Chapter 32: Taking a Gamble

"My Lord, whatever you wish to know, this commoner guarantees to tell all without reservation!"

Upon seeing Shen Yu again, Sun Heling appeared quite proactive, feeling as if he were ready to pour his heart out to him. It must be said, under the threat of death, some people have no bottom line to speak of.

"Old Master Sun, then tell me, what do you know about our Prefect?" Shen Yu asked nonchalantly, though in reality, he pricked up his ears to listen carefully, terrified of missing anything.

As the saying goes, if you don't kill the snake, you'll be bitten by it; either don't strike, or once you do, you must be steady, accurate, and ruthless, striking straight at the vitals. Over the past two days, Shen Yu had also carefully looked into this Prefect, only to realize that he had previously thought too simply of the matter.

This Prefect had a deep background and superb methods; his daily conduct was watertight, and he basically left no handles for others to grasp. In fact, there was even more praise for him. His son was notorious, yet the father not only avoided being implicated but was instead praised. This method is truly extraordinary!

The anonymous report he had made previously would likely be ineffective. Although his son's criminal acts would implicate him, it would only amount to poor discipline of his son, at most damaging his future prospects, but it would not cause him to be dismissed from office.

But the retaliation against him afterward would surely follow in quick succession. The hatred of killing a son and the grudge of ruining one's path—how could the other party possibly let it rest? The storm to come would only grow more violent, so he had to find a way to strike first!

"Replying to my Lord, the Prefect usually didn't have us, the Sun family, do anything, other than having me hoard more grain and then frequently send the grain and fodder to designated locations. Also, most of our Sun family's annual income was used to hoard this grain!"

"According to this commoner's guess, this grain was likely resold to grain merchants. After all, in our region, floods are frequent; as long as we wait for a disaster to occur, once this grain is resold, it becomes a huge sum of money!"

"Do you have any evidence for what you say? For instance, account books or the like?"

"This... there were no account books for the tributes given to the Prefect. Besides, even if there were, they wouldn't threaten the Prefect; he could completely claim that I forged them. Furthermore, for all these years, we only transported the grain to the designated locations, and as for who took over afterward, or even when it was hauled away, we were completely unaware."

"You really are honest!" Looking at the Sun Heling before him, Shen Yu was somewhat speechless. Knowing nothing at all, it turns out your Sun family is just a tool. It really is the case that even if something were investigated, it couldn't be blamed on the Prefect at all.

Forget it, this Prefect is a cautious man, and as for Sun Heling, it's not worth mentioning. He wouldn't let Sun Heling know about any critical matters, so counting on learning anything from Sun Heling was likely his own wishful thinking.

However, this matter doesn't quite make sense. Making Sun Heling buy and hoard grain, then selling it off—isn't that like taking off one's pants to fart? As a court official, why play at reselling grain? Wouldn't it be more convenient to just hand this matter over to a merchant like Sun Heling? Then, just wait to collect the money.

Interesting, it seems this Prefect has a secret!

"My Lord!" Carefully glancing at Shen Yu, he suddenly felt that this County Magistrate seemed to have lost interest. How could this be? His own life and wealth were still held in his hands.

"My Lord, although the Prefect has no handles left outside, his son has done many absurd things over the years. This commoner has sufficient evidence here; if you need it, my Lord..."

"No need!" Waving his hand, he directly interrupted Sun Heling's words. If a crime as massive as the Prefect's son killing thousands couldn't bring down this Prefect, then the others would be even less likely to, so what use would that evidence be?

Seeing that Shen Yu still looked uninterested, Sun Heling hurriedly said again, "My Lord, if you have any ideas, this commoner will definitely cooperate actively, ensuring your satisfaction!"

"Are you saying I should frame him? You underestimate me too much!" He curled his lip in disdain; even if he really wanted to trap him, he couldn't discuss it with someone like you.

It wasn't that he looked down on Sun Heling; after a brief contact, one would know that this person was clearly someone who couldn't accomplish anything. How such a person could become the richest man in Baian County, he truly didn't know how it was done!

"My Lord!" Just at this moment, Zhou Yuan stepped forward and whispered, "The young master of the Sun family wishes to see you, saying he has urgent matters to discuss with you!"

"The young master of the Sun family? Your son?" He smiled and shook his head; with a father like that, how capable could the son be? But in the end, Shen Yu waved his hand. "Let him in!"

After obtaining Shen Yu's consent, Zhou Yuan brought the young master of the Sun family in. Honestly, the young master of the Sun family looked nothing like Sun Heling; he was dashing and spirited, and his whole body radiated strong confidence, almost rivaling his own.

It is said that this Master Sun's daughter is even more breathtakingly beautiful; otherwise, she wouldn't have been taken into the residence by that arrogant Prefect and pampered in every way. Tell me, are these his biological children?

"Greetings, my Lord!"

"Very well, no need for formalities. I wonder what business the young Master Sun has with this official?"

"Replying to my Lord, this commoner has come to hand something over to you!" As he spoke, the young master of the Sun family had already handed over a book, then said softly, "It is an account book; I believe it will be useful to you, my Lord!"

"An account book?" Taking the account book from the other party's hands, Shen Yu flipped through it carefully. It clearly recorded the quantity of grain and fodder the Sun family had purchased over the years, including the delivery times, locations, the people who took over, and so on.

The quantity of this grain and fodder was quite large; even taking each entry individually, they were not small amounts.

"My Lord, these are the money and grain we, the Sun family, have given to the Prefect over the years; I have registered them one by one in this book. Furthermore, according to my secret investigation, the people who took over the grain were actually from Fuyun Mountain, and this grain was ultimately transported to Fuyun Mountain!"

"Fuyun Mountain? Are you sure? This official remembers that the Zhangnan Bandits seem to be entrenched on Fuyun Mountain! Are you sure?"

"Indeed, it is the Zhangnan Bandits!" Nodding, the young master of the Sun family bowed heavily to Shen Yu. "Everything this commoner says is true; how would I dare to deceive you, my Lord!"

"You mean he is harboring bandits to increase his own importance?" Putting down the account book in his hand, Shen Yu frowned slightly. Thinking of these powerful and influential people, harboring some thieves for their own use seems quite normal; after all, there are always some things that are inconvenient for them to do themselves.

But the Zhangnan Bandits are different. They are the largest and most ferocious group of bandits in the surrounding three prefectures, with thousands of followers. Not only is their combat strength fierce, but they come and go like the wind. Moreover, there are dozens of large and small mountain strongholds attached to the Zhangnan Bandits, totaling at least ten thousand people!

Coupled with the treacherous terrain of Fuyun Mountain, the imperial court has sent troops to suppress them several times, all of which seemed to have returned without success. This is not just as simple as harboring bandits to increase one's importance; this is planning to stir up trouble.

Placing the account book to the side, Shen Yu looked quietly at the young master of the Sun family. "Why are you telling me this? Don't you know, aren't you afraid that this official will consider this collusion between officials and merchants?"

"My Lord, because I want to live, that is all!" Lowering his head, a bitter expression appeared on the young master of the Sun family's face. "Back then, the Prefect took a fancy to my sister and forcibly took her into his residence. From that moment on, we had no choice but to stand on the Prefect's side!"

"Heh!" Regarding the words of the young master of the Sun family, Shen Yu just chuckled. How come the information he received was that this Miss Sun was sent up by Sun Heling himself?

Of course, it is also possible that the Prefect took a fancy to her, and Sun Heling just happened to want to curry favor with him, so he went with the flow. Given this Old Master Sun's backbone, it wouldn't be strange for him to do such a thing.

"Then why are you taking the initiative to hand over this account book now? Don't you know my current relationship with the Prefect?"

"I know, and precisely because I know, this commoner has come. The Prefect's current affairs are too grave; those are the Zhangnan Bandits, and our Sun family cannot afford it. Once exposed, the Sun family, as in-laws, will definitely be implicated!"

"So you have long wanted to break away from the Prefect, but just never had the chance!" Nodding slightly, Shen Yu couldn't help but take a few extra looks at this young master of the Sun family. No wonder the Sun family could accumulate such a large family business; although Sun Heling is unreliable, this son is not simple at all!

"Aren't you afraid? What if this official loses to the Prefect? Have you thought about the consequences?"

"Is fear useful? From the moment my father fell into your hands, my Lord, our Sun family had no choice!"

After finishing, the young Master Sun bowed deeply to Shen Yu, then said decisively, "Whatever you want our Sun family to do, just give the order. The entire Sun family will do their utmost to fulfill it. No matter what, this commoner must take a gamble!"

"This official will let you know that the bet you've placed cannot be lost!"