Chapter 66: Confiscating Property to Get Rich, Frequent Kidnapping Cases in the Shu Region (Seeking Monthly Votes)

"This money really does seem to increase the more I spend it."

Looking at the gold, silver, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques confiscated from Zhou Xiangyang's home, Pei Shaoqing sighed with genuine emotion.

Can't spend it all; simply can't spend it all.

Just finished sending a large sum of money to Eunuch Liu.

And immediately recovered a wave of capital from Zhou Xiangyang's home.

Moreover, Zhou Xiangyang clearly intended to develop long-term in Tongzhou, having moved his entire family fortune here.

Now, it has all become a bargain for him, Pei the Just.

"Distribute these among the brothers handling the affairs." Pei Shaoqing grabbed a handful of loose banknotes and handed them to Chen Zhongyi.

Chen Zhongyi caught them with both hands, "Thank you, my lord."

"Arrange for someone to send these illicit funds along with my personal letter to Thousand-Household Lu at the prefectural city." Pei Shaoqing kicked a box filled to the brim with silver with the tip of his boot.

The brothers below need their share.

The superiors above must also get a cut.

Chen Zhongyi replied respectfully: "Yes, my lord."

"Someone come here." Pei Shaoqing shouted toward the outside.

A manservant trotted in, "Master."

"Tell people to take these things to the storehouse and seal them away." Pei Shaoqing pointed at the filthy lucre.

The manservant hurriedly replied: "Yes, Master."

Chen Zhongyi took his leave and departed.

He arranged for Sun Youliang to deliver the letter to the prefectural city, as he was already a familiar face at the Thousand-Household Office.

………………………

Three days later, on a rest day.

In the morning, Pei Shaoqing was practicing martial arts in the backyard, mainly practicing the Xuan Sect martial arts he obtained from the Saintess of Yaoguang.

When mixing in the Jiang Hu, having more skills never hurts.

By the time he stopped, he was drenched in sweat.

Zhao Zhilan, who was to the side, immediately stepped forward holding a towel and handed it to him, "Young Master, the hot water is already prepared."

"Mm, you serve me while I bathe." Pei Shaoqing took the towel and said while wiping the sweat from his face.

"Ah!" Zhao Zhilan raised her head in astonishment, responding somewhat nervously, "Yes, Lan'er obeys."

Soon, the servants carried the hot water into the room and poured it into the wooden tub, adjusting the water temperature with cold water.

Separated by an exquisitely crafted screen, Xie Qingwu was reading a book on the other side, while Pei Shaoqing stood on this side, spreading his arms and letting Zhao Zhilan remove his layers of clothing.

Watching the shadows of the two on the screen, Xie Qingwu felt that the book in hand was impossible to read today.

After undressing, Pei Shaoqing entered the tub first.

Zhao Zhilan first coiled her long hair up high, then shyly and timidly began to undress, her small hands trembling.

Soon, she was stripped down to only her Bellyband and underpants.

The emerald-green Embroidered Bellyband formed a sharp contrast with her skin, which was as white and tender as congealed fat, tightly wrapping two rounded mounds, with their curves faintly visible from the side.

"Take it all off," Pei Shaoqing said calmly.

"Young Master~" Zhao Zhilan was incredibly shy, but seeing his impatient expression, she could only helplessly and slowly remove her Bellyband and underpants, then quickly entered the water.

Pei Shaoqing leaned his whole body into Zhao Zhilan's embrace, feeling the softness and delicacy of her body, enjoying her meticulous scrubbing, and comfortably closed his eyes to doze.

While washing his front, Pei Shaoqing looked at the flushed Zhao Zhilan and asked: "How is your swimming?"

"It is passable," Zhao Zhilan answered softly.

Pei Shaoqing pinched her chin and said with a half-smile: "Then dive underwater and show this Young Master."

Already experienced, Zhao Zhilan instantly understood his meaning and whispered: "The Madam is still there."

"Just pretend I don't exist," Xie Qingwu's cold voice drifted into their ears from behind the screen.

Pei Shaoqing lightly tapped Zhao Zhilan's cheek.

Zhao Zhilan buried her head in the water, her face red.

Bubbles occasionally gurgled up from the surface of the water.

Pei Shaoqing gasped; he really had made something of himself, able to operate a submarine even in ancient times.

"Splash!" Zhao Zhilan suddenly surfaced to catch her breath, her soaked hair clinging wetly to her face, beads of water the size of beans dripping down her chin and neck, and she called out shyly and timidly: "Young Master~"

"Very good," Pei Shaoqing praised in a low voice.

The tub was still too crowded for two people.

I'll pick a room another day and dig a hot spring pool inside.

The next second, he once again gave others a handle to use against him.

Xie Qingwu watched the shadows and cursed him under her breath for being lewd.

At the same time, Sun Youliang had arrived at the Jingguan City Thousand-Household Office and met Lu Dingchuan, "Subordinate Sun Youliang pays respects to my lord! May my lord be blessed with ten thousand fortunes and good health."

"Small Flag Sun, please rise quickly. You have been coming quite frequently these past two months!" Lu Dingchuan laughed, put down his official documents, and asked: "What good news have you brought today?"

Sun Youliang stood up and laughed along, "This little one has come to congratulate my lord for avoiding a disaster."

"Oh?" Lu Dingchuan revealed a look of confusion.

Sun Youliang weighed his tone and said: "Hundred-Household Zhou has been using your name in Tongzhou to forcibly extort huge bribes from merchants. The merchants cannot make a living, and a large number of them, suffering bitterly, surrounded Magistrate Pei's residence to ask him to preside over justice.

Magistrate Pei, fearing that this person would ruin your reputation and smear our Jing'an Guard, and also to appease the public anger, has already arrested him and thrown him into prison. He specifically sent this little one to report this matter to you and requests that you, Thousand-Household, pass judgment on Hundred-Household Zhou."

The smile on Lu Dingchuan's face had already vanished.

"Is this matter true?" he asked with a dark face.

Sun Youliang hurriedly took out the handwritten letter Pei Shaoqing had written from his bosom, "This is the letter for you from Lord Pei."

"Present it," Lu Dingchuan said immediately.

Sun Youliang stepped forward quickly and presented it with both hands.

Lu Dingchuan opened it and read it; his expression shifted constantly like an overturned palette of paints. A moment later, he slammed the letter onto the table, "That son of a bitch Zhou Xiangyang, how dare he act so recklessly! This is simply outrageous!"

Through several exchanges of letters, he had gained a certain understanding of Pei Shaoqing and did not believe the other party would drive Zhou Xiangyang to a dead end after having already stripped him of his actual power.

Of course, it was even less likely that he was truly acting for the sake of the people.

Therefore, there was only one truth: Zhou Xiangyang had been hoarding wealth and had dipped his hands into Pei Shaoqing's purse.

Consequently, he had suffered retaliation.

Although Pei Shaoqing appeared a bit overbearing, he was, after all, a Young Master from a Marquis Mansion and had repeatedly performed great meritorious deeds; what was wrong with being a bit overbearing? It was Zhou Xiangyang who had insisted on courting death.

Moreover, Pei Shaoqing had even sent him the illicit money confiscated from Zhou Xiangyang's home. With the evidence as solid as a mountain, he naturally had to handle the matter impartially, saying, "Zhou Xiangyang knowingly broke the law, which adds to his crimes. I will immediately submit a report to have him dismissed from his post and investigated, and have Flag Chief Pei send the man to the prefectural city."

Thousand-Household Lu was, after all, a man who valued personal ties.

Once Zhou Xiangyang arrived at the prefectural city, how he would be dealt with would be up to him; in the future, he would no longer be part of the Jing'an Guard, but could rest easy serving as a flute-playing page under his command.

"My Lord is wise!" Sun Youliang flattered him, then lowered his head and said, "I will report this to the Flag Chief as soon as I return."

"There is one more thing," Lu Dingchuan said with a serious expression. "Recently, this official has received reports from many Hundred-Household Offices stating that there have been multiple kidnapping incidents involving Martial Artists, all targeting unmarried young women. When you return, tell Flag Chief Pei to pay attention to this matter and not let anyone exploit the situation."

Sun Youliang instantly thought of the three young girls who had gone missing a few days prior and said, "My Lord, such an incident also occurred in Tongzhou, but the victims have already been successfully rescued by us, and the perpetrators were killed on the spot."

"Oh?" Lu Dingchuan was somewhat surprised and offered a compliment, "Flag Chief Pei is truly a brilliant investigator. Cases across Shuzhou have not yielded even a trace of the perpetrators.

Yet he has already killed several of the villains and rescued the victims; he is truly a tiger son of a general's family. Regarding this case, do you know any more details?"

"Reporting to my Lord, those few perpetrators were all determined to die and did not leave behind a single word," Sun Youliang said, shaking his head while spouting nonsense with a straight face.

Lu Dingchuan was somewhat disappointed and could only emphasize once more, "So far, there are more than thirty women missing on this official's desk, which shows that the perpetrators are a tight-knit organization. Tell Flag Chief Pei to put more heart into this matter and root out this tumor as soon as possible."

"Yes!" Sun Youliang replied respectfully.

Lu Dingchuan added, "Give Flag Chief Pei one more message: since manpower is currently insufficient, the Tongzhou Hundred-Household Office will not be sent an Assistant Hundred-Household for a long time to come; he must shoulder this responsibility."

He would do Pei Shaoqing another favor.

(End of chapter)