Chapter 347: The Kong Family's Chance to Save Itself

Xu Xianchun looked at Kong Yinzhi and said, "I'm certainly not here to chat idly with the Duke Yansheng, but to discuss cooperation. This matter is an opportunity for both of us."

"And what opportunity might that be?" Kong Yinzhi said expressionlessly.

"An opportunity for the Kong family to save itself, and an opportunity for me to rise in rank and fortune." Xu Xianchun said with a smile: "I've already explained the gravity of the situation to you, and the one in charge of investigating this case right now is me."

"I don't want too much trouble, nor do I want to make too big a stir, so I think we have something to talk about."

"How so?" Kong Yinzhi looked at Xu Xianchun and asked with a smile on his face.

He seemed to have regained his earlier confidence, as if he now had a grasp on things; his entire demeanor had changed.

And in fact that was exactly the case—just now Xu Xianchun had indeed frightened him. Now Xu Xianchun's words made Kong Yinzhi understand one thing: Xu Xianchun was nothing more than bluffing, and very likely there was His Majesty's intent behind it all.

To put it plainly, his Kong family's prestige still stood, and his Old Ancestor's authority still remained. Although this matter was very serious, it would not truly cripple him; in the end it would merely be a minor punishment as a warning.

Under such circumstances, what did he have to fear? It would just cost some money—his family could afford the loss.

Xu Xianchun looked at Kong Yinzhi and said with a smile: "The Kong family's standing needs no elaboration from me—the Duke Yansheng understands it well in his heart. Though I must investigate this case, I also don't want to offend every scholar under heaven. If it truly came to that, I fear my own future prospects wouldn't be too bright either."

"But His Majesty needs a result on his end as well, so I wanted to discuss a resolution with the Duke Yansheng to put this matter to rest. One that lets His Majesty be satisfied while also protecting the Kong family—a solution that benefits both sides. Of course, once this is accomplished, the Kong family's token of gratitude to this official must not be lacking."

Hearing Xu Xianchun's words, Kong Yinzhi felt even more delighted inside.

Fear combined with greed had led Xu Xianchun to make this choice—there was nothing strange about it, and it was a good thing for him as well.

So Kong Yinzhi said: "Then may I ask how Lord Xu intends to proceed?"

"This matter is very simple—someone from the Kong family must take the blame, and it must be someone of weight." Xu Xianchun looked at Kong Yinzhi and said: "Surely the Duke Yansheng agrees on this point?"

"Of course." Kong Yinzhi nodded and said: "May I ask whom Lord Xu has chosen?"

"Your Kong family's chief steward, Kong Shangsheng." Xu Xianchun made no attempt to hide it and said directly: "This man manages all of your family's business. I've just interrogated the shopkeeper who was reselling grain in Jining on your behalf—I believe his name is Kong Shangli, is that right?"

"He's already confessed. His superior is your family's chief steward, Kong Shangsheng. Everything was arranged by the chief steward—colluding with officials, reselling grain—all of it was the chief steward's doing."

"I've already sent men to arrest the chief steward. What needs to be done now is to make him confess and take full responsibility for colluding with the White Lotus sect in rebellion. Otherwise..."

"And for the crimes to be pinned entirely on the chief steward himself, I'm afraid the Duke Yansheng will need to act."

After hearing this, Kong Yinzhi glanced at Xu Xianchun and said nothing.

He hesitated somewhat. This matter was simply too great—his family's external affairs steward held a position of far too much importance, and moreover, by seniority, he was of his uncle's generation. Many in the family protected him; he was a legitimate direct-line member of the Kong family.

If he handed over the chief steward like this, it would likely be disastrous—his family would surely blame him to death. And to top it off, the charge was rebellion, no small matter. Once the confession was made, even the steward's wife and children might be implicated, and his own reputation would be ruined as well.

"Could it not be made to look like he was deceived?"

After hesitating slightly, Kong Yinzhi said: "Say that the chief steward sold the grain to the White Lotus sect without knowing the truth, and that everything was the work of White Lotus people stirring up trouble. That way, the matter would become much easier to handle."

"Rest assured, Lord Xu—if you can pull this off, I will reward you handsomely afterward. Our Kong family will remember your kindness and will use every connection we have to help you rise in office."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Xu Xianchun sneered: "This matter has already blown up this big. The White Lotus people in Jining have been arrested too—when they're interrogated, won't they talk? Once they open their mouths, what am I supposed to do?"

"Deceiving His Majesty is a crime of treason against the sovereign—I'd be walking straight to my death. I won't do something that stupid, and the Duke Yansheng shouldn't harbor such illusions either. There's no room for negotiation on this."

"If you can get your chief steward to confess, then this matter ends here. But if he starts recklessly implicating people, there's no telling what he might say. When it comes to that, your Kong family won't be able to explain itself, and neither will you. As for how things would develop at that point, I need not spell it out."

Seeing Xu Xianchun's resolute attitude, Kong Yinzhi felt somewhat helpless.

Seeing Kong Yinzhi's silence, Xu Xianchun stood up and said: "It seems everything I said before was wasted breath. Or perhaps the Duke Yansheng cannot make him confess, cannot make him willingly take the blame? If that's the case, then I'll take my leave—let's pretend I never came today."

Having said this, Xu Xianchun walked toward the door, putting on the appearance of leaving, clearly unwilling to waste more words here.

"Lord Xu, please stay." Kong Yinzhi thought for a moment, then said directly.

"Even so, even if I wanted to do this, in my current situation I couldn't manage it. I have no way to send word outside. How would Lord Xu help me?" Kong Yinzhi looked at Xu Xianchun and asked this question.

"There's no possibility of you going out now." Xu Xianchun said in a firm tone: "Until this matter is fully investigated, you cannot leave this place—no one would dare let you go."

"So what you can do is hand over a token and write a letter for me to carry out, to give to someone you trust, and have that person handle the matter on their end. Once things outside are settled, then you can leave this place."

Kong Yinzhi sat there in deep thought, his expression shifting darkly and uncertainly.

In his heart he didn't quite trust Xu Xianchun. Though Xu Xianchun had made it all sound wonderful, who knew whether what this fellow said was true or false.

"How can I trust Lord Xu?" Kong Yinzhi raised his head to look at Xu Xianchun and said slowly.

"I don't want to offend the Kong family, nor do I want to offend the scholars of the realm—that's why I came here today. Otherwise, I've already arrested your chief steward; I could just go back and interrogate him. With no shortage of witnesses and evidence, he'd have to confess to the crime anyway."

"I'm only afraid he might say something he shouldn't and truly implicate your family members. How many people in your family could withstand arrest by the court? How many heads could withstand the court's blade?"

"I originally didn't need to come here at all. My coming here is my sincerity."

Hearing this, Kong Yinzhi nodded and said: "Very well, then I shall trust Lord Xu."

As he spoke, Kong Yinzhi removed a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Xu Xianchun.

"This is a jade pendant I carry with me—it can prove the Duke Yansheng's identity. I'll write a letter right away; after you leave, deliver it to my father. Once he reads it, he'll know what to do. He will cooperate with you then. I hope Lord Xu will keep his promise. After the matter is accomplished, the Kong family will present two hundred thousand taels of silver as thanks to Lord Xu."

Hearing the figure of two hundred thousand taels, a smile immediately spread across Xu Xianchun's face, and his eyes gleamed as he said: "The Duke Yansheng is indeed most benevolent and righteous—Xu admires it! Then we have a deal on this matter."

As he spoke, Xu Xianchun took the jade pendant Kong Yinzhi handed over.

Nodding, Kong Yinzhi stood up, walked to the table, picked up a brush, and quickly wrote a letter. He turned and handed it to Xu Xianchun, saying: "I shall await the good news here."

"Rest assured, Duke Yansheng—there will be no problem." Xu Xianchun reached out to take the letter, nodded, and said: "Then this subordinate takes his leave."

"Go slowly, Lord Xu." Kong Yinzhi nodded and said with a smile.

Once he was out the door, the smile on Xu Xianchun's face faded. He glanced at the letter in his hand, a contemptuous smile appearing on his face, and strode out of the courtyard.

As Xu Xianchun reached the gate, he spotted Cui Yingyuan at a glance.

Xu Xianchun asked: "How did it go? Did you catch the man? Was the arrest smooth? Did you alarm anyone?"

"Reporting to you, my lord—all went smoothly, not a single person was alarmed." Cui Yingyuan said hurriedly.

As a former street thug, a shiftless rogue, Cui Yingyuan knew well in his heart that everything he had today was given to him by the man before him. If he wanted to climb even higher, the only one he could rely on was this very man.

Having risen from a street thug to his current position, Cui Yingyuan had no desire to go back. So he was willing to obey this man's orders, to secure his standing, to rise from the dust—and he would never think of returning to the dust again.

Nodding with satisfaction, Xu Xianchun said: "Alright, take the man back."

"Yes, my lord." Cui Yingyuan acknowledged, then turned and escorted the prisoner away.

Xu Xianchun turned back to look at the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers at Kong Yinzhi's courtyard and said: "Don't let anyone in here. If anyone tries to enter, inform me immediately."

His subordinate quickly said: "Rest assured, Lord Xu—without His Majesty's handwritten edict, not even a fly could get in here."

Xu Xianchun nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Work hard. Once this matter is finished, this official will surely reward you handsomely."

After saying this, Xu Xianchun turned and walked out toward the other side.

Letter in hand, Xu Xianchun did not go to find Kong Yinzhi's father, Kong Shangtan, but instead strode out toward the outside.

A cold smile on his face, his steps were firm.