Chapter 31: Thunderous Means

In the end, Chen Ping not only left with a full stomach but also packed a small basket of malt candy to take with him.

When Chen Ping returned to the storehouse with the basket, Elder Ye had already sorted the chaotic account books and completed a simple categorization. As Chen Ping approached, he saw that several orderly charcoal marks had been drawn across the pages. What appeared messy at a glance was, in reality, calculated with precision; in his eyes, it was like a spiderweb woven to ensnare the parasites within the county office. However, Elder Ye had not yet made a move. Without concrete, ironclad evidence, everything remained mere speculation in the eyes of others, and acting prematurely risked alerting the culprits. Only when everything was prepared could he cut them out by the roots, leaving no hidden dangers behind.

Seeing the worry etched on Elder Ye’s face, Chen Ping understood the gravity of the situation and held the basket of candy out to him. "Teacher, have a taste. This is a 'tribute' those people gave us."

Elder Ye looked up and saw Chen Ping, his ink-dark expression softening slightly. However, at his advanced age, he dared not challenge such a sugary treat; one wrong move and he might lose a few teeth. He first patted Chen Ping’s head and then playfully flicked it twice. "Though I disdain associating with such corrupt officials, I truly cannot eat this."

Changing the subject, he got straight to the point: "Tell me, what did you discover tonight?" Having witnessed his student’s extraordinary capabilities many times, and given the urgency of the situation, he had no choice but to let Chen Ping act freely. Seeing the boy’s precocious demeanor, he knew he had brought back solid information.

As expected, once Chen Ping recounted the conversations he had overheard that night, Elder Ye slapped the table and stood up, murmuring repeatedly, "I have finally caught the tails of these rats." The movement was too sudden, and being nearly sixty, he felt a wave of dizziness and his legs grew unsteady. Chen Ping quickly stepped forward to support him.

Elder Ye waved him off, paced the room once, then returned to his desk and picked up a brush. Within moments, a hundred-word secret letter was drafted. Holding the paper, no one knew the weight of this letter better than he did. He looked up at Chen Ping with a somber expression and said sternly, "From this moment on, you are not to involve yourself in this matter, nor must you ever tell anyone what you heard today. Every word in this letter was uncovered by me and has nothing to do with you. Do you understand?"

Chen Ping, being highly intelligent, knew Elder Ye was protecting him. He understood that even if Magistrate Wang obtained solid evidence, he could only kill the chicken to scare the monkey; he could never purge every single person involved in the county office. After all, the office was not the Magistrate’s private property, and neither the local gentry nor the provincial superiors would allow Magistrate Wang to hold absolute power in the county.

Otherwise, would he not become a true regional warlord? Once the various factions reached a new equilibrium, the petty officials forced to relinquish their massive profits would surely harbor intense resentment. If they learned that Chen Ping had been involved, some reckless individual might ignore Elder Ye’s reputation and resort to underhanded tactics. Even if there were the slightest possibility of that, Elder Ye would never risk Chen Ping’s safety.

Chen Ping nodded understandingly, promising not to inquire or interfere further.

That night, Chen Ping fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, unaware of the storm brewing outside. First, Chief Zhao stepped through the darkness to collect the heavy secret letter. In the dead of night, a group crept to the door of a grain warehouse, and the long-neglected wooden door was knocked open like a thunderclap. By the fourth watch, the grain merchant’s confession was secretly delivered to Magistrate Wang. By the fifth watch, the owner of an ironware shop and the manager of a stone depot were thrown into the jail. By the sixth watch, a long-abandoned small courtyard had been raided and emptied.

As the morning light first broke, the valuable materials and tools that the petty officials had embezzled—but had not yet managed to dispose of—were piled high in the county office. That night was a display of thunderous power, sufficient to sweep away the petty vermin.

Zhao Jin, leading a dozen bailiffs, stormed the road construction site with iron rulers in hand. Chen Ping had just rubbed his sleepy eyes and struggled off his rattan bed when he heard the commotion outside. Having guessed the outcome the night before, he was not overly surprised, merely grumbling, "How unlucky, the morning is ruined and I can’t even study."

At the entrance of the storehouse, several men knelt on the ground; the weak-willed among them were already slumped over, sobbing. They knew that after today, their days in the county office were over; being reduced to commoners would be considered a mercy from Magistrate Wang. The serious offenders would likely be sentenced to border exile, a fate of nine deaths and one life. These unfortunate souls appeared to be simple, low-level workers who hadn't even managed to scrape much profit for themselves, yet they were the first to be paraded as a warning. This drew a crowd of laborers who had not yet begun their work, whispering and pointing. Before long, the murmurs turned into cheers and applause, the onlookers treating the scene like a grand performance.

Soon, Magistrate Wang appeared before them, flanked by Zhao Jin and the bailiffs. With a dark face, he pointed at the parasites kneeling on the ground and lamented, "When the common people are in such dire straits, how can one not turn against the grain? These officials are cruel and evil, causing internal strife to hoard wealth! In this peaceful administration, with favorable weather and no external enemies, we have birthed internal ghosts. We sought to benefit the people, so why have you become the rotting beams of our foundation? People say the old road is difficult to traverse, with dozens of miles of mud and crags, but how is that worse than the path of internal corruption? Corrupt officials are like tigers lurking on the road; the atmosphere beneath our feet is foul, leaving us exposed to the elements without shelter. With everyone grabbing a handful of wool from every passing goose, when will we ever see a broad, smooth road? Even in the struggles of the imperial examinations, I never felt the suffocating silence I feel today; I would rather resign and return home to bury my bones in my ancestral land!"

Magistrate Wang had not written poetry for many years, to the point that many had forgotten he was once a great talent. Literature is the voice of the heart, and perhaps his inner world had never been this turbulent.

"Utterly shameless!!!"

After dropping this angry verdict, Magistrate Wang turned his back and commanded, "Bring me paper and brush! I shall report every evil deed these parasites have committed to the prefectural government and memorialize the imperial court. They shall be exiled and their properties confiscated!" His voice was as loud as a thunderclap, clearly intended for all to hear.

Zhao Jin dared not speak and stepped forward to present the prepared ink and paper. However, the County Assistant and the Registrar standing beside Magistrate Wang could no longer remain silent. The Assistant stepped forward quietly and whispered a warning, "Your Honor, please wait. This must not be done! The affairs of Yongshun County should be resolved within the county. If we disturb some investigating censor, it will only complicate matters. Even if they are eventually sentenced to exile and confiscation, Your Honor will likely be blamed for failing to manage your subordinates!"

Although the Assistant’s tone was gentle, his words were sharp, hitting the sore spot and forcing the furious Magistrate Wang to consider the harsh realities. On the other side, the timid Registrar’s legs were already trembling. At fifty years old, he had never imagined that after a lifetime as a petty official, he would lose his integrity in his twilight years. That morning, when he was summoned to the county office and saw the materials piled high, he knew his schemes had been exposed. Magistrate Wang did not wait for his defense and ordered Zhao Jin to bind him.

The dignified Registrar of the county, before thousands of people, fell to his knees before Magistrate Wang with a thud. "It was my own greed that blinded me! Please, Your Honor, show mercy and spare my lowly life!!!"