Fu Shanhe

Chapter 28: Pulling people into trouble
After sending away the people from the East Factory, Li Mu immediately ordered his men to spread the news.

This kind of big deal cannot be accomplished by one person alone; one also needs the help of colleagues' connections.

As for the inside information that was obtained, it is enough for you to keep it to yourself, there is no need to tell anyone else.

Who knows whether this was the plot of the eunuch party or the plan of the person in the palace.

The court of Dayu was poor, and the normal fiscal revenue alone was not enough to maintain the operation of the empire. The resistance to promoting reform was too great, so the only option was to get some extra money to help out.

Compared with imposing taxes on the people, dealing with a few corrupt officials is obviously much less destructive.

……

"Brother Li, do you mean that as long as we pay the money, our teacher will be able to come out?"

Chen Jichuan asked uncertainly.

Having not yet passed the imperial examination to enter the government, his understanding of officialdom is very limited and his mind is relatively simple.

"Of course it's impossible!

Master Xiang was a thorn in the eyes of the eunuch party. They had finally captured him, so how could they let him go so easily?

However, the eunuchs are the most greedy. As long as the money is paid, it is not difficult to save their lives.

Alas, it’s mainly because Master Xiang takes good care of his neighbors.

He had tens of thousands of acres of land under his name, far exceeding the tax-free amount stipulated by the court, and was defined by the eunuch party as stolen money.

If the verdict is overturned, the people who have registered their land will be implicated, and the crime of hiding the land is no less serious than corruption."

Li Mu reminded gently.

As classmates, he didn't want to see Chen Jichuan getting stuck in a dead end and continuing to fight on the case.

Few officials of the Dayu Dynasty could withstand investigation.

Xiang Shihai was no exception. After entering the imperial prison, he quickly confessed a lot of criminal facts.

Not directly saying that he was a corrupt official was just to save face for his classmates.

“Brother Li, you know it.

Master Xiang's entire family was arrested, and their property was seized by the East Factory.

If I were in my hometown in Guanzhong, I could find someone to get together with.

But this is the capital, and we don’t have much money to bring with us, so we can’t even come up with the money!"

Chen Jichuan said with an embarrassed look on his face.

After all, young people are shy and don’t feel comfortable asking for money directly.

"Brother Chen has not yet entered the government, so he does not know the rules of the officialdom.

Master Xiang was imprisoned not only because of himself, but also for the anti-eunuch cause of the Qingliu movement.

He took all the charges brought by the eunuch party on his own and did not reveal anyone else's identity. This spirit is most admirable.

No one can do anything about the rescue, but these people will definitely help with the aftermath.

How about this, tonight I will arrange for you to pretend to be a Ding Yi and secretly go to the imperial prison to meet Master Xiang.

He will explain who can help pay for it when the time comes!"

In fact, Li Mu didn't want to bring up the topic, but his classmate was a rookie in the officialdom.

Xiang Shihai was indeed brought down, but it was precisely because of his fall that his words became more weighty.

Maybe there is no way to help people get promoted or make money, but you can definitely drag them down.

There is no need to frame anyone. Just by revealing the information he knows, a large group of people will be in trouble.

Many times, officials protect each other, not because they value class honor, but more because they have leverage over each other.

When you lend a hand to others, you are also lending a hand to yourself.

"Thank you for your advice, Brother Li!"

Chen Jichuan said with gratitude on his face.

It's really not easy.

I had been running around for so many days but hadn't found any clue at all, and I almost got myself into trouble.

When it came to Li Mu, a solution was finally found.

Although he failed to rescue his mentor, he was lucky to be able to save his life from the imperial prison. Especially when the people from the East Factory came that day, Li Mu had to fight against them to protect him.

He witnessed with his own eyes how ugly the faces of those foreigners were when they left.

He didn't know how the incident was dealt with afterwards, but in Chen Jichuan's opinion, there must have been a price paid.

Then he found people to work around and try to rescue his mentor Xiang Shihai. He was definitely a good classmate.

"Okay, Brother Chen, why are you and I being polite?

My identity does not allow me to appear in the imperial prison. When I see Master Xiang, please say hello to him on my behalf.

By the way, tell him that the eunuch party will close the case within three days.

If you have powerful connections, use them quickly, maybe you can get away with it!"

It is impossible to escape guilt.

If Xiang Shihai really had the connections to suppress the eunuch party, he would not have to suffer in the imperial prison.

The truth is often the most hurtful, and nice words are what everyone likes to hear the most.

Xiang Shihai alone is not worth his time and effort. The key is that if he wants to develop the business, he must first make a good start.

The civil servants who had been entertained by the factory guards were like drowning people at this time, and they would try their best to grab at a straw if it floated in front of them.

There is hope in life.

Many famous officials in history have experienced demotion and exile.

Their situation is only slightly worse, they have been turned into a blank slate.

Theoretically, as long as they can live to see the fall of the eunuch party and the return of the Qingliu party to power, they may be pardoned.

If he has a good relationship with those in power and insists that it was the eunuch party who framed him, there is hope of overturning the verdict.

What Li Mu has to do now is to bring hope to these people in despair.

The main reason is that the pressure to make money is too great.

The ransom for the East Factory cannot be too small, as there are many people involved in dividing the money internally, and if it is too small, something unexpected may happen.

The boss, Marquis Wuyang, is capable of taking responsibilities, but he can also ask for money. The first thing he asked for was 500,000 taels of silver.

The Qianhu Suo also has to reserve a portion of the funds as the government budget for the second half of the year, and the officials involved in the execution will also receive a share.

If we don't get more people involved, we won't be able to achieve our goals.

Relying solely on relatives and friends, no matter how good the relationship is, it has a price.

Those who are willing to spend dozens of taels are old friends, those who can spend hundreds of taels are relatives and friends, and those who are willing to spend thousands of taels are close friends.

If someone is willing to spend tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even more taels of silver to rescue someone, then he is not the old father, then he must be forced to do so.

A few officials alone cannot come up with so much money. If it is distributed among the entire Qingliu Party, then there will be no big problem.

Colleagues and teammates should share weal and woe. It is not right to let others charge into battle alone.

……

At midnight, Chen Jichuan came out of the imperial prison in a daze.

It's so cruel.

The imperial prison is like the eighteen levels of hell.

Tongue pulling, scissors, iron trees, copper pillars...all kinds of torture instruments from hell legends are available.

Those officials who were once so majestic and domineering became meat on the chopping board after entering the imperial prison.

When he saw Xiang Shihai again, he didn't recognize him.

"Mr. Chen, the commander has ordered that no matter where you want to go tonight, the brothers will take you there.

But it's curfew now, in addition to our Five Cities Army, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will also come out for patrol.

The carriage makes too much noise and could easily cause trouble, so please walk a few more steps with us."

After hearing what the soldier said, Chen Jichuan groaned inwardly.

He was frightened in there just now, and he is not in a good condition now.

"Please lead the way. I'll go first..."

(End of this chapter)