Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 299 Success would make him a renowned minister of the restoration.

The Governor's Mansion, Study.

The noise and tension from the outside world seem to have nothing to do with this place.

The Western-style clock from the Chen family of Panyu was casually placed in a corner of the desk, emitting a crisp but monotonous "tick-tock" sound.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the overly quiet study, like a countdown to a trial.

Lu Xiang-sheng slowly sat down in front of the huge geomantic map.

His vermilion brush hovered over the map, his gaze falling on a name at the very top of that web of power—Zhang Bingwen, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guangdong.

Lu Jianxing read in a low voice, clear and cold: "Zhang Bingwen, abusing his authority as the Provincial Administration Commissioner, inspected the land registers for the entire province and, through forging the fish-scale map, swapped three thousand mu of barren land under his name with twelve thousand mu of superior official paddy fields belonging to the Gaozhou Prefecture in western Guangdong. This single transaction resulted in the embezzlement of nearly ten thousand mu of official land. Based on this, he evaded taxes, amounting to a total of forty-seventy-three thousand taels of silver."

Lu Xiang-sheng remained expressionless, flicked his wrist, and with a stroke of his vermilion brush, drew a full, bright red circle over the name "Zhang Bingwen".

He muttered to himself, as if reporting to someone in the unseen world, or perhaps confirming something to himself:
"This man has seized government land, undermined the foundation of the nation, and, as the head of all officials in a province, has committed the acts of a treacherous rat. He should be executed."

His pen moved half an inch to the next name—the Provincial Judicial Commissioner, Qian Shilong.

Lu Jianxing turned the page and continued reading: "Qian Shilong. His son, Qian Feng, relying on his father's power, colluded with 'Black Dragon,' the leader of the 'Thirteen Sea Wolves,' the most ferocious of the thirteen pirate groups in the South China Sea, to provide him with top-secret military intelligence such as the patrol routes and troop rotation times of the Guangdong naval patrol.

Working in concert from within and without, they plundered a joint fleet of Fujian merchants, seizing goods and silver, profiting the equivalent of 400,000 taels of silver. The Qian family received 150,000 taels from this.

With another stroke of the vermilion brush, another blood-red circle framed the name "Qian Shilong".

"This man, as an official in charge of punishment, embezzled public funds, colluded with bandits to steal, robbed honest merchants, and treated national laws and military discipline as child's play. He should be executed."

The pen glided across the drawing, tracing a graceful arc before stopping at the name of Chen Haiping, the patriarch of the Chen clan in Panyu.

Lu Jianxing's voice grew increasingly cold: "Chen Haiping, using his clan's power, monopolized the sale of smuggled salt in Panyu and Dongguan counties. Any traveling merchants carrying official salt into the country, or any local people privately drying salt for their own use, were all apprehended by his clan's 'enforcement team'."

Setting up a private courthouse could result in anything from broken hands and feet to being beaten to death or drowned. Our investigation has confirmed that in the past three years, fifteen people have died at their hands under such "crimes," with clear records. This is the autopsy record from the Chaozhou coroner's office, along with the blood-written signatures of three survivors.

Lu Xiang-sheng's vermilion brush was applied heavily this time, the ink even slightly soaking into the back of the paper, completing a bold and colorful red circle.

"This man formed cliques for personal gain, disregarded human life, and used clan-based private laws to override the laws of the Ming Dynasty. He treats human life like dirt, how is he any different from a rebel? He should be executed."

The pen tip turned again, landing on that familiar name—Zhou Tingbo, the Prefect of Guangzhou.

"Zhou Tingbo. During his tenure as the prefect of Chaozhou, he condoned his in-laws, the Lin family, to seize farmland and engage in smuggling and other illegal activities, committing numerous heinous crimes. When seven officials from the Southern Garrison Inspection Office arrived in Chaozhou to investigate the accounts, he received advance notice and, while delaying the investigation with falsified accounts, secretly plotted to silence them. On the eve of the inspection office's impending discovery of concrete evidence, he ordered his trusted confidants to set fire to the prefectural government's granary and sent his long-trained assassins to infiltrate the firefighting crowd. In the midst of the fire, they brutally assassinated the seven officials from the capital who were on their way to investigate the case. Afterward, they burned the bodies to cover their tracks, creating the illusion of an accidental fire and unfortunate deaths."

The cruelty of their methods and the malice of their intentions far surpass those of ordinary corrupt officials and cruel bureaucrats; they are truly the actions of traitors and rebels!

When Lu Xiang-sheng heard about the assassination of seven officials in the capital, his entire demeanor changed abruptly.

The raging fire from Chaozhou, which he had been suppressing deep inside, finally broke free of his reason at this moment.

He suddenly exerted force on his wrist, and the wolf-hair brush, soaked in cinnabar, drew a circle fiercely over the name "Zhou Tingbo"!

This is not finished!
He picked up his pen again and, with a force that seemed to penetrate the paper, heavily marked a huge cross inside the blood-red circle!
The sharpness of the brushstrokes even carved a clear crack in the thick Xuan paper!

Lu Xiang-sheng stood up, his chest heaving violently, his eyes bloodshot, and he squeezed out his final judgment through clenched teeth: "This scoundrel dared to plot against the imperial envoy, how is that any different from treason?! This crime is not the fault of one person, nor the fault of one family! He is a traitor to the nation! He openly opposes the Ming Dynasty, he despises the emperor and the father, and he tramples on the fundamental principles of morality!"

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the clock to vibrate and emit a long, humming sound.

"All male members of Zhou Tingbo's three clans who are sixteen years of age or older shall be placed on the kill list! His collateral relatives involved in this matter shall be arrested, their property confiscated, and exiled three thousand miles away! This case will not be judged by rank or number of people involved; all those involved shall be treated as treason! The laws of the court shall not be challenged!"

"Tick-tock...tick-tock...tick-tock..."

The hands of the clock ticked slowly and steadily, and Lu Xiang-sheng's vermilion pen drew red circles one after another on this spiderweb representing the highest power in Guangdong.

Each painting signifies the destruction of a family, the end of a powerful figure's life, and the transfer of a huge sum of money from a private treasury to the Ming Dynasty's national treasury.

Lu Xiang-sheng's expression was focused and calm, as if he were not deciding the life or death of hundreds of people, but completing a calligraphy work that would be passed down through the ages. The dripping cinnabar was the only color in this work.

……

Midday on the moon.

The silvery light, like water, poured down, bathing the entire city of Guangzhou in a gentle and sacred glow.

Inside the city, the lights were dazzling, and a warm orange glow shone from the windows of every household.

The air was filled with the joy of the festival and the anticipation of family reunion.

Lu Xiang-sheng has finished drawing the last red circle.

He slowly put down his pen, and a drop of vermilion from the tip fell, spreading across the inkstone like a blooming blood-red plum blossom.

Lu Xiang-sheng stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open the carved window lattice.

The night breeze in the south finally brought a touch of coolness, carrying with it the increasingly rich sweet fragrance of osmanthus and the unique moisture from the river.

He took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale the last vestiges of the South's gentleness into his lungs.

Lu Xiang-sheng squinted, gazing towards the distant north, towards Nanjing, the former capital of the Ming Dynasty.

There was the emperor he served.

There was an emperor whose eyes, though aged ten years, had been tempered into unparalleled strength through countless betrayals and despair.

Lu Xiang-sheng knew that he had been promoted to the position of governor of a region before he was even thirty years old, and this favor was heavier than Mount Tai.

The emperor granted him the greatest power; this imperial sword was the authorization to "execute first and report later, and make decisions arbitrarily on the spot."

The emperor also placed the heaviest shackles on him; the words, "I and Qin Liangyu will also go to Guangdong," were the sharpest sword hanging over his head.

If successful, he would be a renowned minister who revitalized the dynasty and turned the tide.

Failure would make one a traitor who harms the country, and there would be no redemption!

(End of this chapter)