flstandardbreds Chapter 1059 The Qiu Family Has Caused Big Trouble
Chapter 1059 The Qiu Family Has Caused Big Trouble
Qiu Hong knelt at the front of the crowd, watching the usually arrogant family heads become respectful and fearful before the emperor, and cold sweat gradually seeped into his palms.
He knew it would soon be his turn.
Although the Qiu family had declined, they were still a prominent family in Jingzhou, and the prefect would not miss them during his roll call.
Sure enough, Du Qingcheng's voice came: "Qiu Hong, head of the Qiu family, come forward to pay your respects."
Qiu Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he forced himself to calm down.
He rose, straightened his robes, lowered his head, and quickly walked forward, bowing about five steps in front of the imperial carriage.
"This humble subject, Qiu Hong, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
He lowered his head very low, and could feel the emperor's gaze on him. That gaze seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight, causing the muscles in his back to tense up involuntarily.
Li Che did not immediately tell Qiu Hong to get up, nor did he ask him any casual questions as he would with others. Instead, he remained silent for a moment.
This brief silence felt incredibly long to Qiu Hong.
Other officials and gentry, and even Du Qingcheng, sensed something unusual and glanced over in this direction.
This is the majesty of the emperor; even a small change is enough to make countless people rack their brains to make connections.
Qiu Bai, wearing an iron mask, remained motionless, only watching Qiu Hong through the eye holes of the mask.
Finally, Li Che spoke: "The Qiu family, I remember, the Qiu family of Jingzhou is also a prominent family in this region."
Qiu Hong's heart tightened, and he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the Qiu family is merely a family that values farming and scholarship, with only a small amount of property. We dare not claim to be a prominent family."
"It is all thanks to the imperial court's benevolence and His Majesty's great fortune..."
"Passing down the tradition of farming and reading is good." Li Che seemed to be just making a casual comment, but he subtly interrupted Qiu Hong's words.
"However, I have heard some old stories. It is said that even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. But if a family dispute becomes too big, alarms the local authorities, or even violates the law... then it is no longer just a family matter."
"Patriarch Qiu, what do you say?"
Qiu Hong shuddered, feeling as if his blood had turned completely cold.
The emperor's words were clearly pointed at something.
Is it referring to that murder case from back then?
Or is it alluding to other unknown secrets of the Qiu family?
Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead, and he forced back his fear as he said, “Your Majesty is wise. The Qiu family has indeed failed in its management of the household. There have been unworthy children in the past, which is truly a misfortune for the family.”
"Whenever I think of this, I am filled with grief and indignation, and I feel deeply ashamed before my ancestors and the imperial court!"
"Since then, everyone in the Qiu family has been careful in their words and deeds, strictly abided by the law, and dared not overstep the bounds in the slightest!"
"We implore Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly!"
He spoke quickly and urgently, voluntarily reopening his family's wounds and adopting an extremely humble posture.
He thought that by making such a statement, he could evoke even a sliver of pity in the emperor.
Unbeknownst to them, the stern-faced general beside the emperor was growing increasingly cold in the eyes behind his mask.
Li Che gave a noncommittal "hmm" and did not delve into it further, as if what he had just said was really just a casual remark.
He then asked, "What is the Qiu family's main business now?"
Qiu Hong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the Qiu family now mainly relies on the rent from ancestral lands, and also runs some rice, cloth and other general merchandise businesses. Business is slow, and we are just trying our best to maintain the family's expenses and teach our children to read, hoping to cultivate some useful talents for the country to atone for our past mistakes."
“Yes, studying and striving for improvement is always the right path.” Li Che nodded, seemingly losing interest in continuing the conversation, and waved his hand, saying, “Rise, you may leave.”
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Qiu Hong felt as if he had been granted a pardon. After expressing his gratitude, he bowed and took several steps back before turning back into the crowd.
I felt my inner clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and my heart was still pounding.
The emperor's seemingly ordinary questions carried immense weight in his ears, making him tremble with fear, wondering what His Majesty intended to do.
Little did they know, Li Che didn't care about the small Qiu family at all.
It would be giving the Qiu family too much face to have him personally intervene to deal with them.
This was Qiu Bai's private matter. Li Che only questioned him to support him.
Seeing Qiu Hong leave and the emperor appear calm, Du Qingcheng's mind raced.
But he didn't dare ask any more questions and continued to introduce the remaining people.
After all the selected talents had been presented with their audience, Li Che said to Du Qingcheng, "Thank you for your introduction, Minister Du. I am a little tired, so let's go into the city first."
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, please!" Du Qingcheng quickly stepped aside to lead the way, and the ceremonial guards moved slowly toward the open gates of Jingzhou.
Beside the imperial carriage, the iron-faced Qiu Bai rode alongside, remaining silent throughout.
As he passed through the area where the Qiu family was, his face, covered in cold metal, turned slightly at an angle before returning to normal.
. . . . . .
The Jingzhou Imperial Palace was originally a villa for a prince of the previous dynasty, which was renovated and used to receive the emperor.
Although it is just a secluded garden, it is exquisitely decorated with pavilions and lush flowers and trees.
After Li Che checked in, he did not rush to summon local officials to discuss politics, but instead ordered them to rest for half a day.
The officials breathed a slight sigh of relief upon learning this.
Unbeknownst to them, hundreds of night watchmen and imperial guards had already quietly left the palace and scattered throughout Jingzhou.
The following morning, in a side hall of the imperial palace.
Li Che changed into a light blue casual outfit and sat on a bright couch by the window. Several volumes of account books and documents were piled up on a small table beside him, which he was casually flipping through.
The Prefect of Jingzhou, Du Qingcheng, along with his assistant prefect and several key officials, stood respectfully below, their hands clasped at their sides.
"Minister Du," Li Che suddenly spoke, his gaze not leaving the account books, "the income and expenditure of the Jingzhou treasury in recent years seem to be balanced, but I noticed that the 'Miscellaneous Supplements' column shows that the amount in the autumn and winter of last year seems to be nearly 30% higher than the same period in previous years? Where did the supplements come from?"
Du Qingcheng's heart tightened; he knew the test had begun.
He quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, last year some sections of the dikes along the Jingjiang River were damaged. In order to prepare materials and pay for the laborers' food during the autumn and winter seasons, we borrowed some money, grain and materials from local gentry and merchants in advance, using the proceeds as a deduction from next year's taxes. Therefore, this item is recorded."
"Everything is for official business. All accounts are documented and recorded. I dare not have any personal involvement."
“Oh, flood control and dike reinforcement are important matters.” Li Che nodded, but his fingertip slid to another spot. “Here, the ‘depletion of the western granary’… Hmm, this loss rate is much higher than what I’ve seen in other prefectures.”
Is the rice stored in Jingzhou perhaps a little more delicate?
Sweat instantly beaded on the magistrate's forehead. He hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty is wise. Last summer was rainy. Although we did our best to maintain the granaries, some still became moldy. In addition, there were losses due to rats and sparrows... We failed in our supervision and are willing to accept the blame!"
What he said was true, but the loss ratio couldn't withstand close scrutiny. Everyone was wondering if there had been any irregularities by the warehouse officials.
Li Che glanced at the prefect, his gaze calm, yet it made the latter's legs go weak.
"Natural disasters are unavoidable, but man-made disasters must be guarded against. Warehousing is a matter of life and death for the people, and we need to be more meticulous in the future."
Surprisingly, Li Che did not punish him severely, but simply let it go.
This caused everyone present to break out in a cold sweat; His Majesty seemed exceptionally perceptive when it came to accounts and figures.
There were rumors that His Majesty was good at military affairs but not at civil administration, and that he entrusted all state affairs to his trusted ministers.
In retrospect, this was nothing but a rumor.
Just then, Li Che spoke again: "I have reviewed the imperial register and found that the amount of land under the name of the Qiu family in the Qifeng Manor area north of the city seems to have remained unchanged since the time of the late emperor?"
Li Che closed a booklet, his tone still calm: "That place is right next to the Xiang River, it's a good piece of land. I remember that a few years ago the Xiang River changed its course, creating a lot of new mudflats. Several neighboring families fought over these unclaimed lands, but the Qiu family is quite stable."
Du Qingcheng's eyelids twitched.
The Qiu family did acquire most of the newly silted land near Qifeng Village through clandestine means, but the number of land deeds on the surface did not change much, making it extremely secretive.
How does Your Majesty know even such details?
He could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty is extremely perceptive. Perhaps the Qiu family made internal land adjustments and failed to update the official deeds in time. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly after I go down."
"Yes, it's time to investigate. Land is a serious matter, as it relates to taxes." Li Che picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Speaking of the Qiu family... besides their land, they seem to own several iron workshops in the south of the city. I wonder what their scale is?"
"Now the imperial court has relaxed its control over iron forging in the private sector, but the materials used and the output still need to be reported in accordance with regulations, especially the use of the best iron must be clearly defined."
Iron! This word made the temperature inside the hall seem to drop several degrees.
This is a very sensitive matter. Whether it's selling or smuggling it privately, or casting something that shouldn't be cast, it's a serious crime.
Recalling the thoroughness of His Majesty's crackdown on the private possession of armor during his southern tour, Du Qingcheng's throat went dry, and he quickly said:
"Your Majesty, rest assured! All the ironworks within Jingzhou are registered with the Workshop Administration. All the raw materials used have mining tax receipts, and the output is mostly agricultural tools and daily ironware. There are absolutely no prohibited items."
"I have also sent people to inspect the Qiu family's workshop, and nothing unusual has been found."
His words sounded eloquent, but he was actually a little uneasy inside.
He couldn't guarantee that the depths of the Qiu family's workshops were 100% clean.
However, no matter what, one must maintain a proper attitude. Even if the Qiu family is involved in some shady dealings, one must insist that one knows nothing about it.
Li Che nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and gently put down the booklet in his hand.
"Alright, I was just asking casually. Take these ledgers and documents back and verify what needs to be verified and rectify what needs to be rectified."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Du Qing.” Li Che looked at Du Qingcheng.
The latter quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty."
"I am a little tired. Let's call it a day. I will need you to continue to manage the affairs of Jingzhou."
"Your Majesty, I am deeply apprehensive! I will do my utmost to live up to Your Majesty's trust!" Du Qingcheng felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly bowed to take his leave.
As I left the side hall, a gust of wind blew in, and I realized that my undergarment was clinging to my back.
The group exchanged glances, all seeing the confusion in each other's eyes: His Majesty's questions today, though seemingly scattered, all seemed to point to the Qiu family.
It seems the Qiu family has gotten themselves into serious trouble.