Chapter 317: You Really Think I Wouldn't Dare to Act?

"How dare they, how dare they..."

Upon hearing this news, Jiang Zheng could no longer sit still, rising to pace back and forth.

He simply could not believe it — that was several hundred scholars, plus the crowds of commoners surrounding them, a veritable sea of people. Could the principle that the law cannot punish the multitude really have failed? Or was Zhou Jingwu acting on his own, wanting to fight him to the death?

Jiang Zheng was still thinking when Zhao Man, head of the Zhao family, said with complete indifference, in a strange, mocking tone: "Just what is this Divine Martial Army? They chopped down over three hundred people and arrested the rest — aren't they afraid of landing in trouble?"

Judging by his attitude, he still didn't quite believe the news the steward had reported. Looking around, the other family heads basically shared the same sentiment, sneering dismissively at it.

After all, this was too absurd. Just moments ago they had been cheerfully discussing how to divide up the Pang family wealth, all excited and thrilled, looking forward to going back and taking over the land deeds and properties. And now, just like that, they had suddenly become wanted criminals. The shift in roles was far too fast and too abrupt.

Besides, that Chongzhen had never dared to touch any bad reputation before — one could say he valued his name and honor to the utmost. Even if a person changed, how could they change so completely?

An emperor who once cherished his reputation so dearly — you're telling me he suddenly turned into someone who would abandon even his own kin and cast aside even the most basic face? Who would believe that?

Not to mention, those weren't several hundred pigs — those were the Donglin scholars of considerable renown throughout Jinling city and even all of Jiangnan!

"Jiang Zheng, don't you think it's time to replace your old steward here?"

"Exactly. Every one of our households has people in court, and none of us have heard any wind of this. For such a major matter, how could there have been no news at all beforehand? I think your steward must have been scared out of his wits!"

The other family heads thought it over and found it more and more impossible, bursting into loud laughter. Jiang Zheng listened carefully to the sounds outside the house and also found them no different from usual. His face darkened as he asked:

"Old Fu, are your eyes playing tricks on you?"

"Exactly! Did the Divine Martial Army slaughter a few hundred pigs outside Taiping Gate, and you mistook them for a few hundred heads?" Zhao Man laughed continuously as he spoke, rocking back and forth until he was bent double, sitting there like a ball of flesh.

The group deliberated for a while, and another half hour passed with truly nothing happening. Only then did Jiang Zheng, who had kept glancing toward the courtyard gate, relax somewhat and say to the steward:

"Old Fu, I think your eyesight is failing. Go home tomorrow and enjoy your remaining years."

"Master..." The steward called Old Fu, upon hearing this, was overcome with tears and said: "Master, there was truly a disturbance outside Taiping Gate. You must believe me..."

"Enough, say no more. Be on your way." Under the amused, knowing gazes of the others, Jiang Zheng felt his face could not take it anymore and waved for a servant to escort the dim-sighted old steward out.

The old steward had barely been gone when Zhao Man rose, clasped his hands, and said with a smile: "Since all is settled, I shall return to my residence. Tomorrow I have some cloth business to discuss with Manager Zheng in Suzhou and Hangzhou. I'll send a servant with the land deeds to your house another day."

"I need to get back too — my concubines are still waiting in bed, probably already itching with spring fever by now!"

"Hahaha, farewell, farewell."

None of the magnates had taken the steward's words to heart. Jiang Zheng had also forgotten that little episode by now — after all, he had gained no small amount of the Pang family's former benefits today. He rose with a smile and said: "Someone, see these masters out!"

Although the court was cracking down hard on the Donglin, nearly two days had passed and his people in court had sent no word about any move against his family estate. Combined with the fact that they had already divided up all of Pang family's properties, the magnates walked out of the courtyard amid laughter and cheerful talk.

"Gentlemen, where are you off to?"

"The Eastern Depot prison has been prepared for you all — no hot water, but plenty of cold! No singing girls, but we lictors can make do playing with you lot. What do you say?"

The moment they stepped outside, Li Youcheng's sinister face appeared before Zhao Man and the others. Behind him, white-clad lictors filled the entire street, twin blades drawn from their sheaths, murderous glints in their eyes.

"Li Youcheng! What are you doing here?" Zhao Man had lost all his earlier composure, his fat face written with disbelief. He asked again: "Where are my people at the Zhao residence? What have you done with them?"

"Yes! Where are my Qi family people?"

"Li Youcheng, you've gone too far! When I get back, I'll make sure Censor Han files an impeachment against you!"

Hearing these magnates' words, Li Youcheng laughed a few times, casually pulled a small notebook from his pocket, and began jotting things down, muttering: "Censor Han, and Hanlin Liu, right? Oh, and there's a big official — a Vice Minister surnamed Wei. Anyone else?"

Seeing the lictors always made one somewhat uneasy, let alone the fact that the man before them was the trusted confidant of Wang Cheng'en, a Punishment Chiliarch specially sent to Jinling to rebuild the Eastern Depot headquarters, holding extremely high standing even within the Depot's central office.

No one knew what that little notebook Li Youcheng had taken out was, but judging from the densely packed names in it, being written down in there certainly wouldn't lead to anything good.

Seeing Li Youcheng make as if to write more, the crowd wisely shut their mouths.

Zhao Man's eyes rolled around, he let out a sly chuckle, forced out a smile uglier than crying, stepped forward and stuffed several large silver ingots into Li Youcheng's hands. Seeing that the man actually accepted them, he then said:

"Chiliarch Li, you see, we're all just merchants doing business. You're the second-in-command of the Eastern Depot — we'll surely need your protection in the future. How about you pretend you didn't hear what was said just now?"

"Sure!" Li Youcheng's first words made Zhao Man and the others sigh with relief, but his next words plunged them into an ice pit. Though he put away the little notebook, he still asked with a smile:

"What's the matter, Master Zhao? Want to be the first to try out the newly built Nanjing Eastern Depot prison?"

Hearing this, the color on Zhao Man's face froze, then he quickly waved his hands with a smile and stuffed in another gold ingot, stepping close to whisper: "No, no, no. My Zhao family has always been law-abiding, obedient to the court in all things. But these people dragged me along — every one of them is a crooked merchant who squeezes the people's blood and wealth. They naturally deserve to be arrested!"

As he spoke, Zhao Man saw Li Youcheng lost in thought, gritted his teeth and pulled out another gold ingot from his sleeve to stuff over. Seeing the man accept it without question, he wiped his sweat and said:

"Chiliarch Li, hear me out — if you arrest them this trip, won't that be enough to report for your mission?"

"Just be lenient and let me go back first. My cloth business spans all of Jiangnan, and I dabble in porcelain too. Afterwards I'll certainly pick out the finest quality pieces and deliver them to your residence. What do you say?"

"Mm." Li Youcheng seemed to be weighing it carefully, stroking his chin as he looked at Zhao Man's sleeve, pointing at it and saying: "What you said does make some sense. But I see your sleeve looks like a little treasury — just how much gold and silver have you got stashed in there?"

"N-not... not that much. When traveling away from home, one always carries a bit on one's person." Zhao Man's face was covered in black lines. He had no idea what this fellow was getting at, but could only answer honestly.

"What have you decided?"

"Nothing good!" Li Youcheng let out a few cold sneers, then his face suddenly changed as he raised a gold ingot and shouted: "Look here, everyone! This Zhao fellow tried to bribe this Chiliarch! Could this Chiliarch accept it? Naturally not! But this sort of thing has an extremely bad influence!"

As he spoke, Li Youcheng pocketed the gold ingot right in front of everyone, then directly pressed his blade against Zhao Man's neck and laughed loudly: "Take my advice — stop thinking about going home. Those heads behind me, do they look familiar?"

Hearing this, Zhao Man turned to look. Those Eastern Depot lictors had indeed brought quite a few heads, but upon closer inspection, these heads were very familiar. He suddenly realized — weren't these his own concubines!

And those further back — all of them were people from his own household!

At this moment, the others clearly noticed this as well, and immediately burst into miserable screams. So the old steward of the Jiang residence hadn't been crazy after all — what he said was true.

Only this time Li Youcheng had played a clever trick — first sending lictors to raid and seize each of their homes one by one, then coming to watch each man's reaction. This trip hadn't been wasted; these merchants had every kind of reaction imaginable. Truly something else.

Before long, these people had tired themselves out from shouting and finished all their cursing. Li Youcheng waved at a Centurion and said: "Take some men and bring out the one inside. For a matter like this, the Jiang family can't be left out!"

"Understood, sir!"