The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 557 Father and Son's Double Act
Upon hearing Qin Chengwen's words, Qin Shou suddenly burst into laughter, the sound causing dust to fall from the beams and pillars of the imperial study. He strode forward and patted his third son heavily on the shoulder.

"Good! Good lad, what a brilliant line, 'Everything I have belongs to Father!' I never knew you possessed such wisdom!"

A sly glint flashed in Qin Chengwen's eyes as he lowered his voice and said, "When those aristocratic families came knocking, I guessed they wanted to use the prince's name to evade investigation. So I decided to play along and have them transfer all the land deeds to my name. After all, the laws of Qin state that once these things are in my hands, they belong to me."

"Do you know this is like asking a tiger for its skin? If I were to punish you today without even asking what happened, what would I do?" Qin Shou narrowed his eyes and stared at the other man.

“That proves that Father no longer trusts me.” Qin Chengwen suddenly knelt down, offering an account book from his sleeve, and said solemnly, “This is a detailed list of all the land transferred by the Zhen family and other clans, totaling 387,600 mu, involving seven prefectures and twenty-one counties. I have already ordered people to secretly make copies of the land deeds, and their authenticity can be verified at any time.”

"Do you know that by handing these things over to me, your reputation will likely be ruined?"

Qin Shou looked at the account books in front of him and said quietly.

"What does reputation matter? I'm a prince, not the crown prince. What do I need a good reputation for? I didn't forcibly take anything from them. These things were all given to me by them," Qin Chengwen said nonchalantly.

Looking at the other person, he was clearly a scoundrel. I wonder whose genes he inherited from.

"Rise." Qin Shou turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said with a hint of smugness, "At the morning court in three days, I want to see you put on a good show."

As the fifth watch drum sounded, the area before the Taiji Hall was already filled with kneeling, wailing representatives of powerful families. Zhen Xiang pounded his head on the ground, crying out, "Your Majesty, please understand! The Third Prince has forcibly seized our clan's land; he's trying to force us to our deaths!"

"Summon the Third Prince to the palace!"

Qin Shou, sitting at the head of the table, smiled and gave instructions to the eunuch beside him.

After a while, Qin Chengwen lazily entered the main hall and knelt down.

"Your son pays respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years."

"Third brother, someone has filed a complaint against you, saying you stole their family's land. What do you say?" Qin Shou shook his head, his voice slightly cold.

"Nonsense!" Qin Chengwen, his previous roguish demeanor gone, pointed at Zhen Xiang and cursed, "You were the ones who voluntarily delivered the land deed to my residence, claiming it was to 'lay low for now'! Now you're turning the tables? Father, I have witnesses."

"Oh, there's a witness? Then bring them in."

Qin Shou was very surprised, not knowing what surprise his son had brought him.

"Bring it up."

Just as Mi Zhu's younger brother, Mi Fang, was about to chime in, he heard Qin Chengwen shout loudly towards the outside of the hall.

In an instant, a troop of imperial guards surged into the palace, escorting more than a dozen accountants. The leader shouted, "Your Majesty! These men have confessed! The Zhen and Mi clans did indeed deliberately transfer land!"

The situation reversed instantly. Qin Shou waved his hand with a cold smile, and guards immediately brought in more than ten large chests, which, when opened, were filled with land deeds and documents. Qin Shou glanced at them casually and snorted coldly, "Issue my decree: All land voluntarily transferred to the prince's name shall be confiscated by the state! Former tenant farmers have priority to purchase the land, with payments to be made in ten-year installments!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" A resounding cheer echoed from the main hall.

Regardless of what these ministers were thinking, they could only suffer in silence at this point. After all, no one could openly cause trouble for Qin Chengwen.

Five days later, at the execution ground in the West Market of Chang'an. As more than thirty stewards of aristocratic families were led to the guillotine, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted: "Prime Minister Zhuge has discovered a silver mine in the south!"

A group of merchants dressed in Shu brocade weaved through the crowd, distributing gold-embossed invitations and shouting: "The climate in the south is mild and humid; one mu of paddy field yields three harvests a year. Buy 100 mu now and get a salt well for free!"

In a private teahouse room, Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, smiling as he watched the chaotic scene below. Opposite him sat Zhen Xiang, his face deathly pale. Zhuge Liang pushed forward a land deed, saying, “General Zhen, why are you so fixated on Guanzhong? The copper mines of the South need experts like yourself. The best mines in Yongchang County are available for the price of your residence in Chang'an.”

“This means we have to leave our homes!” Mi Fang slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"Otherwise what?" Zhuge Liang's smile turned cold. He tapped his feather fan on the table, revealing a gleaming blade hidden within the fan ribs. He sneered, "Waiting for His Majesty's Tiger Warriors to confiscate your property and exterminate your entire clan?"

Meanwhile, atop the corner tower of the palace, Qin Shou gazed at the black smoke rising from the direction of the West Market. Qin Fengwei reported, "Your Majesty, Zhuge Liang's caravan made contact with seventeen aristocratic families today."

"Let him dig." Qin Shou toyed with a sample of copper ore from the south and sneered, "When these parasites bring their money south and find that the so-called 'mines' are all deep in the mountains, let them develop them first. Once they've developed them to a sufficient level, we can nationalize them."

The winds of Guanzhong, carrying the stench of blood from the execution grounds of Chang'an's western market, swept through the high walls and deep courtyards of the great aristocratic families. When Zhen Xiang emerged from the teahouse, his legs were still a little weak, and the cold glint of Zhuge Liang's feather fan flashing before his eyes still flickered in his mind.

"Master, shall we return to the manor?" the servant asked cautiously.

Zhen Xiang shook his head, his cloudy eyes gazing south: "Go to the southern villa and summon the clan elders for a meeting."

At the same time, Mi Fang stormed back to the Mi family mansion and kicked open the hall door. The elders who were discussing matters inside were startled and stood up, their teacups overturning on the table, the tea flowing down the sandalwood grain.

"This is outrageous! The imperial court is trying to wipe us out!" Mi Fang grabbed the map of southern China from the table and slammed it to the ground, coldly snorting, "What silver mines and salt wells? They're clearly trying to force us aristocratic families to leave our homes!"

"Insolence!" Mi Zhu, the patriarch of the Mi clan, emerged from the inner chamber, his face ashen. He rebuked, "You brought this trouble upon yourselves, and now the entire clan is affected. Is this a matter for the imperial court? That was the work of Zhuge Liang and the Second Prince. What does it have to do with His Majesty? Did His Majesty force you to go?"

Mi Fang was rendered speechless by the reprimand, her face flushed red, yet she dared not retort. Mi Zhu coldly surveyed the crowd and said in a deep voice, "From this moment forward, all members of the clan will be confined to their homes to reflect on their mistakes and are forbidden from leaving. As for the matter in the South, allow me further consideration."

In the stillness of the night, Mi Zhu sat alone in his study, gazing absently at the candlelight. Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps outside the window, and a dark figure silently appeared at the window.

"Who?" Mi Zhu asked alertly, pressing his hand against the sword at his waist.

"Don't be alarmed, Lord Mi. I have come on the orders of the Second Prince to deliver a letter." The dark figure slipped a letter through the window crack and then disappeared into the night.

Mi Zhu unfolded the letter, on which were written in a flowing, elegant style: "Though the South is far, it offers refuge from disaster. Zhuge Liang's plan is truly for your safety. The caravan will depart in three days; I hope you will make a decision soon."

(End of this chapter)