Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 1141: On What Grounds Do You Accuse Me?
Fifteen thousand taels of silver, with an interest of only fifteen taels a year, it’s practically being given away for free.
Liu Wenqing was dumbfounded. Looking at Liu Wenqing, he could never have imagined he could really borrow so much money.
It’s like getting something for nothing and even gaining a table full of exquisite dishes, it’s a huge gain.
For the first time, Liu Wenqing felt this cousin was so capable, practically not a mortal.
Liu Wenqing certainly was capable. Tong San recognized his talent and entrusted him with various tasks. He was just suppressed by the Tong Family, unable to display his skills.
Qiu Hao was a somewhat simple person. After agreeing with Liu Wenqing, he immediately went back to bring him the silver.
However, Qiu Hao’s father found out about the loan but didn’t stop him, only said: "You make your own decisions. This Liu Wenqing is alright, worth associating with more."
They had heard of Liu Wenqing and were aware of some of the things he did. Although many people despised him for being a servant to Tong San, if it wasn’t for him being a watchdog for Tong San, the Liu Family’s Carriage Inn would’ve long been gone.
Qiu Hao’s father thought this was a man who could adapt and sacrifice himself to secure his family’s survival, and was willing for his simple son to associate more with such a person.
Qiu Hao was very pleased to hear his father’s words and happily returned to the Fugui Building, handing the silver note to Liu Wenqing: "Keep the silver note safe, here’s the IOU, put your fingerprint on it."
Though Qiu Hao was simple, he wasn’t foolish; lending such an amount of silver definitely required leaving an IOU.
After reviewing the IOU, Liu Wenqing quickly signed and stamped his fingerprint, then, having accepted the silver note, stood up and solemnly bowed to Qiu Hao: "Young Master Qiu, thank you. Your silver can be considered as saving the entire Liu Family’s life. If the Liu Family can prosper again, it will never forget your kindness."
Qiu Hao blushed and quickly replied: "You don’t have to be like this, it’s only because you have exchanged for it with the truth about the Tong Family."
Liu Wenqing laughed: "The Tong Family’s matter is just an excuse, borrowing the money depended on Young Master Qiu’s kindness and righteousness."
Qiu Hao, having been praised by Liu Wenqing, felt very embarrassed and swiftly ran off.
Liu Wenqing was overjoyed after borrowing the silver from Liu Wenqing and returned home happily to discuss with Grand Old Master Liu how to use the silver.
Meanwhile, that evening, reports from Yan Mountain indicated that not only was there an iron mine, but there were also several hundred miners, all bought by the Tong Family at a low price, living in cellars during the day and extracting iron ore at night.
Besides the hundreds of miners, Magistrate Shi also found a large pit, filled with the remains of miners who died from exhaustion and illness. Some bones had already turned black and decayed, proving that the Tong Family’s Yan Mountain iron mine had been exploited for over twenty years.
Magistrate Shi was so frightened his legs turned weak, not daring to conceal anything, he immediately reported to the Capital.
Following this, he conferred with General Zhang, leaving behind a troop to guard Yan Mountain, and then both of them, along with the troops, returned to the Prefecture City to seal off the Tong Family Escort Agency and arrest all escort masters, as well as a group associated with the Tong Family Escort Agency. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
The Tong Family opened the escort agency to transport weapons to Da Rong for sale, which was a huge crime, those in the escort agency shouldn’t think they can escape.
The Tong Family’s matter was extensive, and Magistrate Shi was busy day and night with their affairs, having no time to attend to the new graduates, postponing the banquet that should have already been held.
However, Magistrate Shi knew that some of the scholars weren’t well off, and staying in the Prefecture City incurred a lot of expenses, so he sent someone to give each a sum of thirty taels of silver.
Gu Jin’an also received the silver and was very happy, but what made him happiest was that the Tong Family was defeated, and Tong San was dead.
Tong San was like a venomous snake; he had been targeted by this snake. Had the Tong Family not been defeated, had Tong San not died, he wouldn’t know when he might have been harmed by Tong San.
Tong San was too terrifying, even worse than Zou Yuzhen; once he set his sights on someone it was a lifetime matter, he had to be eliminated.
But Gu Jin’an underestimated Tong San. Tong San had arranged everything before the ranking announcement, and even if he died, the accusations against Gu Jin’an wouldn’t cease.
In the past few days, talks in the Prefecture City about Gu Jin’an’s family being unfilial were raised again, and unexpectedly, Tong San had bribed an old scholar.
The old scholar, not only an octogenarian, was a teacher who had taught for decades with countless students. He seemed unremarkable, but when he brought a large group of his students with a blood letter to seek an audience with Academic Administrator Kong, he couldn’t be ignored.
The old scholar’s last name was Cao, and he directly knelt at the government gate, saying he wanted to see Academic Administrator Kong, attracting a crowd of onlookers.
When Academic Administrator Kong heard that Cao Juren was kneeling to see him, he didn’t dare neglect him and immediately met with Cao Juren: "Old sir, you are a scholar and an elder, if you have any grievances just say them, there’s no need to kneel."
Yet, Cao Juren refused to rise, insisting on kneeling: "Lord Xue Zheng, I have been waiting for you for a long time. You don’t know, in Jianghuai there’s a grandson who plotted against his grandparents!"
Needless to say, this unvirtuous grandson plotting against his grandparents was Gu Jin’an.
Cao Juren recounted the tale of how Gu Jin’an’s family was unfilial to the Old Gu Family and didn’t support Elder Gu: "The wrongdoer was Mrs. Gu Pan, but Gu Jin’an’s family didn’t support Elder Gu at all, clearly being unfilial, intending to harm Elder Gu’s life. Now Elder Gu is missing; I strongly suspect that Gu Jin’an’s family secretly harmed him."
With empty words, they pinned a charge of killing his grandfather on Gu Jin’an.
Academic Administrator Kong frowned: "Old scholar, you better have evidence for what you say, otherwise you shouldn’t speak carelessly."
Academic Administrator Kong wasn’t pleased, Gu Jin’an was his chosen top student of the Jianghuai college examination. If there truly was a criminal case, even he as Academic Administrator would be implicated.
But with Cao Juren coming to accuse, Academic Administrator Kong couldn’t pretend not to know, and he was quite troubled.
Cao Juren said: "Sir, just bring Gu Jin’an to be interrogated, and it will be clear whether his family secretly harmed Elder Gu or not?"
"What did you say?" Academic Administrator Kong was shocked. Without evidence, merely a suspicion, Cao Juren wanted to have Gu Jin’an arrested, wasn’t this too tyrannical?
Continuing to haul Gu Jin’an to the government office would destroy Gu Jin’an’s entire future!
Academic Administrator Kong didn’t want to agree, and Scholar Shang was even more unwilling.
Upon hearing the news, he also came to the government gate to see what was happening. Hearing Cao Juren’s words, he was enraged, directly rushing out, taking up the drumsticks to beat the drum and shout for justice: "Scholar in the twenty-sixth year of Jinwu from Tianfu County in He’an Prefecture, accuses Cao Juren of Linhe Prefecture of falsely accusing individuals with official positions!"
He shouted several times, leaving everyone stunned.
Cao Juren, being old, took a while to realize he was being accused by Scholar Shang, and shook in anger, pointing at him: "You, you outsider, what right have you to accuse me?"
Scholar Shang coldly retorted: "Then what right do you have to falsely accuse Gu Jin’an? You can falsely accuse without others accusing you, where’s the reasoning in that?"
