The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 38 My lord, I have evidence of Zhu Yao's crimes!

Upon hearing this, the officials were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they all knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy: "Your Excellency, spare us! Your Excellency, spare us! We know we were wrong. We will go and raise the money right away, and we will definitely deliver the silver to your residence today. We will not dare to delay!"

"Yes, sir! Please, sir, show mercy! I will never dare to do it again. I will definitely obey and deliver the money on time!"

The crowd begged for mercy in a cacophony of voices, their faces filled with fear, their former dignity long gone.

Seeing everyone's submissive expressions, Zhao Wude smiled smugly and gestured for them to stand up: "Get up. It is good to admit your mistakes and correct them. I am not an unreasonable person. As long as you obey and send money on time, I can forgive and forget these things."

The officials quickly stood up, bowed, and stood aside with respectful expressions, not daring to even raise their heads.

Zhao Wude softened his tone, a conciliatory smile appearing on his face: "Don't worry, everyone. As long as you work hard under my guidance, we'll make money together and share the benefits. I will never treat you unfairly."

He paused, then emphasized, "Right now, a great opportunity awaits you. If you help me take down Zhu Yao, the richest man in Chenzhou, find his weaknesses, and help me extract his wealth, you'll be richly rewarded. Promotions and raises are a given!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young county magistrate's heart stirred, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face. He couldn't help but want to speak, as if he wanted to say something.

He was well aware of Zhu Yao's prestige in Chenzhou and knew that Zhu Yao was not someone to be trifled with, so he worried that this move would backfire on him.

But just as he was about to speak, the county magistrate beside him quickly reached out, quietly tugged at his sleeve, shook his head vigorously, and gave him a warning look, indicating that he should not say anything more, lest he get into trouble.

The county magistrate's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood the magistrate's intention. He quickly shut his mouth, lowered his head, and dared not say another word.

Zhao Wude observed this scene, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, but he didn't reveal it. He simply smiled and said, "What? Gentlemen, do you have any objections? Or are you unwilling to help this prefect with this favor?"

The officials hurriedly replied in unison, "No, no! We are willing to obey your orders, sir, and will do our utmost to assist you in capturing Zhu Yao. We will not dare to slacken in the slightest!"

Seeing the officials' terrified expressions as they agreed, Zhao Wude smiled smugly and gave his advisor a look, signaling him to speak.

The clerk understood immediately, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice to the officials, "Gentlemen, since you have all agreed to this, please go back and prepare the silver as soon as possible and send it over without any further delay. After you have delivered the silver, come to the government office to await your instructions."

"Yes, yes, yes! I will return immediately to prepare, without delay!"

The officials responded repeatedly, as if they had been granted a pardon. After bowing, they hurriedly turned and left, fearing that if they lingered even a moment longer, Zhao Wude would seize the opportunity to use it against them.

Within two hours, the officials returned to the prefectural government office with their silver, carefully placing the heavy silver on the table, piling it up high, the gleaming silver dazzling to the eye.

Zhao Wude stood up, walked to the silver, reached out and ruffled the silver on the table, feeling its weight in his hand. A satisfied smile appeared on his face, and he said in a pleasant tone, "Not bad, not bad, everyone is very sensible. That's how it should be."

The clerk stepped forward and checked the amount of silver one by one. After a moment, he bowed and walked to Zhao Wude's side, and reported in a low voice: "Sir, the silver has been checked and the amount is correct. However... there is still a county magistrate who has neither come nor brought any silver. It seems that he is deliberately disobeying your orders."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Wude's smile vanished instantly, his eyes turning icy cold, his tone filled with murderous intent. "What an audacious wretch! He dares to disobey my orders, the prefect? ​​He's utterly courting death!"

He sternly ordered the guards beside him, "Men! Go to the county magistrate's residence immediately, dismiss him from his post, arrest him, find a charge of corruption and bribery to imprison him, confiscate his property, and make an example of him to show everyone the consequences of disobeying this prefect's orders!"

"Yes, sir!" the guards replied in unison, turned and quickly left to carry out the order.

The officials present were terrified at the sight. They lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound. They secretly rejoiced that they had obediently handed over the money, otherwise, their fate would probably be as miserable as that of the county magistrate.

Looking at the terrified expressions of the crowd, Zhao Wude spoke slowly with a hint of intimidation in his voice: "You have all seen clearly the consequences of disobeying my orders, Prefect Zhao!"

"Let me make this clear from the start: anyone who dares to try anything funny will face my ruthlessness!"

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more confident, and said seemingly unintentionally, "Don't think that I, the prefect, am pocketing this money. To tell you the truth, this money isn't just for me. It's for a certain Grand Secretary. If you obediently hand over the money, you're serving the Grand Secretary, and you'll naturally reap the benefits in the future."

Upon hearing this, all the officials were shocked, and their faces showed understanding. No wonder this prefect was so arrogant; it turned out that he had the Grand Secretary backing him up. They dared not have any dissent and bowed, saying, "Your subordinates understand. Your subordinates will definitely obey and will not dare to slack off in the slightest."

Zhao Wude nodded in satisfaction, then turned his attention back to Zhu Yao, asking in an icy tone, "Alright, the money issue is resolved. Now let's talk about Zhu Yao. Does anyone among you know anything about Zhu Yao's crimes? Anyone who can find incriminating evidence against him will be handsomely rewarded!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the officials looked at each other, their faces full of embarrassment. The head official hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Sir, to be honest, Young Master Zhu has been in Chenzhou for many years. He is a low-key person, charitable and generous. He has never done anything illegal or disorderly. We really can't find any fault with him."

Other officials chimed in, "Indeed, sir. Young Master Zhu has built roads, established academies and welfare homes, benefiting the local people. He has an excellent reputation in Chenzhou, and there is really nothing to criticize him for."

Seeing this, the clerk stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, you can't say that. This Zhu Yao owns tens of thousands of acres of fertile land in Chenzhou, as well as a huge family business. In just twenty years, he went from an ordinary villager to the richest man in Chenzhou. Did he acquire all his wealth legally?"

"There's definitely something fishy going on here! Think about it carefully!"

"Whoever can figure it out will have done a tremendous service!"

Although the advisor's words were meant to sow discord, the officials still shook their heads repeatedly. The magistrate said again, "Sir, advisor, Young Master Zhu's wealth is all from business and the purchase of fertile land. Every single transaction is clear and transparent, and the people have seen it all. There is really no problem."

Zhao Wude's face gradually darkened, his heart filled with indignation. These officials were actually protecting Zhu Yao. Just as he was about to lash out, a thin clerk stepped out from the crowd, bowed, and said, "Sir, I have evidence of Zhu Yao's crimes!"