Chapter 65: Pei Shaoqing is Righteous and Awe-Inspiring, Zhou Xiangyang Falls from Grace (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Chen Zhongyi was busy with marital relations at home.

He had just stripped his wife bare.

Suddenly, the door was knocked on with a bang, and the butler's anxious voice came through, "Master, Lord Pei has summoned you."

Chen Zhongyi's body froze instantly; he could only sigh helplessly at the vast ocean, then got out of bed and began to put on his clothes.

"Master, what will I do if you leave?" Chen Shi looked at him with a face full of resentment.

While putting on his clothes, Chen Zhongyi turned his head and glanced at her indifferently, "You rely on me for everything all day, so who am I supposed to rely on? Remember, a person must rely on themselves. If it really doesn't work out, just make a dish of fish-flavored eggplant."

As his voice fell, he, already fully dressed, grabbed his outer robe and slammed the door shut without looking back.

How could being in bed be more important than going to work?

If one neglects Lord Pei, the only thing left to do is visit a grave.

"I told you not to do it during the day, but you insisted on messing around. Now you've left me here alone to dry like a salted fish," Chen Shi cursed irritably.

Chen Zhongyi rushed to the Pei Mansion at top speed.

He made his way to the main hall, and the moment he entered, his legs bent; by the time his knees touched the floor, he had already slid in front of Pei Shaoqing, "Your subordinate pays respects to you, my Lord."

A mandatory skill for the feudal officialdom—the slide-kneel.

"Hmm, get up and speak," Pei Shaoqing, who was drinking tea, put down his cup and said in a flat tone.

"Thank you, my Lord." Chen Zhongyi stood up nimbly but kept his waist bent, "I wonder what instructions you have, my Lord?"

"Immediately take men and arrest that bastard Zhou Xiangyang," Pei Shaoqing said concisely.

Chen Zhongyi was taken aback, not understanding why Lord Pei would move against the non-threatening Zhou Xiangyang, and asked cautiously, "What charge should I use, my Lord?"

"Soliciting bribes!" Pei Shaoqing picked up his tea cup again and took a slow, deliberate sip, "This bastard has received imperial grace but does not think of repaying it. He has been in office for many days without even visiting the Hundred-Household Office once. Neglect of duty would be one thing, but he has actually been soliciting bribes from merchants in the city. This official detests such corrupt and lawless people the most; he is simply a disgrace to the Jing'an Guard."

He, Pei, was going to fight corruption and promote integrity today!

Chen Zhongyi suddenly understood after hearing the second half of the sentence.

Zhou Xiangyang had touched Lord Pei's purse, and even more so, he had touched the purse of their entire Hundred-Household Office.

"This subordinate will take men to do it right away." After accepting the order, Chen Zhongyi tentatively asked, "As for Thousand-Household Lu..."

"Such scum only smears the face of Thousand-Household Lu. This official will write a letter asking the Thousand-Household to personally convict him," Pei Shaoqing said with calm indifference.

Through two correspondences with Thousand-Household Lu, he had already roughly grasped the other party's character; he would not hold a grudge against him just for the sake of a blind fool.

Besides, he did not want Zhou Xiangyang's life.

He was just going to pin a charge on him and lock him up.

If Thousand-Household Lu were truly close to Zhou, then he would just arrange for someone to send him to Jingguan City.

Chen Zhongyi bowed his head and replied, "Yes."

Seeing Pei Shaoqing wave his hand, he slowly retreated.

As soon as he walked out of the Pei Mansion gate, Chen Zhongyi straightened his previously bent back, regained the airs and temperament of an official, and swaggered along, pushing through the crowd.

After returning to the Hundred-Household Office, he immediately picked two trusted Small Flags and led a group of men in a grand procession toward the Zhou Mansion.

………………………

At this moment, Zhou Xiangyang was flying into a rage.

"Bang!" He smashed a beloved tea cup on the ground, shattering it into pieces, and cursed angrily, "Damn those stubborn commoners! They dare not pay the tribute money? If I can't deal with Pei Shaoqing, can't I deal with them? This is truly lawless!"

"My Lord, you must give those stubborn commoners a taste of your power!" The butler fanned the flames, saying with a look of shared hatred, "They don't take you seriously now. Even if you take power after Lord Pei leaves in the future, they will inevitably look down on you."

He had thought he could make a fortune in the process of collecting money for Zhou Xiangyang, but he hadn't expected those fellows to not only refuse to send money but also dare to speak rudely to him.

It was simply outrageous!

These were no longer ordinary stubborn commoners.

A heavy blow must be struck.

"You immediately take my warrant to the Hundred-Household Office to mobilize a squad of men, and pick a few blind fellows to kill the chicken to warn the monkey," Zhou Xiangyang's face was as gloomy as the bottom of a pot.

It was one thing to suffer the anger of Lu Dingchuan in the prefecture city.

It was another to suffer the anger of Pei Shaoqing in Tongzhou.

Did he still have to suffer the anger of a bunch of merchants?

In his view, as a Hundred-Household, Pei Shaoqing would surely give him face if he mobilized men to deal with a few stubborn commoners.

The butler was overjoyed, "Yes! Master!"

He took the warrant and turned to leave, unable to wait.

Zhou Xiangyang's anger remained unabated; he sat down on a chair, his face dark, and poured cold tea into his mouth repeatedly.

In less than a quarter of an hour, noisy footsteps came from outside. He looked up and saw a group of Jing'an Guards rushing into the hall, the butler among them.

"So fast?" Zhou Xiangyang was very surprised, then frowned and said, "You don't know the rules. Who let you in? All of you, get out and wait!"

But all the Jing'an Guards were expressionless.

Only then did he suddenly realize something was wrong.

He looked at the butler and found that the other party's face was as pale as paper, covered in sweat, and his legs were trembling.

"What do you want to do?" Zhou Xiangyang suppressed his inner anxiety and said sharply, "I am a Hundred-Household appointed by the imperial court. Are you all trying to commit treason? Where is Pei Shaoqing? I want to see Pei Shaoqing!"

"Lord Pei is very busy and has no time to deal with you." Chen Zhongyi smiled without warmth, holding his sword with one hand, and looked at Zhou Xiangyang with contempt, "Zhou Xiangyang, as the chief official of the Tongzhou Hundred-Household Office, you have been here for several days, yet you only know how to drink and make merry, and haven't even performed a single day of duty!"

Neglect of duty would be one thing, but you have actually been greedy and solicited bribes from merchants, causing merchants from all over the city to run to Lord Pei's house to file complaints. Do you have any defense?"

"Bullshit! Is it that I don't want to go to the Hundred-Household Office to perform duty?" Hearing that Pei Shaoqing was using this charge to get him, Zhou Xiangyang was so angry he could barely hold his bowels.

"Enough talk." Chen Zhongyi waved his hand and gave the order directly, "Men, Lord Pei has ordered to throw this corrupt official into prison. If he dares to resist, kill him without mercy!"

"Yes!" Several Jing'an Guards pounced.

Although Zhou Xiangyang's martial arts were weak, he could still resist a few in the Body Refining Realm, but he didn't dare to make a move, his face full of rage and his heart full of grievance.

"Let go of me! Even if I am guilty, he, Pei Shaoqing, as a subordinate, has no authority to punish me!"

"Take him away," Chen Zhongyi ordered.

Zhou Xiangyang was forcibly escorted outside.

A squad of men was left behind to be responsible for ransacking the house.

"Pei Shaoqing, you traitorous rebel! You allow the magistrate to set fires but forbid the commoners from lighting lamps! You greedily take their money, but when it's my turn, it's not allowed? You bastard!"

"Pei Shaoqing, you will meet a wretched end! I am going to report you to Thousand-Household Lu! Pei Shaoqing!"

The exasperated Zhou Xiangyang cursed all the way, using the most vicious words to greet Pei Shaoqing's ancestors for eighteen generations.

This attracted many commoners to gather and watch.

How could Chen Zhongyi sit by and watch this man ruin Lord Pei's reputation? He shouted, "This scoundrel is the newly appointed Jing'an Hundred-Household, but since taking office, he has spent his days drinking and making merry, neglecting his official duties, and openly extorting bribes from merchants.

Although Lord Pei is his subordinate, he could not stand to watch such actions, let alone tolerate them. To prevent this man from preying upon the commoners of our Tongzhou, he has apprehended him and thrown him into prison, even if it means being punished by his superiors for doing so."

Boom! The crowd watching the commotion erupted in an uproar.

"Lord Pei is truly a good and upright official!"

"Indeed, not only is he skilled at handling cases, but he is also incorruptible; he won't even tolerate corruption from his own superiors."

"With Lord Pei here, the blue sky has returned!"

"I've never seen him go out to perform his duties. Having a person like that as a Hundred-Household is not as good as having Lord Pei in the position."

Listening to the passersby praising Pei Shaoqing and insulting him, Zhou Xiangyang trembled with rage.

A bunch of ignorant, foolish, unruly people! Lowly commoners!

You deserve to be exploited and fooled by Pei Shaoqing!

(End of this chapter)