Chapter 199 My Father is the Prime Minister

Chapter 199 My Father is the Prime Minister

The group entered the governor's mansion. The governor and the censor Dou went to the public room to examine the body of Li Sima. The body in the public room was connected with the governor's escape. The case almost didn't need further investigation; Xu Ang's crimes were beyond doubt.

"Where are the officials of the governor's office?" Imperial Censor Dou asked.

"The Registrar of Households and the Registrar of Justice went to the countryside on official business one after the other six days ago, but neither of them has returned and there has been no news of them. The Registrar of Merit, the Registrar of Clerks, and the Registrar of Granaries also disappeared after going out once." Du Min stepped forward and replied, "I went to inquire at their homes, and apart from the families of the Registrar of Justice and the Registrar of Households who followed my advice and reported to the yamen, the other three families all said that the military officers had gone on a long trip on official business."

Magistrate Yu stepped forward and said, “Two days ago, I sent my yamen runners to search for them, but we were unable to find them at the locations where the two military advisors, the judge and the registrar, were on duty. The local village chief said he had never seen them.”

"Half an incense stick's time ago, I went to Governor Xu's study. Before I even entered, I smelled the stench of blood..."

“Let’s go take a look.” Imperial Censor Dou interrupted Du Min, who immediately stood up.

The others quickly followed.

The door to the room next to the study was open, with flies coming and going. Censor Dou and the governor walked in without hesitation. The room smelled strongly of blood, but there were no corpses inside.

“There’s a hidden room,” the governor said. “Isn’t there a guard in the prefect’s residence? Bring him here.”

The guard was brought in, but he refused to speak, claiming he knew nothing.

This was the first time Du Min had ever seen a secret room. He tapped on the wall and said, "We can smell blood, so there must be a vent connected to the wall. The door to the secret room must be in this room."

“Qian Shouguan must know where the door to the secret room is.” Cui Jin said, walking up to Shouguan. “You’ve already seen me, so what are you still struggling for? I will step forward and accuse Xu Ang of embezzlement and bribery of officials. Censor Dou, Qian Shouguan and Prefect Xu are in cahoots. All the bribes I’ve received over the years have been delivered to me by him.”

"Take him out and beat him fifty times," ordered Imperial Censor Dou.

Fifty lashes would leave a man either dead or crippled. Qian Shouguan hesitated for a few moments, but when the guards came to drag him away, he relented: "I'll confess everything."

The guards glanced at Imperial Censor Dou, and when he turned his face away, they dragged Qian Shouguan away and took him outside to be executed.

After twenty lashes, Imperial Censor Dou called for a halt; Qian Shouguan's thighs and backs were already torn and bleeding.

"The door to the dark room isn't on the wall, it's on the floor. Counting from the threshold, it's the eighth brick that can be pried open." Qian Shouguan dared not try any more tricks, and he confessed honestly.

As the eighth brick was pried up, a few clattering sounds echoed inside the room. Behind a soft couch, a door of equal length cracked open, and a nauseating stench of blood rose from the ground like a thick fog, quickly spreading throughout the room.

The guards quickly went down to check, and then carried five corpses stained with blood on their backs.

Five corpses were laid out in a row. Du Min squinted and scanned them, saying, "These are the five missing military officers."

The magistrate was terrified, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

"My lords, I have discovered a secret passage down below, which connects to three money vaults," a guard climbed up to report.

Upon hearing this, Imperial Censor Dou and the Governor decided to go down and take a look.

"Second sister-in-law, second brother, let's go down and take a look too," Du Min called out.

Seeing that the guards did not stop her, Meng Qing and Du Li walked down the stairs. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she almost vomited from the smell of blood.

Du Li put his arm around Meng Qing's head, using his body to block out the smell of blood, and quickly led her away.

When Du Min saw Du Lao Er's actions, he curled his lip in disgust.

"This pile of money is higher than the hills of Huai Prefecture," the governor exclaimed in amazement.

Imperial Censor Dou scoffed, "You have the nerve to speak up? The position of governor should be changed. Xu Ang's ability to amass wealth is all thanks to your oversight."

"I am the governor in charge of inspecting water conservancy," the governor explained.

"The Yellow River in the Huaizhou section has either breached its banks or changed its course in the past decade. What were you inspecting? Where did all this money come from? Isn't it all funds for flood control? You still bear responsibility for negligence." When Censor Dou went to look at another granary, he said, "I will impeach you later."

The governor looked at Du Min and said, "I have found a capable official to manage the floods in Huai Prefecture. Perhaps his merits and demerits can be offset."

Du Min pretended not to hear. He was stunned by the mountain of copper coins that was almost piled up to the top of the warehouse. He subconsciously asked, "Can this money stay in Huaizhou? I need money to control the floods."

"This is embezzled money, it needs to be seized." The governor shook his head. "You need money for flood control, ask the Ministry of Revenue for it."

Du Min was disappointed.

The three warehouses were filled with treasures: one piled high with copper coins, another storing precious weapons, and the third containing gold and silver jewels. Du Min looked them over one by one and thought to himself, "No wonder Xu Ang is reluctant to die, clinging to so much wealth. If it were me, I wouldn't accept my fate either."

"Imperial Censor Dou, now that Prefect Xu has turned in the embezzled funds, will his punishment be reduced?" Meng Qing asked.

“This wasn’t what he handed over; it only proves that he embezzled a lot more.” Imperial Censor Dou shook his head. “Let’s go upstairs; I need to send someone down to count the valuables.”

"After we arrest Governor Xu, will we escort him to Chang'an?" Du Min asked. "Will this case be presided over by the two of you gentlemen?"

"The trial will be presided over by the two of us. After the case is closed, the confessions, witnesses, physical evidence, and the prisoner will all be sent to the capital for review by the Ministry of Justice," Imperial Censor Dou replied.

The five men went up one after another. Censor Dou instructed, "Magistrate Yu, you must immediately investigate the whereabouts of the military advisors and summon their families to inquire about their grudges against the criminal Xu Ang. The governor and I will be present during the trial."

"yes."

“Chief Clerk Du, in the entire Prefectural Government, you are the only one who remains innocent. I hereby appoint you to assist us in investigating the accounts related to the criminal Xu Ang, as well as the officials who colluded with him,” said Imperial Clerk Dou.

Du Min readily agreed, as he could take this opportunity to clean out all the parasites in Huaizhou.

Seeing that there was nothing more for her to do here, Meng Qing said goodbye and went home with Du Li.

The crowd outside the governor's mansion grew larger and larger. As soon as Meng Qing and Du Li stepped out, they were stopped and asked what was going on. Meng Qing revealed that the five military advisors had died and encouraged them, "Now that Imperial Censor Dou is in charge of Huai Prefecture, if you have ever been bullied by any official, take this opportunity to file a complaint."

As soon as these words were spoken, some people were immediately tempted.

"Prefect Xu has been brought back...Prefect Xu has been brought back! Make way, make way, let the soldiers pass..."

The news spread from the outside in. Upon hearing this, Meng Qing suddenly felt no longer hungry, and she immediately pulled Du Li back to the governor's mansion.

"Imperial Censor Dou, Governor, and Prefect Xu have been captured and brought back by the Commandant of the Vanguard," Meng Qing reported.

"Go to the yamen and prepare for the court session," Imperial Censor Dou ordered.

The governor had no objection.

Magistrate Yu hurriedly returned to the county office to prepare.

As the group went out, they were met by the Commandant of the Vanguard leading his soldiers on horseback.

"Commander Yang Yu has lived up to Chief Secretary Du's expectations, capturing the fugitive Xu Ang, killing seven guards, and arresting eight others," the Commander Yang Yu reported after dismounting.

"This is the Commandant of Huai Prefecture," Du Min introduced. "Commander Yang, and these two are Imperial Censor Dou and the Governor, responsible for trying the case of the criminal Xu Ang, who was accused of embezzlement, bribery of officials, and persecution of his colleagues."

Having said that, Du Min saw the figure of the Military Advisor and hurriedly said, "Imperial Censor Dou, the Military Advisor is back. Military Advisor Zhao, where have you been?"

"I discovered that Governor Xu had killed Sima Li and fled in fear of punishment, so I led officers and soldiers to pursue him. On the way, we encountered Commandant Yang," Zhao replied. He walked down the steps, knelt down, and confessed his guilt in front of the crowd of people: "Your Excellencies, I confess my guilt. I was misled by Governor Xu and, over the years, I conspired with Sima Li and five other military advisors to embezzle disaster relief funds and persecute our colleagues."

Cui Jin felt a sharp pain in his waist. He turned around and found that Du Li had pinched him, while Meng Qing was giving him a wink from the side.

Cui Jin looked at both sides of the street, which was crowded with people. People were riding on the walls and rooftops opposite. He hesitated. Should he confess in public?

"Summon the prisoner Xu Ang and try him today outside the governor's mansion." Seeing that things had escalated to this point, Censor Dou feared that it would be difficult to dispel the people's doubts if the trial was not conducted in public. He said impartially, "He has committed acts of persecution against the people of Huai Prefecture. Today, let him be subjected to the scorn of the people."

Commandant Yang walked towards the carriage and pulled Governor Xu, who had been gagged and bound, off the carriage.

Cui Jin descended the steps and knelt beside Zhao Canjun. “This guilty subject, Cui Jin, accuses Xu Ang of poisoning me and forcing me to accept bribes. Five years ago, when I came to Huaizhou to take up my post, on the eighth day after arriving in Hanoi County, Xu Ang, along with six other military advisors, Li Sima, and Qian Shouguan, held a welcoming banquet at the governor's mansion. At the banquet, I drank an aphrodisiac he had prepared for me. After the drug took effect, I was taken away and raped Xu Ang's concubine and the sister of the registrar, Lady He, who died on the spot. Afterwards, Xu Ang threatened me with 50,000 strings of cash, threatening to accuse me of raping and murdering an official's daughter if I refused. I accepted the bribe and protected him for five years; I am guilty, but I was forced. I suspect Lady He was also forced; she may have been forced to drink a lethal drug beforehand, leading to her wrongful death. Today, I request that Censor Dou and the governor exhume her body for an autopsy to clear her name and restore my reputation.”

“No need to open the coffin, I can testify that Madam He was indeed forced to drink the poisoned wine,” Zhao, the military advisor, said. “Besides Madam He, Xu Ang also harmed seven other women with this trick. I, the registrar, the judicial officer, Li, the military advisor, the former military advisor, the former chief clerk, and Magistrate Yu were all victims. The former military advisor’s death by accidental drowning was a lie; he found a way to be transferred, and Xu Ang had him drowned.”

Xu Ang was gagged, and he was so angry that he whimpered, wishing he could skin Zhao Qi alive and eat him raw.

"What about the former Chief Secretary? Was he also killed by Xu Ang?" Du Min asked.

“He died of illness,” Zhao, the military advisor, replied.

"You corrupt official!" From the crowd, a young scholar rushed towards Xu Ang and kicked him in the stomach.

"You corrupt official! Kill this corrupt official! You damned corrupt official!" Someone else snatched a washing mallet from a woman's hand and smashed it at Xu Ang.

The idler who was riding on the wall also jumped down and, like a monkey, nimbly mounted Xu Ang, his fists turning into meteor hammers as he pounded him with all his might.

Commandant Yang feigned weakness as he was pushed out of the crowd, repeatedly shouting, "Stop fighting! Stop fighting! Everyone, stop!"

The more he shouted, the more vigorously the people who were attacking fought, afraid that if they hesitated even for a moment, they would miss the opportunity to strike.

The rag stuffed in Xu Ang's mouth fell out, and he shouted angrily, "Damn you scoundrels, do you think you can beat me? Ouch! Stop, all of you stop, my father is the prime minister..."

Imperial Censor Dou was about to call for a halt, but upon hearing this, he swallowed his words.