Chapter 68
"Be careful. Avoid scraping anything heavy against this."
A horse-drawn cart loaded with goods made its way through the bustling, crowded streets towards the city gates. Watching the cart successfully exit the city from a hidden vantage point, Zhang Shiyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The quantity of moldy rice he had acquired was substantial. Earlier, when charity sales and price reductions in the city made rice selling profitable, seeing the considerable profit margin, he immediately procured several hundred more catties of moldy rice. Unfortunately, before he could put it on sale at the grain shop, trouble erupted in the city, all businesses suspended their charity sales, forcing him to temporarily halt rice sales as well.
Back then, after the moldy rice had harmed people, it should have been disposed of. Regrettably, tempted by the potential profits and unwilling to part with them, and emboldened by the backing of his brother-in-law, he daringly decided to keep the moldy rice. He planned to ship it to other counties for sale after the city's scrutiny died down, still hoping for a hefty profit. Who could have foreseen such a drastic reversal of fortune?
Now, the urgent matter was to dispose of the moldy rice. That way, even if a lawsuit reached the court, without physical evidence, there would still be room for argument.
Before his thoughts could settle, a servant hurriedly approached: "Master, many government soldiers have come to the house! Our grain shop has been temporarily sealed! The Mistress, Young Masters, and Young Misses are terribly frightened and ask you to return immediately to handle the situation!"
Zhang Shiyuan looked up at the sky, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. What was bound to come had finally arrived, and it was indeed swift.
"Is it Magistrate Qian who led the soldiers?"
"It is."
Hearing this, Zhang Shiyuan relaxed slightly. If it was his brother-in-law, he could rest easier. However, he was somewhat surprised that the Assistant Prefect, who had shown such concern over this matter, had not come. With no time to ponder further, he hurried home.
Upon returning to his residence, Zhang Shiyuan found the house in utter disarray, turned upside down as if thoroughly ransacked, appearing as if they were genuinely searching for evidence. He looked at Qian Wuzhang, who stood in the courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Your Honor, this..."
Qian Wuzhang lowered his voice near Zhang Shiyuan's ear: "The Assistant Prefect is watching closely. I am merely going through the motions. However, going through these motions has brought quite a surprise. I had no idea you, my esteemed brother-in-law, had such a collection of treasures tucked away."
A chill ran down Zhang Shiyuan's spine. Over the years, he had not been lacking in generous gifts to this brother-in-law. Now, under the pretext of gathering evidence, he had thoroughly searched the Zhang residence, merely to assess the Zhang family's wealth.
But now, he had to rely on this man. He urgently whispered, "If we are family, these little trinkets naturally belong to you as well, brother-in-law."
The corners of Qian Wuzhang's mouth twitched slightly. Though he gave no clear acknowledgment, a barely perceptible smile flashed across his face.
Zhang Shiyuan was escorted through the city. Although the procession was much more low-key compared to the earlier escort of Qiao Xinnian, the city's residents, now intensely focused on the moldy rice scandal, reacted strongly to the slightest movement from the government offices. Any stir could create huge waves.
"I was just wondering why Yunchang Grain Shop was being so charitable this year, selling rice at reduced prices. It turns out they were so devoid of conscience as to sell moldy rice."
"I sensed something was wrong as soon as I brought the rice home. When I tried to return it to the grain shop, the clerks there harshly chased me out. There was definitely something fishy going on!"
"Disgusting! The Zhang family has committed countless evils over the years, driving so many tenant farmers to their deaths. When harvests were poor, they would drag the innocent gers and daughters of decent families into their household as maidservants or concubines, even selling some to brothels. Now they've finally gotten their comeuppance."
Qiao Hezhi stood among the crowd, watching the yamen runners swiftly pass by. The common people discussed animatedly and chased after the procession to see the spectacle, curses rising and falling in waves.
Reflecting on how the Zhang family, backed by the county magistrate, had committed numerous wrongdoings over the years—It was the Zhangs who, jealous of the Qiao family's thriving business, had constantly picked faults, even secretly reporting that the Qiao family’s carriages and horses violated regulations and the like…
He recalled that the Zhang family had also been merchants, dealing in the wine trade, rivals to the Qiao family in business. However, due to their poor reputation, their business had been relatively sluggish. Later, their daughter married into the magistrate's household, and with his backing, the entire family switched their household registration to the agricultural class. Since then, they abandoned the wine trade, purchased land, and became major landowners, becoming even more arrogant and domineering.
He had always known the Qiao and Zhang families were not on good terms. His father had tried his best to avoid conflict with them. Who would have thought the Zhangs would secretly scheme to bring about their downfall?
"Siyu."
With that thought, he shot a meaningful look at the maid beside him. Immediately, a handful of rotten vegetable leaves rained down from above, pelting Zhang Shiyuan.
"Disgusting! Villain!"
The shackled Zhang Shiyuan yelped, "Who is it?!"
The yamen runners nearby also tensed, their hands moving to the swords at their waists. But before they could identify the culprit, an egg flew from behind, splattering with a crack on Zhang Shiyuan's head, immediately releasing a foul stench.
The yamen runners who had been guarding him instantly backed away slightly, quietly pinching their noses against the stench. With the yamen runners dispersed, the common people, no longer afraid of accidentally hitting the officials, followed the lead and began throwing rotten vegetable leaves and worn-out shoe soles.
"Dog! Caring only for profit, not if people live or die."
"Disgusting! You eat this moldy rice yourself!"
Moldy rice scraps flew from every direction, pelting Zhang Shiyuan until he was dazed and seeing stars. He howled and begged the yamen runners to hurry, turning into a prisoner who seemed desperate to reach the magistrate’s court.
Watching Zhang Shiyuan's utter wretchedness, Qiao Hezhi finally felt a sense of vindication.
Upon being brought before the court, Zhang Shiyuan was shocked to find that this case was being handled by the Assistant Prefect. He cast a pleading look at Qian Wuzhang. Seeing Qian Wuzhang glance back at him, his heart settled a little.
"Bold criminal Zhang Shiyuan! How dare you openly sell moldy rice, disrupting the order of Yuncheng! The crime is proven with both the criminal and the evidence! What have you to say?!"
Ji Congyong had been waiting impatiently in the government office. Seeing the prisoner brought in, covered in filth, even from a distance he could faintly detect a foul smell. Everyone in the hall wore unnatural expressions.
For a moment, he considered letting the foul-smelling man wash up, but the thought of all the wickedness he had committed—the sheer trouble he’d caused, and the fact that he’d been pelted into such a state within just one stretch of street—was proof enough of how he must have bullied ordinary people in ordinary times. He lost any inclination to grant him such favorable treatment.
Zhang Shiyuan knelt in the main hall. Seeing the thick stack of testimonies on the floor all pointing to Yunchang Grain Shop, along with witnesses, the moldy rice preserved by the commoners, and the physicians' testimonies linking the moldy rice to the illnesses, his heart grew somewhat fearful.
Fearful though he was, he deeply understood that admitting guilt would mean severe punishment: "Your Honor, this humble commoner, though aware of the moldy rice incident in the city, truly had no knowledge that this rice came from Yunchang Grain Shop!"
"Yunchang Grain Shop is your business. How could you not know?"
"I beseech Your Honor to see clearly. This humble commoner truly did not know. It must be that thieves within the grain shop, deceiving their superiors, committed this grave crime!" Zhang Shiyuan kowtowed. "The rice at the grain shop consists of good rice painstakingly grown by tenant farmers. The account books have records of it all!"
Ji Congyong flipped through the account books Zhang Shiyuan presented. Indeed, they seemed to corroborate his claim.
Seeing Ji Congyong frown, Qian Wuzhang seized the moment to angrily rebuke: "Zhang Shiyuan, your management is utterly negligent! Failing to regularly inspect the grain shop allowed the shopkeepers to harbor wicked intentions and commit this grave error!"
"This humble one acknowledges the fault. It is only because this year's heavy rains brought disaster to the tenant farmers. I focused my efforts on aiding them, thus neglecting the management of the grain shop."
Qian Wuzhang turned to Ji Congyong, requesting instructions: "Your Honor, the shopkeepers and all clerks of Yunchang Grain Shop have been detained. Should they be brought forward?"
Ji Congyong set down the account books, glanced at Qian Wuzhang, and instead of answering, asked: "You seem rather protective of this man."
Hearing this, Qian Wuzhang's gaze sharpened, and he hurriedly said: "Assistant Prefect, Your Honor, this lowly official is not being protective! I am merely anxious to deliver justice to the people!"
Ji Congyong ignored Qian Wuzhang and asked Zhang Shiyuan: "You claim ignorance of this matter, that the grain shop shopkeepers sold moldy rice privately. Then why did you hastily attempt to transport the evidence outside the city to hide it?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shiyuan's heart jolted. Before he could even begin to protest his innocence, he heard: "Bring the evidence forward!"
Immediately, Zhang Shiyuan witnessed with his own eyes the moldy rice he had sent out of the city, along with the servant, appear in the hall.
"Master Zhang, you didn't truly believe that the extensive efforts of distributing medicine and meticulously collecting testimonies from the victims were merely to trace the source of the illness, did you? Distributing medicine was genuine, but proceeding so slowly with collecting testimonies... wouldn't that give Master Zhang ample time to falsify accounts and prepare shopkeepers to take the blame?"
When the moldy rice was intercepted outside the city, Fang Yu had rushed to deliver this evidence to the government office first. Otherwise, why would only Qian Wuzhang, who had connections to the Zhang family, have been sent to apprehend the suspect? It was because he and the Assistant Prefect had first interrogated those transporting the moldy rice and obtained their confessions.
"Master Zhang, presuming you could dominate Yuncheng and act with impunity, thought you could rest easy after framing the Qiao family. Even if commoners later discovered it wasn't the Qiao family but the Zhang family behind the moldy rice, fearing your power, they wouldn't dare to accuse you. But did you consider that the people who received the Qiao family's kindness would brave your tyranny to testify for them?"
"This matter, upon slight investigation, reveals the moldy rice originated from the Zhang family. The reason for the elaborate effort in collecting testimonies was firstly, genuinely for charity distribution, and secondly, precisely to have the Zhang family deliver the evidence into our hands."
Zhang Shiyuan stared fixedly at the young man before him: "You suspected the Zhang family all along! Lacking sufficient evidence, you deliberately released information early to unsettle us, prompting us to move the rice, so you could catch us all in one net. How deep and cunning your scheme is!"
Fang Yu shook his head: "Not at all. For ordinary people, testimonies alone would suffice to establish guilt. But Master Zhang, your power and influence are immense. We had no choice but to expend more effort, saving you the trouble of a disgraceful attempt to shift blame."
He did not mention Qian Wuzhang by name, but with each mention of "power and influence," Qian Wuzhang's heart skipped a beat.
"Criminal Zhang Shiyuan, do you have anything further to say?"
Zhang Shiyuan hesitated, slowly shifting his gaze sideways towards Qian Wuzhang. Meeting an icy, piercing glare, he immediately swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
Ji Congyong found handling this case exceptionally smooth, requiring almost no mental effort to successfully solve it. Fang Yu had arranged all the evidence meticulously, increasing his satisfaction with this protege.
Zhang Shiyuan's property was confiscated, and he was thrown into prison, to be exiled for military service after autumn. His family members were all demoted back to merchant status. Additionally, he was ordered to compensate the Qiao family with three thousand taels of silver. Each victim of this incident could receive five hundred copper coins as compensation, and all previously purchased moldy rice could be exchanged for good rice of equal value. All these expenses were to be borne by the Zhang family.
Once the announcement was posted, the people of Yuncheng were overjoyed, celebrating as if it were the New Year.
Not only that, but the Assistant Prefect also came forward to highly praise the charitable acts of the merchants who had distributed aid to the commoners. Following Fang Yu's suggestion, he awarded a commendation medal to the merchants who had previously participated in charity distribution. This both comforted the people and reassured the previously disheartened merchants. Consequently, the interrupted charity activities were enthusiastically resumed.
Yuncheng finally regained its peace.
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