Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 559 - 520 A Different View of Lou Chengye (1)
Second Young Master Lou supported him. "Since you have grievances and we are here to investigate the case, grievances cannot be spoken; evidence must be presented. I will draft a document here, and you will sign it. I will take it back to the government office to ensure justice is served for you."
The man thanked him profusely.
Second Young Master Lou ordered a guard to bring paper and pen from the carriage. He asked the man to recount the incident, and Chen Zhubo took notes.
Second Young Master Lou requested the man to sign and affix his seal.
On the other side, Lou Chengye untied Tian Laoqi and a few others and brought them to the main hall. He also had these people provide an account, which Chen Zhubo recorded, and had everyone affix their seals.
Second Young Master Lou said, "Based on the circumstances, I won’t punish you today, but if you ever rob people of their money again without reason, I will not spare you."
Tian Laoqi was so frightened by Lou Chengye that now, with everyone’s identities revealed, he dared not commit any more misdeeds.
Terrified, he knelt on the ground. "Young Master, I will never do such wicked things again."
"Alright, you may all go now. By tomorrow at the latest, someone from the state government will come to investigate the wild collection of taxes," Second Young Master Lou said again.
Tian Laoqi and the group of men thanked him once more.
As it was getting late, Second Young Master Lou told them to return to their homes.
The homeowner and the lady of the house turned pale with fright, standing inside, too scared to utter a word.
Second Young Master Lou also told them to get some rest.
They thanked him profusely as they left.
Afraid that Lou Chengye would hold a grudge, Tian Laoqi returned the stolen horse to Lou Chengye.
As for the stolen silver, he used it to help others pay their taxes. Now he couldn’t afford the more than two hundred taels of silver even if it cost him his life.
Tian Laoqi kept apologizing to Lou Chengye.
Second Young Master Lou spoke on behalf of Lou Chengye, "You said you used it to help others pay taxes. What are their names, and where do they live? If the investigation proves true, then the matter will be settled, and we will no longer pursue it. But if it is false and you used it alone, do not blame us for being impolite; we will act according to the law of the government office."
Tian Laoqi said, "Young Master, feel free to investigate; these are all reputable families."
Second Young Master Lou called over two guards, "You follow him and investigate overnight."
"Yes, Second Young Master."
The two guards followed Tian Laoqi to the village, knocking on the doors of the villagers’ homes.
After verification, it was indeed as Tian Laoqi had said.
The guards brought Tian Laoqi back to report to Second Young Master Lou.
Second Young Master Lou said, "Since that is the case, let’s let it go this time. If it is found that you do this again, you’ll be punished for both offenses."
Tian Laoqi was terrified, never anticipating that he had robbed the son of the Prefect’s house. How could he dare to have a next time?
He repeatedly said, "There will definitely be no next time. If the tax silver is returned, and I clear my debts, I will live an honest life, relieved of burden."
Since the matter was clarified, Second Young Master Lou, along with Liu Tongzhi and Chen Zhubo, wrote official documents overnight.
As for Lou Chengye, he, accompanied by a guard, returned to the stone bridge, where they raised torches to measure the length and the required stone materials in detail.
Returning to the farmhouse where they were lodging, Lou Chengye conveyed the data to Second Young Master Lou.
Second Young Master Lou organized the data, compiled it into an official report, and arranged for a guard to speedily deliver it to the government office overnight.
Covering about three hundred miles, Lou Chengye and the others took three to four days due to slow travel while investigating the people’s conditions.
But the guard, delivering the message on a fast horse, reached the prefecture by the next afternoon, taking only one day.
Prefect Lou was startled upon receiving the letter.
The stone bridge’s materials were indeed less than reported, but what he never expected was that Feng’an County Magistrate dared to issue false documents and arbitrarily collect poll taxes from villagers.
Moreover, the amount was not small—ten taels per person!
In impoverished farming households, a family could not save ten taels of silver even in a year!
If this matter is not dealt with severely, in the future, the oppressed citizens might rebel, causing major turmoil, and as the Prefect of Zhen’an, he would lose his official hat.
Prefect Lou’s gaze darkened. After contemplating for a while, he immediately summoned his eldest son and advisors.
He showed them the letter sent by Second Young Master Lou.
Mr. Lou said, "Father, this matter cannot be delayed; it must be handled swiftly. My younger brother mentioned in the letter that the villagers, driven into desperation, have already resorted to robbery. If it is further delayed, they might rally and cause an uproar, making it hard to handle then."
The other advisors also agreed with Mr. Lou, all stressing the urgency of the matter.
Prefect Lou glanced at everyone and began to make arrangements. "Lou Chengwen, Lin Tongzhi, you both must immediately head to Feng’an County government to thoroughly investigate this matter!"
The two stepped forward, "Yes, Sir."
To ensure smooth proceedings, Prefect Lou also dispatched fifty soldiers to accompany them to Feng’an County.
Mr. Lou and Lin Tongzhi, who was in charge of military affairs, set off that day, traveling quickly, and arrived in Feng’an County the next morning on the third day. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
The County Magistrate, seeing people from the prefecture’s government, initially refused to confess, but Mr. Lou immediately produced the villagers’ signed and sealed documents that Second Young Master Lou and Lou Chengye sent.
Only then did the Feng’an County Magistrate realize the game was up, leading to a full confession of the truth out of fear.
It turned out that the County Magistrate had a profligate, wastrel son, causing the family to spend beyond their means.
The County Magistrate’s son incited the Feng’an County Magistrate to tamper with the river engineering projects.
Two years ago, they had pulled the same stunt; the county government expended two thousand taels, but reported a spending of five thousand taels. The State Government did not catch this and allocated five thousand taels two months later.
This father and son duo savored the benefits and took another risky gamble last autumn, but unexpectedly, they got caught this time.
The truth about the stone bridge incident came to light.
But the reason behind the river engineering costs had yet to be uncovered.
Mr. Lou, accompanied by two deputies and a secretary, conducted a review of all records at the Feng’an county government.
The records were piled up in half a room.
To uncover the truth about the costs among such an abundance of records was exceedingly difficult.
Mr. Lou and his team were overwhelmed with work.
Lou Chengye recalled the reminders from Li Xingsheng and Li Yu En, and he offered to assist voluntarily.
Lou Chengye had an exceptional aptitude for mental calculation; by the time Mr. Lou and his team finished one booklet, he had already scrutinized four.
Moreover, he identified the errors within.
With Lou Chengye’s help, the paperwork and records that filled half a room were reviewed in just three days.
The evidence was conclusive, and the Feng’an County Magistrate and his son were incarcerated.
Their ill-gotten gains were also confiscated.
As promised, Second Young Master Lou and Lou Chengye took a portion of the confiscated silver and returned it to dozens of households on both sides of the stone bridge.
The couple who had sold their daughter also took the deed of sale and forty taels of silver to the county, redeeming their daughter from the wealthy family.
The villagers all praised Prefect Lou for his just handling of the matter.
With the matter resolved satisfactorily, the concluding tasks no longer required Lou Chengye and his group.
These were completed by Mr. Lou, accompanied by two deputies and a secretary.
Second Young Master Lou, along with several younger brothers and guards, returned to the Zhen An Prefecture.
Their conduct in Feng’an County had already become well-known throughout the Prefecture.
Upon entering the mansion, the servants all praised them.
Even Prefect Lou was full of accolades upon seeing them.
"Well done, especially you, the fifth. If it weren’t for you, the rest of you might not have returned alive," Prefect Lou commended Lou Chengye and warned his second, third, and fourth sons, "When you’re out, you must always be cautious. You all just bury your heads in books and have no sense of precaution."
Lou Chengye did not enjoy reading; whenever he had the opportunity, he would slip out of the mansion to play.
He mingled smoothly in places frequented by people of all professions.
He could usually discern at a glance who was cunning and who was kind-hearted.
When he drifted to the market where Li Yu En sold pancakes, he knew the Li Family’s siblings were good people, so he shamelessly clung to them.
As it turned out, his intuition was correct.
This time was no different; he saw through the couple’s sneaky demeanor and was indeed correct.
Second Young Master Lou also understood that had Lou Chengye not detected the villagers’ suspicious actions, they might have been killed by the villagers, and there would be no trace of them now.
Recalling this made Second Young Master Lou break into a cold sweat; he bowed to Lou Chengye and said, "It’s thanks to our fifth brother this time, and I owe you my gratitude."
"What about you two?" Prefect Lou glanced at the third and fourth sons.
The two of them couldn’t disagree; if those villagers had been murderous, they wouldn’t have made it back, so both expressed their gratitude to Lou Chengye with a bow, "Fifth Brother, thank you for saving us."
Lou Chengye had never received such treatment before, and was momentarily abashed, hurriedly waving his hand, "We’re brothers; helping each other is only right."
The unity among the brothers pleased Prefect Lou greatly.
"This is what brothers should be like. Don’t ever despise each other again, and get along well," he advised his sons, "Everyone has their strengths; never underestimate others."
"Yes, Father." The brothers replied in unison.
Prefect Lou, being generous, rewarded his sons based on merit.
The other brothers each received two rolls of fabric, while Lou Chengye, in addition to fabric, received a reward of three hundred taels of silver.
.
The once ignorant and idle scion Lou Chengye triumphed over the unruly villagers and helped uncover errors in the Feng’an County government records. The story spread throughout the Lou Mansion.
The servants all praised Lou Chengye for being impressive because he remained silent until it was time to shine.
Even Lady Lou, who had never thought highly of her youngest son, was secretly astonished and began to regard Lou Chengye in a more favorable light.
The happiest was Li Yu En, who set up a fine meal, waiting to dine with Lou Chengye.
