Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 43 can only be finished in one go (Please vote for the monthly ticket and recommendation ticket to support, I will be very grateful.)
“We will repay the money we owe even if we have to sell our house and land. We also ask General, as we are of the same Han dynasty, to be merciful and lend a helping hand to save us from this dire straits. In addition, I will give you… one hundred thousand taels of silver.” Zheng Shaotang said nothing empty words. He knelt down and begged as soon as he entered the room.

Wang Xueyin knelt silently on the side and kowtowed continuously.

There is no room for bargaining in this matter.

Zheng Shaotang was very straightforward. He acknowledged the full amount of 165,000 taels of silver on the IOU and went home to raise the money.

In addition, he is willing to redeem the lives of the two young masters for 100,000 taels of silver.

I'm afraid I can't get any more.

Zheng Guohui was still very satisfied with the attitudes of these two people. As for the fact that they were "of the same lineage of the Han Dynasty"?

Just listen to it and don't take it seriously. Everyone knows what's going on anyway.

Seeing the other party kowtow on the ground with a hesitant look, Zheng Guohui finally reached out his hands to support him and said, "Please don't do this, or you will kill me."

His hand did not reach the other person, but strangely, Zheng Shaotang and Wang Xueyin both stood up in response.

Although his forehead was blue, his eyes were full of hope.

Zheng Guohui sighed and said;

“Forget it, forget it…

Seeing the blood ties between you two, I am also moved and cannot bear to make things worse.

God loves life, and so are we.
Please stand up, both of you. Even if you two gentlemen can escape the death penalty now, there is no place for you to stay in this big world.

I have a plan..."

What Jiligulu said was actually to encourage the two young masters to go to Southeast Asia and just follow the fleet when the time comes.

What fleet?
Zheng Guohui didn't say it explicitly. Anyway, if you can understand it, then understand it. If you can't understand it, then no one can do anything about it.

There was a reason why he was so kind. He had an IOU for 165,000 taels of silver in his hand, and a promise of 100,000 taels of silver. How much did that add up to?

If we really kill these two young masters, we will get nothing.

That is naturally to maximize benefits. As for the court laws and regulations, they should be put aside and the benefits must be obtained first.

Isn’t it normal for prisoners to die suddenly in prison?

For such a small matter, it would be enough to give 5,000 taels of silver to the Censor Wu Weicheng and suppress the matter quietly.

As for the 25,000 dan of contraband salt that was seized, they would soon be sold through various channels, and then the warehouse would be burned down, leaving no evidence.

Zheng Guohui is short of money now!

Although silver came into his pocket in large amounts, his expenses also went out like water. In just over a month, he had spent more than 30 taels of silver. Shouldn't he find some more income?
The salt merchants Zheng and Wang suffered a lot, and even their old savings were almost all wiped out.

It is better to forgive others when you can. There is no need to fight to the death.

Zheng Shaotang and Wang Xueyin were both experienced salt merchants. How could they not understand the truth of this situation?

So

Zheng Guohui simply arranged for the two to go to the villa where they were detained. They saw the two young men in distress drinking chicken soup. Naturally, they started to cry out their sorrows again, but we will not go into details for now.

In the lobby

He completely ignored it. The dark and thin local rich man Qian Tongqing was so embarrassed that his nephew, a high-ranking official, didn't take him seriously at all.

This really irritated Qian Tongqing, who had always been a bully in the countryside. He slammed his hands on the table and cursed angrily.
"Asshole, asshole, you're just a maggot-hearted bastard. You don't even acknowledge your uncle sitting here. This is disobeying our ancestors and disrupting moral principles."

After scolding him, he gave instructions to his second son Qian Dekuan who was standing aside;
"Go, go to the backyard now and invite your aunt over. I want to see if this bastard recognizes his uncle. Tell your aunt that if he still recognizes the Qian family's ancestors, then he should come out quickly and stop hiding."

"Okay, I'll go right away." Qian Dekuan looked like he was enjoying a good show, and walked towards the back house in a carefree manner.

Fourth Master Zheng Shouye had not left yet. After hearing how rampant the Zheng father and son were, his face turned black.

Considering the relationship between relatives, the fourth master Zheng Shouye suppressed his inner displeasure and tried to persuade him:

"Wait a minute, Uncle Qian, this is not right.

No matter what, you are guests coming from afar. When you come to the land of my Zheng family, you should be treated with courtesy, make you feel at home, and live in harmony. This is what the title means.

But you can't be so arrogant and do something ridiculous.

Uncle Qian, what are your status as father and son? We are just ordinary people.

My general is a local garrison commander and holds the rank of third-rank city guard. Even when facing the governor or the prefect, he must show utmost respect. This is a moral code.

It is absolutely ridiculous for our general to pay a visit to you common people. Has he really lost his mind?"

Qian Tongqing was so enraged by these righteous words that he stood up and pointed his finger at Zheng Shouye's nose and cursed.

"When did it become your turn to point fingers at my Qian family? Do you understand the principle that my mother's uncle is the eldest?

I finally see that you are the locals who are bullying my Qian family. You are all evil-minded people.
Zheng Qianshi, this lowly slave, dared to deny her ancestors. When my father and I return, we will open the clan ancestral hall and expel her from the family tree. Let's see how this lowly slave can face people in the future.

You are not worthy enough to control me..."

Although Qian Tongqing's hair was already gray, he still looked like a country scoundrel, calling her "bitch" all the time. He was originally a tyrant landlord who ran rampant in the countryside. When he was young, he had abused countless people. Now that he was old, he still hadn't changed his evil ways, and on the contrary, he was getting worse.

His second son Qian Dekuan and youngest son Qian Deguang also acted like bullies and cursed at others.
"Fourth Master Zheng, you are also ignorant. You have lived like a dog at such an old age and don't understand the slightest bit of reason."

"You're right. No one is as unreasonable as you. Even if it's the general himself, he should still respectfully address me as 'cousin' and do everything for me promptly."

"That's... I can't afford to lose face for my father today. I traveled hundreds of miles to come here to show my aunt some respect, and now you're throwing a bucket of cold water on me... It's totally unreasonable."

“If you really want to piss my dad off, no one from your Zheng family will be able to escape.”

Zheng Shouye was so angry at the unreasonable retort by these three men that veins on his forehead were throbbing and his hands were shaking so much that he couldn't speak.

Uncles and uncles are older than you and should be treated with respect, but this also depends on the place and occasion.

Obviously, this logic doesn't make sense to the three sons of the Qian family. They are just scoundrels who are willing to make trouble even if it's unreasonable.

No one kept silent, and the noise in the hall spread far away. The maid quickly reported to the inner hall to let Madam Zheng Qian know.

Zheng Qian was at a loss after hearing this. Thinking of her brother's usual rogue behavior and the countless grievances he had suffered since childhood, she couldn't help but feel sad and burst into tears uncontrollably.

This is also a coincidence

Zheng Guohui arranged for someone to bring the two sons of the salt merchant over. They cried together in the courtyard, holding hands and talking with tears streaming down their faces.

Zheng Guohui couldn't bear to see this, so he walked out of the courtyard to get some peace and quiet.

It happened that I heard the three sons of the Qian family roaring in the lobby, with the eldest uncle Qian Tongqing calling her "bitch" left and right, so rampant that it was beyond words.

Zheng Guohui immediately became angry, and a sense of resentment arose in his heart.

As the saying goes: A county magistrate who destroys a family, a prefect who ruins a family.

But who knows how terrifying a high-ranking official with a large army can be?

In the lobby

The three masters of the Qian family were talking furiously, without leaving any sound behind, and many of the unpleasant words were shouted for the outsiders to hear.

Suddenly, dozens of fully armed soldiers rushed in, shouting, "Where are the remaining Taiping rebels?" "Come and die quickly!" "Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"

These soldiers rushed forward and kicked Qian Dekuan, the second son of the Qian family, and Qian Deguang, the youngest son, to the ground and tied them up roughly.

"General, General, you've arrested the wrong person. I'm the cousin of your general."

"Shut up, you thief! How dare you bite me so recklessly?"

How could these soldiers listen to him? He used the butt of his knife to strike Qian Deguang hard, causing him to spit out blood and lose several teeth.

Such a sudden change
The skinny old man Qian Tongqing's face turned pale with shock. He wasn't stupid, and he understood immediately. With his hands shaking with anger, he scolded, "Rebellion, rebellion... This is outrageous! I've never heard of a nephew daring to kidnap his uncle. We are blood relatives! To be reduced to this is worse than an animal."

An officer walked up to him menacingly, grabbed Qian Tongqing's collar in the chest, and said fiercely:
"Whoever my general says is a remnant of the Taiping rebels will be thrown directly into death row. Who in this vast world dares to refute me?
If you dare to say more

We will arrest you, the old thief, as well as the remnant of the Taiping rebels. We will confiscate your property and property and exterminate your entire Qian family."

"Good...good...good...you are really my good nephew." Qian Tongqing said with resentment on his face. What else did he not understand?
The officer pulled a paper bag from his bosom, handed it to Qian Tongqing, and said, "You are guilty of rebelliousness and disrespect, and you deserve death. However, considering that these are your first offenses, the general has given you a chance to live. Eat this, and those two boys might have a chance to live. It's up to you to decide who will go and who will follow."

Qian Tongqing opened the paper package with trembling hands. Inside was a piece of black opium weighing more than three taels.

If you eat this stuff, you will be dead.

Qian Tongqing had been a violent man in the countryside all his life. Now that he was forced to commit suicide by taking opium, he was so frightened that his hands and feet went limp, and his hands trembled, causing the opium to drop to the ground.

At this moment

Zheng Guohui walked in slowly, his hands behind his back. He glanced at everyone and said calmly, "Well, both of my cousins ​​are suspected of being part of the Taiping Rebellion. I can't bend the law for personal gain, so I can only ask my uncle to go first."

"Mr. Zheng, you are so cruel. I, Qian Deguang, will not let you go even if I become a ghost." Qian Deguang, whose face was covered in blood, raised his head and stared at Zheng Guohui fiercely, as if he wanted to tear him into pieces.

Zheng Guohui's face changed when he heard this, and a cold light flashed in his eyes; this boy must not be kept.

The foolish and harsh words of the youngest son frightened Qian Tongqing so much that he collapsed to the ground. By then he realized it was too late.

"Drag them all out and clean them up." Zheng Guohui ordered in a cold voice.

If you beat the snake, you will not die, but you will be harmed by it.

At this time, there was no room for any tender affection, and the three of them had to take the whole thing together.

Qian Tongqing was about to say something when he was hit by a palm from behind and was immediately knocked unconscious.

Qian Dekuan and Qian Deguang only felt scared at this time, but before they could even say a word of begging for mercy, they were knocked unconscious one after another by soldiers with knife handles from behind.

Wrapped in cloth, loaded into a covered donkey cart and transported away directly...

This matter

Zheng Guohui shook his head in distress and didn't want to say anything anymore. He could only go to the back house to apologize to his mother.

(End of this chapter)