Lu Wuxie's words fell, and the already quiet atmosphere around them plunged into an even deeper freeze.
"My Lord, what do you mean by that?" Magistrate Zhang's mouth twitched stiffly.
"As expected, Magistrate Zhang does not remember," Lu Wuxie's smile widened. "Then... I shall remind you, sir. Do you remember the batch of dyed jade from the Jia family half a year ago?"
Hearing this, Magistrate Zhang's expression froze. He opened and closed his thin lips for a long time, unable to utter a single word.
Lu Wuxie casually picked up the Jia family's ledger from Magistrate Zhang's hand, flipping through it lazily as he spoke, "Do you think this matter could be glossed over, Magistrate Zhang? After all, the goods never reached their destination and were sent back. If I were to tell you, sir, that the business partner for this batch of jade was the Prince Xian's mansion, and that I was the one who discovered the problem with this jade, what explanation would you give?"
"My Lord!" Magistrate Zhang's eyes flickered with panic at these words. "This subordinate..."
"The Emperor separated the sparsely populated Anning County from Jincheng primarily because of Mount Biheng, which yields jade. Previously, all the jade from here was directly supplied to the imperial court." Lu Wuxie continued, "A year ago, to benefit Anning County, the Emperor handed over the management of Mount Biheng to the local county office, meaning Magistrate Zhang, you. From then on, Prince Xian's mansion, intending to engage in the jade business, began to deal with the Jia family."
Hearing this explanation, Magistrate Zhang's heart felt as clear as a mirror. The fingertips of his clasped hands trembled, and the remaining ledgers of the Jia family all fell to the ground. With a thud, he knelt down and said, "My... My Lord... this matter was truly the result of my own foolishness. If I had known this deal was with Prince Xian's mansion, I wouldn't have dared, even with ten times the courage!" As he spoke, Magistrate Zhang, disregarding where he was, kowtowed repeatedly to Lu Wuxie.
Was this a confession? Zhong Li watched the scene unfold from a distance. Although she wasn't very familiar with the so-called business practices or the imperial court's commercial systems, she had grasped the gist of it. The Emperor granting the management rights of Mount Biheng to the local county office meant that as long as the county office approved, merchants in Anning County could freely buy and sell the raw jade from Mount Biheng. It was natural that Jia Kun, being shrewd in business, had already spotted this commercial opportunity. Furthermore, since he had married a relative of the primary consort of Prince Xian's mansion, he had naturally fallen into the business of reselling the raw jade from Mount Biheng. Magistrate Zhang, knowing the authority was in his hands, had provided the Jia family with inferior goods. Unexpectedly, when the Jia family delivered the goods, Lu Wuxie discovered the problem with the raw jade. The goods were naturally confiscated, and the Jia family suffered significant financial losses as a result.
"Did Jia Kun seek you out half a year ago?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Magistrate Zhang nervously glanced at the person above him. Before he could answer, a ledger was thrown before him. He lowered his head to examine it; this page precisely recorded the income from the county office for raw jade purchased by Jia Kun.
"And then? It became a bad debt?" Lu Wuxie asked again.
A bad debt? Zhong Li's gaze shifted from the ledger to Magistrate Zhang. It seemed that Jia Kun had approached Magistrate Zhang before, but the outcome was that there was no money, and the shoddy goods were returned. It turned out that a considerable amount of the Jia family's wealth had also been lost to Magistrate Zhang. But... Zhong Li frowned, somewhat puzzled. Logically, Jia Kun had been in business for half a year; no matter how foolish he was, he should have discovered that Magistrate Zhang had given him faulty goods. Could it be... Her gaze fell on Lu Wuxie. She finally understood his words to Magistrate Zhang, "Does Magistrate Zhang truly believe this case is over?"
"My Lord, it was only a moment of greed that led me to collude with that Wang Gui to swindle Jia Kun's fortune, but it was only this once!" Magistrate Zhang was completely flustered now. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he kept trying to defend himself.
"Once?" Lu Wuxie's gaze held a hint of amusement. "If it was only once, how do you explain Jia Kun being ambushed on the official road a year ago and nearly losing his life?"
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Zhang's body visibly stiffened. Lu Wuxie smiled, casually picked up the half-cool Biluochun tea by his side, and took a sip. Only after the fragrance of the tea in his cup had filled the entire courtroom did he speak again, "The official road, ah! Ordinary bandits wouldn't dare. Either Magistrate Zhang was negligent in his duties, or you were in league with them. But whichever crime it is, that official cap on your head..." As he spoke, Lu Wuxie showed a hint of regret and shook his head.
"My Lord," Magistrate Zhang trembled like a sieve, his voice beginning to stutter, "I... I was merely greedy. I... I know I was wrong. I beg you to spare me a way out..." He had served as an official his entire life, and it had taken him more than half his life to reach this position. He could not let his career end like this. Realizing this, Magistrate Zhang's sallow eyes rolled in their sockets. He quickly got up and went to the back of the courtroom. Moments later, he emerged with another ledger in his hand.
"My Lord, this is my private account," Magistrate Zhang said, handing the ledger to him with both hands. Lu Wuxie took it and flipped through it nonchalantly.
"My Lord," Magistrate Zhang glanced around, ensuring that besides Zhong Li, a village woman who posed no threat, there was no one else. He said in a low voice, "This is all my assets. As long as you let me go this time, all this money is yours."
"Oh?" Lu Wuxie raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Magistrate Zhang smiled obsequiously and leaned in to add, "Also, the dancing girls I bought from the neighboring country are all offered to the young Lord, for you to experience something new."
"Really?" Lu Wuxie asked, his eyes curving upwards.
"Of course," Magistrate Zhang's mouth twitched, forcing out a smile that was as fake as it could be. "I guarantee she is no worse than Miss Lianxue from Jincheng's Huamanlou."
Lu Wuxie's smile deepened. Zhong Li watched everything from the corner, feeling an involuntary admiration for Magistrate Zhang. Lu Wuxie had a weakness for beautiful women, and this offering was truly to his taste. Just as she thought Lu Wuxie would accept without hesitation and began to feel contempt for him, she saw his expression darken. He coldly threw the ledger at Magistrate Zhang's face and turned to walk out.
"My... My Lord... My Lord?" Magistrate Zhang was somewhat stunned by his sudden action and was about to chase after him.
"Magistrate Zhang!" Lin Jin, who had been following behind Lu Wuxie, blocked Magistrate Zhang's path.
"Guard Lin, what do you mean by this?" Magistrate Zhang's eyes flickered with displeasure.
Lin Jin wasted no time. With a wave of his hand behind him, several bailiffs rushed in from outside and quickly apprehended Magistrate Zhang.
"Lin..."
"Magistrate Zhang," before Magistrate Zhang could finish speaking, Lin Jin stepped forward and said, "My master never concerned himself with how you dealt with the Jia family. However, Xie Xiaoyun, no matter how insignificant, is still a relative of Prince Xian's mansion. You bet on the wrong treasure." With that, a piece of white cloth was stuffed into Magistrate Zhang's mouth, and he was dragged away, half-pulled and half-carried.