County.
County Captain Jiang was even busier than County Magistrate Xu, not only safeguarding the county town to prevent villagers from getting agitated and causing trouble but also sending people out to arrest clerks, village chiefs, and village officials who had colluded with County Magistrate Zou in human trafficking.
But ti had passed; the earliest cases of trafficking happened thirty years ago, most of the clerks and leaders were already dead, and of those remaining, three were old n at a venerable age, all hard of hearing, poor of sight, and not agile on their feet. When these n were brought in, the guards dared not drag them, fearing that any rough motion might cause them to drop dead on the spot.
After they were brought in, County Magistrate Xu questioned them personally, but it was quite troubleso, as the three elders staunchly refused to admit their wrongdoings. If the questioning beca too intense, they even tried to dash their heads against the posts, which caused quite a headache.
County Magistrate Xu, fearing a fatality, had no choice but to let it be and allowed the three elders to stay in the county governnt office under the watch of Governnt Officials, not daring to put them into the prison’s harsh conditions, lest they die there.
Having been a County Magistrate for decades, County Magistrate Zou had many people at his command within the governnt office, and having dirt on them, they dared not disobey and secretly sent him much information.
County Magistrate Zou was delighted to learn that County Magistrate Xu was at his wits’ end. He sat on the straw mat in his cell with a smile, not showing a bit of the dejection expected of a serious offender.
He even made an arrogant demand to see Zou Jiang.
When Squad Leader Yang heard the ssage from the prison guard, he laughed in anger: "Has Zou Youlian gone mad? At this ti, he still wants to see Zou Jiang, what is he planning?"
Yet, he still conveyed this ssage to Zou Jiang.
Surprisingly, Zou Jiang agreed: "Since he wants to die with understanding, this old man shall et him, but..."
He looked up at Squad Leader Yang and pleaded: "The words between him and should not be overheard by others, I hope Squad Leader Yang can provide this convenience."
County Captain Jiang had specifically instructed Squad Leader Yang to fulfill any request made by Zou Jiang, and although Squad Leader Yang didn’t understand why County Captain Jiang would give such an order, he complied: "Alright."
Squad Leader Yang had two prison guards carry Zou Jiang to County Magistrate Zou’s cell and said, "Zou Jiang, you have a quarter of an hour, after which the prison guards will enter."
After saying this, he left with the prison guards.
County Magistrate Zou, watching Zou Jiang lying on the wooden board through the door of the cell, laughed and said: "Hehe, a servant will always be a servant, even in my fallen state, it’s still you who cos to see as a servant."
Zou Jiang let out a cold laugh, not responding to County Magistrate Zou.
Seeing Zou Jiang daring to look at himself with disdain and laugh, County Magistrate Zou beca furious and, pointing at Zou Jiang, said: "Do you think that forging fake evidence can put to death?"
He lowered his voice, speaking so only the two of them could hear: "I have indeed done those evil deeds, but I have long since covered my tracks. Your fake evidence won’t convict . When that fake evidence reaches the Prefecture Governnt Office, they will find the flaws in it. By then, not only you, but Xu Chongfeng and Jiang Dahu will be implicated as well. You, all of you are dood. The one laughing last will be ."
After hearing County Magistrate Zou out, Zou Jiang replied: "I am not like you; I won’t harm innocent people, those pieces of evidence won’t be sent to the Prefecture Governnt Office."
Zou Jiang also lowered his voice, speaking so that only the two of them could hear: "You are indeed foolish, even now you haven’t realized what I really intend to do."
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