Royal Gold Magistrate - Chapter 222

Fang Zheng let out a long sigh and looked at the group of people in the room.

“The doctor will stay here. One more person to keep watch. Everyone else, out.”

“Xie Xian, come with me.”

Fang Zheng turned and left the room with Xie Xian, finding another small room.

As soon as they entered, Xie Xian immediately asked, “My lord, what happened? Did he commit suicide out of guilt?”

Fang Zheng shook his head, “No, I just asked him how much silver he embezzled and if there was anyone else behind him. Who knew he’d bite off his tongue right after?”

Xie Xian looked puzzled, “That doesn’t make sense. He was going to die anyway, why suffer such torture?”

“Indeed, I can’t figure it out either. Given the situation, there must be someone behind him.”

“Who could have such power to make a prefect commit suicide? This person is likely within the imperial court… It seems we’ve stirred up some big trouble!”

Fang Zheng was also perplexed. Which big shot had he offended this time?

“What do you think… What leverage could the person behind him have?”

Xie Xian lowered his eyelids, thinking carefully.

Suddenly, he spoke up, “This man was going to die either way, at the very least his entire clan would be executed!”

“For him to keep such a secret at the cost of his life, the person behind him must have the ability to protect his family.”

“Perhaps they’re holding his children or other relatives hostage.”

Fang Zheng had a sudden realization, “Ah! That makes sense! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Xie Xian laughed and sighed, “That’s because you don’t have children, my lord!”

“When you have children, you’ll understand. If my son were in someone else’s hands, I’d be willing to bite off my tongue to save his life!”

“The love of parents is truly boundless. What, are you missing your son?” Fang Zheng looked at Xie Xian with a smile.

Xie Xian nodded, “Yes, I’ve been away for months. Of course I miss him.”

“But there’s nothing to worry about. He’s eating and sleeping well back in the county.”

Fang Zheng walked to the table and poured him a cup of tea, “There’s not much to do now, just focus on disaster relief. If you’re homesick, you can go back anytime.”

Xie Xian hesitated, “There’s no need to go back, you urgently need help here, my lord. Uh, I just wanted to ask you something… Was it you who had me abducted when I went to the capital for the imperial examination?”

Fang Zheng was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

After laughing, he said in surprise, “You just figured it out?! You’ve been in the county for years! What, do you hold a grudge?”

Xie Xian stammered, “Not really, I just wanted to know. It would be a lie to say I’m not disappointed… Every scholar dreams of becoming an official.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Zheng immediately took off his official robes.

“Come on, wear this. How about it?”

“If you think it’s not high-ranking enough, I can strip Liu Xun’s clothes off him. Prefect should be good enough, right?”

Xie Xian looked at the official robes Fang Zheng handed over, licking his lips, “This doesn’t seem right, my lord.”

Fang Zheng was unconcerned, “It’s fine! In a couple of days, you can wear this official uniform and personally go up to the city tower to execute those corrupt officials.”

“Ah… this? If people find out…”

“No worries, I’ll explain it to His Majesty!”

Fang Zheng didn’t have the heart to say that he had been throwing sand into the disaster victims’ porridge every day recently, and many people might recognize him. If he personally went up to the city tower and was recognized by the victims, it might have the opposite effect.

“It’s settled then! Come on, put on the official robes and let me see.”

Xie Xian nodded vigorously, then took Fang Zheng’s official robes and put them on.

However, Fang Zheng was taller than him, so the clothes were a bit too big and didn’t fit well.

But Xie Xian was still very satisfied, constantly examining himself from all angles.

Wearing official robes once was enough to fulfill his dream…

“Thank you, my lord!”

Fang Zheng waved his hand, “It’s nothing. Come on, let’s go interrogate Liu Xun’s lackey again.”

They then went to the room where Wei Shan was being held. At this time, Wei Shan was sitting on the bed with a vacant expression, covering his lower body, lost in thought.

Seeing Fang Zheng arrive, he immediately shuddered.

“Lord… Lord Fang.”

Then, seeing Xie Xian in official robes, he pointed at him in surprise, “You… so you’re the real Deputy Prefect!?”

Xie Xian’s face reddened as he looked at Fang Zheng.

Fang Zheng chuckled, “Enough nonsense, this lord is here to interrogate you.”

Wei Shan was silent for a while, “Where’s Lord Liu? You’re rebelling! I want to see Lord Liu!”

“Heh, Liu Xun is nearly dead. He attempted suicide out of guilt and is being resuscitated. All the evidence is in this official’s hands!”

“Cooperate honestly with me, and this official can not only spare your life but also find someone to treat your injuries and legs.”

“I ask you, how much silver did Liu Xun embezzle, and is there anyone behind him pulling the strings?”

“I want to see Lord Liu.” Wei Shan lowered his head, only saying these words.

Fang Zheng agreed, then called Zhang Biao to carry Wei Shan to Liu Xun’s room for a brief visit.

Now Wei Shan finally accepted his fate, lying on the bed in a daze, mumbling, “Ask… But I know limited things. You said you’d spare my life… Swear it, you can’t kill me…”

Fang Zheng said calmly, “This official never lies. If you cooperate honestly, I swear I won’t kill you.”

“You can speak now.”

Wei Shan’s hands clutched the blanket tightly as he spoke in a low voice, “…Liu Xun indeed has a backer, but I don’t know who he is.”

“This person always communicates directly with Liu Xun.”

“As for how much silver he embezzled, I’m not clear either. I only know that a batch of silver is regularly transported to the capital.”

“How can you not know? Weren’t there any accounts for each transport?”

Wei Shan shook his head, “No! Liu Xun kept everything in his head. He personally oversaw each silver transport. He could remember exactly how much silver went in and out of the treasury every time.”

Fang Zheng didn’t doubt Wei Shan’s words. Those who could become prefects were already the elite among scholars.

These people who could fight their way through thousands of competitors in the imperial examinations were all knowledgeable and had exceptional memory.

He continued to ask, “Then when was the last transport, and how much was sent?”

“The last time was just a day or two before you arrived, my lord. I don’t know the exact amount, but I know it was very special. Almost all the silver in the prefecture treasury was transported away.”

“And they specifically instructed Liu Xun’s son to escort it personally.”

“The 50,000 taels of silver later given to Lord Fang was all that remained in the treasury.”

Xie Xian and Fang Zheng exchanged a glance. So that’s how it was!

However, Fang Zheng felt something was oddly strange.

How could the timing be so perfect? All the silver was sent to the capital just before his arrival, and Liu Xun’s son was taken away too. This seemed too coincidental.

There were still 20,000 stone of grain being sent from the capital to Jianjiang, which could have made a huge profit. Why did they decide to wrap things up at this time?

Could the person behind this predict the future and know he was coming to fight corruption?

Hell, I didn’t even know I was going to do this before I came!

Coincidence… it must be a coincidence.

Fang Zheng couldn’t be bothered to think about it anymore. He casually found some comfort for himself, deciding to let the emperor deal with the rest later.

If he really investigated to the root, who knows what kind of trouble it would stir up. Disaster relief was already giving him a headache, why make things even more complicated?