Chapter 21: The Best Bait

When Cao Chen made his report, he specifically lowered his voice, fearful that the many people present might overhear. Even so, Ning Yan, who was standing closest to Liang Xiao, was left dumbstruck.

By market price, one tael of gold could be exchanged for at least ten taels of silver; in the black market, even more. By this calculation, the confiscated silver alone neared fifty thousand taels! If one added the farmland, properties, and stored grain, the total value was surely heading toward one hundred thousand taels.

Liang Xiao glanced at the five wagons and carts loaded with wealth behind Liang Pin and Cao Chen, then leaned in and asked, "Aside from the two of you, who else knows the specific amount?"

Cao Chen hurriedly explained, "Magistrate, only Assistant Magistrate Liang and I have seen the ledgers and know the exact figures. The other brothers only know that we seized a great deal; even my own brother, who accompanied me to raid the house, has no right to know!"

Seeing Liang Pin nod in agreement, Liang Xiao patted Cao Chen on the shoulder with satisfaction. "Assistant Magistrate Cao is reliable and has rendered a great service! However, when reporting the gold and silver amounts to the public, report only one-tenth. Do you understand?"

Cao Chen nodded solemnly. "I have been an assistant magistrate for three years; I understand how things work..."

At this moment, Cao Chen's heart was a tangle of emotions. When they were raiding the house, Liang Pin had already hinted at this, so of course he understood. Yet... this new magistrate had previously made such stirring, heroic speeches, only to turn around and do the same thing: concealing and embezzling the illicit funds for his own gain.

Liang Xiao, feeling reassured, explained, "I am acting under the Emperor’s secret decree to provide relief to the people of Pei County and execute Yuan Bailong. These ill-gotten gains will serve as life-saving funds for the people of Pei, used to improve livelihoods, form a new army, and defend against bandits. If those court officials above were to find out, they would inevitably seize and extort their share, and in the end, at least half would flow into their pockets."

Hearing this, Cao Chen looked up at Liang Xiao. Seeing his serious expression, devoid of any greed, he was instantly filled with shame. He had nearly forgotten that Liang Xiao was a descendant of the Marquis of Zhongwu—a family renowned for their absolute loyalty!

Some matters were part of the Emperor's art of governance and were destined never to be made public on paper. It seemed he had misjudged him.

"So that is how it is! The Emperor is wise, and your foresight is thorough, Magistrate! Over the years, the bulk of Yuan Bailong's illicit wealth was indeed sent to those above; he only kept a small portion for himself, and even then, he was so wealthy..." By the end, Cao Chen’s expression was bitter. He himself had taken a hundred taels of silver from Yuan Bailong as a bribe; his own hands were not exactly clean.

Liang Xiao took a treasure chest from the wagon on the spot and, picking out two one-hundred-tael bank notes, pressed them into the hands of Liang Pin and Cao Chen respectively. "You two have rendered a great service; here is a reward of one hundred taels each! The rest of the accompanying personnel will receive at least ten taels of silver each later!"

"This is too much!" The two were both shocked and delighted. They offered a token refusal, but unable to resist Liang Xiao's insistence, they tucked the notes away, feeling elated.

"Since Assistant Magistrate Cao has performed such a great service, your past actions are forgiven. Now that the Emperor is thirsting for talent, as long as you remain loyal and diligent, I can guarantee your future will be secure, and your official rank will only rise, never fall."

* * *

The Emperor is thirsting for talent?

This would no longer be a matter of being a small-town official; this was a golden opportunity to rise rapidly and change the destiny of his entire family! Cao Chen’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he bowed his head to the ground.

"Cao Chen will devote his life and wisdom to your service! I only ask that you do not abandon me!"

Liang Xiao looked at Cao Chen with a satisfied smile. In this current crisis, using the authority of the throne to hold his ground and win over hearts was the best strategy. However, one had to admit, the name of the Martial Emperor was truly effective. As a descendant of the Marquis of Zhongwu, and given the authority to govern Pei County, as long as he didn't openly engage in fraud, it was difficult for these people not to believe he was a rising star in the bureaucracy, carefully cultivated by the Martial Emperor.

Even though he wasn't, power was the best bait. Especially for someone like Cao Chen, who relied on the imperial salary; his rank was neither high nor low, and he was the most capable of appreciating the benefits of power.

Liang Xiao called for the Liang estate guards to take the wagons loaded with money into the main courtyard for safekeeping, then instructed Cao Chen, "Everyone, follow me to meet the County Magistrate's Assistant, and then we will head immediately to the barracks. I need to stabilize the Pei County garrison as soon as possible to prevent them from rebelling due to the death of Yuan Bailong."

Cao Chen quickly stepped up. "I am familiar with those soldiers. If you need, Magistrate, you can have my brother, Cao Qing, notify them first. He is also a familiar face!"

Liang Xiao gave him a thumbs-up. "Excellent! Have your brother tell the garrison to stick to their duties and wait calmly. When I arrive, I will certainly reward the entire army. Once the situation is stable, you two brothers will each receive fifty taels of silver!"

Cao Chen agreed repeatedly and turned to instruct his brother, Cao Qing, who served as a bailiff. Liang Xiao then arranged for two imperial guards to escort Cao Qing to the barracks to deliver the message.

Watching his brother depart, Cao Chen scratched the back of his head, grinning foolishly, and followed Liang Xiao to meet Zhuo Zifang, his heart filled with wild joy. "The future is bright indeed!"

Meanwhile, the members of the Zhongli family had returned home and gathered together. Aside from Zhongli Wanxue, who was distracted, every family member wore a grave expression.

"Xue'er, how could you act on your own today! Did I not warn you to exercise restraint?"

"Heaven is my witness, Father, I was already being very, very restrained!" Zhongli Wanxue defended herself, aggrieved, her eyes gradually turning resolute. "Father is always worried about the family being dragged into conflict, but why not consider this: if he can truly govern Pei County well, he will rise rapidly in the future. If we express our support for him now, it is like providing charcoal in the snow—far better than merely adding flowers to a brocade later, or worse, being seen as his enemy!"

"Rash! Do you know what a behemoth the Sima family is? Do you really think Liang Xiao can secure his position in Pei County just by killing a Yuan Bailong? He is already destined to know no peace!" Zhongli Xiu grew angrier as he spoke, his beard twitching in agitation. He slammed the table and glared at his wife, Madam Qin.

"Look at the precious daughter you've raised! If you don't discipline her properly, she will eventually lead this family into danger!"

Madam Qin smiled apologetically and gathered Zhongli Wanxue into her arms. "Husband, calm your anger. I will take her back to her chamber and discipline her well! Now..."

Zhongli Xiu mulled it over, still unable to quell his anger, and snapped a stern warning, "It is best if she doesn't set foot outside the gates for the time being!"

The mother and daughter had already slipped away. Zhongli Qingfeng then stood up and said, "Father, actually, what little sister said is not without reason. Providing charcoal in the snow is better than adding flowers to a brocade, or worse, making an enemy. I also believe we can try to support this new magistrate."

"Have you lost your mind too??" Zhongli Xiu’s expression shifted dramatically.

Zhongli Qingfeng shook his head. "Father, 'support' does not necessarily mean open contact."

Zhongli Xiu finally calmed down and fell into deep thought. No one knew better than he that the Zhongli family was already facing a life-or-death choice.

Zhongli Wanxue followed her mother back to her courtyard, where the male and female guards she had previously dispatched arrived together to pay their respects.

"Master! Second Miss! That Magistrate Liang... it seems he has no need for our protection at all..."

"You all go and rest, wait for my orders!" Zhongli Wanxue huffed.

The group glanced at Madam Qin, and seeing her nod, they left timidly. Madam Qin followed Zhongli Wanxue into her chamber, and after they had closed the doors and windows, they sat down and lit a candle.

"Mother..." Zhongli Wanxue said, feeling wronged.

Madam Qin looked at her beloved daughter, sighed, and comforted her earnestly. "Xue'er, your father is the head of the house; he has too many concerns, and you should be considerate of him. He only has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. In his youth, he was full of chivalry and righteousness, or I would not have fallen for him."

"Back then, he was full of hot blood and eagerness to help, but he stood on the wrong side of court factionalism. Your grandfather was implicated, dismissed from his post, and investigated. The family had to spend tens of thousands of taels of silver just to bail the two of them out. Your grandfather died of depression, and from then on, the family had no ability to serve in the government."

Zhongli Wanxue looked at her mother’s greying hair, lowered her head, and felt a wave of sadness.

Madam Qin, however, reached into her sleeve and pulled out a large stack of bank notes, stuffing them into her daughter's hands. Zhongli Wanxue was startled when she saw them. They were all one-hundred-tael notes—there must be ten thousand taels here?

"Xue'er, seeing you today, that 'white horse and silver spear' you described... could it be him?"