Chapter 59: The Miserable He Father and Son

Tu Tu Kesiluo sheathed his blade with a crisp motion, the dark red bloodstains still lingering on the blade's edge.

He asked softly, "My lord, how should the corpse be disposed of?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's expression remained unchanged; he said indifferently, "Find some place and bury it."

He knew that even if the Prince of Qi learned of it, he could do nothing: "Without evidence, the Prince of Qi can only stare helplessly. Hurry and dispose of the corpse; this official has more important matters to attend to."

Returning to the main hall, Jiang Jiang Mingyu resumed his usual kindness and summoned Wu Xiao'er: "The matter I asked you to handle earlier, how has it gone?"

Wu Xiao'er bowed respectfully and spoke: "My lord, the matter of disposing of the He family's assets that you ordered has been completed."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was slightly stunned, his brows furrowing lightly as he thought inwardly that the progress was faster than expected.

He stared into Wu Xiao'er's eyes and pursued the question with a calm yet firm tone: "Completed so quickly? What was the selling price? And who was the buyer?"

A smile bloomed on Wu Xiao'er's face, his excitement overflowing.

He spoke with relish: "The buyer is someone you know, the former county deputy Liu Liu Ershou."

"He offered a high price of fifty thousand taels; I calculated carefully, and this deal is undoubtedly a sure profit." Wu Xiao'er, beaming with a full smile, felt immensely excited about his achievement.

After hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered for a moment, thinking he hadn't expected it to be him, but the price was about what he had estimated; he nodded lightly, very satisfied with Wu Xiao'er's performance.

Immediately, he spoke slowly again: "Post the notice at once and recruit another three hundred common laborers to go to Qinglong Stronghold to mine."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu paused for a moment, gazing into Wu Xiao'er's eyes, and issued instructions word by word: "Divide them into three groups. The first group is responsible for mining coal; every cart of coal must be carefully transported to Tenglong County, our only major client."

"The second group will go to the hills near Qinglong Stronghold to mine bluestone, while crushing the high-quality parts of the stone into lime." Jiang Jiang Mingyu's tone was firm, showing this was an unquestionable command.

"The third group will go to the forests outside the city to cut down trees, prioritizing those with advanced age." Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes burned like torches, ensuring Wu Xiao'er understood every detail.

"These three tasks must be completed swiftly; not the slightest delay is allowed." Jiang Jiang Mingyu's tone conveyed an unyielding firmness.

A hint of hesitation flashed across Wu Xiao'er's face; he said cautiously, "My lord, cutting trees is manageable, but the methods for mining stone are crude; in the severe cold, it is truly too difficult." His face was full of worry.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu fell silent, a hint of anxiety faintly appearing on his face. After a long while, he rose slowly and smiled faintly: "Cutting trees is for repairing the city gates; mining stone is for reinforcing the city walls; these are necessary preparations against foreign invasion."

"For the safety of the people's lives and property, we must sacrifice the small family for the greater good. This hardship is nothing." Jiang Jiang Mingyu's tone flowed with immense, unyielding strength.

Wu Xiao'er understood immediately after hearing this.

Not long after, white paper notices filled with recruitment content were pasted densely like snowflakes across every street in Shangmu County.

"Look! Our lord is recruiting common laborers again, with jobs like mining coal, cutting trees, and breaking stone!"

"What are we waiting for? Hurry and sign up! Everyone knows working for our lord brings benefits!"

"I'll go grab a spot right now; I missed out on the coal mining last time, and I can't miss this one. One can earn two qian of silver a day!"

"..."

Soon, over three hundred people formed a long queue in front of the county yamen, with heated discussions rising and falling.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed at the scene of the crowd departing in a vast procession, nodded in satisfaction, and said leisurely: "See? That's right. This official said long ago that Shangmu County is so large; where couldn't we find a few hundred people!"

Just as he was feeling self-satisfied, Tu Tu Kesiluo came running back, out of breath, saying: "My lord, the corpses have been quietly disposed of cleanly; you can rest assured!" He pointed suspiciously toward the direction the laborers had left: "Where are these people going? Why are they so happy?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu briefly explained the situation, then ordered Tu Tu Kesiluo to bring He He Dachuan's family and Liu Liu Tianyu from the great prison and send them to Qinglong Stronghold to serve as forced laborers.

Less than two hours after delivering the three prisoners to Qinglong Stronghold, Tu Tu Kesiluo ran back panting, looking panicked: "My lord, it's terrible! A major incident has occurred! He He Dachuan and his son were beaten to death by the laborers!"

"They are dead? What happened?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked calmly, without any surprise on his face.

Tu Tu Kesiluo smoothed his wind-tousled hair with his hand and sneered: "Those two bastards deserved it; they got what they deserved!"

"They previously oppressed the common people and committed countless evils; who knows how many people they offended." Tu Tu Kesiluo's tone was full of contempt.

"I am not entirely clear on the specific details; by the time I arrived, they were already dead." Tu Tu Kesiluo helplessly shrugged.

"The two were smashed into a bloody mess by stones; if I hadn't stopped them, I fear not even a complete corpse could be found." A hint of disgust flashed across Tu Tu Kesiluo's face.

"For such scum, this end is fitting." Tu Tu Kesiluo snorted coldly, his eyes showing not a shred of pity.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu remained silent for a moment, then nodded lightly: "Very well; they committed countless evils, and today's retribution is swift. This official will not pursue the matter further."

"But remind those laborers that such an incident must not happen again in the future; otherwise, severe punishment will be meted out without mercy." Jiang Jiang Mingyu's tone was resolute.

In the following ten-plus days, the originally quiet county town seemed to come alive.

Groups of laborers worked diligently day and night, and the dilapidated city walls began to take on a majestic air.

Even the elders wore long-unseen smiles on their faces, sighing: "Our county town hasn't seen such liveliness for a long time!"

North of Shangmu County, the Palace of the Prince of Qi.

Since that failed assassination attempt on Jiang Jiang Mingyu, the Prince of Qi had not dared to act rashly again.

Until Lord Lord Murong Murong Yunhai returned from Tenglong County, the Prince of Qi's face remained full of worry, his two white eyebrows tightly furrowed together.

Seeing the unusually busy scene in the county town, the Prince of Qi finally could not hold back: "Xiao Sanzi, go out and take a look."

"What scheme is Jiang Jiang Mingyu plotting again? Why has the entire Shangmu County been in a state of panic these past days?" The anxiety in the Prince of Qi's tone was overflowing.

Soon, Xiao Sanzi returned to report the situation. After hearing the report, the Prince of Qi's brows furrowed even deeper: "Making such a huge commotion, where did he get so much silver? It is truly strange."

Xiao Sanzi, in his early twenties with thick eyebrows and big eyes, immediately answered respectfully: "Your Highness Prince of Qi, this matter is something I have heard a little about."

"As far as I know, the Imperial Envoy transported coal from Qinglong Stronghold to Tenglong County for sale and immediately made a large sum of silver."

The Prince of Qi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly; he asked suspiciously: "Is this true?"

Xiao Sanzi nodded respectfully: "One of my relatives mines coal at Qinglong Stronghold; how could this be false?"

"Putting other things aside, my relative earns two qian of silver a day."

"If this were not true, where would the Imperial Envoy get so much silver to support hundreds of strong laborers? That would require a huge sum of money!"

"Moreover, the Imperial Envoy also sold He He Dachuan's mansion and gained a large sum. This is something everyone in the local area knows." Xiao Sanzi's tone was certain.

The Prince of Qi pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly: "This Jiang Jiang Mingyu truly has some skills; in just a few short days, he has made Shangmu County lively again."

"If this coal mine business could fall into my hands, how wonderful that would be." A greedy desire flashed in the Prince of Qi's eyes.

"Just thinking of that Bai Huahua silver makes one envious." The Prince of Qi's tone could not hide his longing.

Xiao Sanzi rolled his black-and-white distinct eyes and spoke softly: "Your Highness, this is not entirely impossible."

The Prince of Qi was stunned for a moment and became interested: "What does this mean?"

Xiao Sanzi did not answer directly but changed the topic: "My lord, after Ma Defa Ke died, the position of Commandant is still vacant, isn't it?"

The calculating Prince Qi immediately grasped his meaning: "If we can seize the coal mines, the Commandant position will be yours."

Xiao Sanzi smiled with satisfaction: "Thank you, my lord, for granting this. This matter is not difficult; the Green Dragon Stronghold is near the foreign tribes, so we can use that as a pretext to send men to seal the mountain. Even if the Imperial Envoy asks, we can argue on the basis of reason. Once we cut off his coal supply, Lord Song of Tenglong County will surely be furious. At that time, won't it be easy for you to take over and earn silver?"

"My lord, do you think there is any merit to this reasoning of mine?" Xiao Sanzi asked flatteringly.