Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

Qian Laohei thought for a moment, "Not counting the farmland and shops, just the cash and copper coins alone amount to at least seven or eight thousand strings of cash. The farmland covers over a thousand acres, and the shops number twenty-six, most of which they conspired to seize over the years."

"That loan sharking operation involved at least a hundred households. The interest compounded, and those who couldn't repay were stripped of their land, houses, and lives. It resulted in no fewer than ten deaths."

Chen Youde's face turned completely pale.

He knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the brick floor, his shoulders trembling.

Gu Yansheng closed the case file, looked at Chen Youde, and remained silent for a moment. "Chen Youde, do you have anything else to say?"

Chen Youde raised his head, his lips trembling slightly, "Registrar Gu, I...I confess my guilt."

Gu Yansheng didn't look at him. He picked up his pen, wrote a few lines on the judgment, and then put it down.

They signed and stamped their seals.

"The facts of Chen Youde's case are clear and the evidence is conclusive. According to the law, he is to be exiled to Shamen Island and all his property will be confiscated. His steward Chen Youfu, accountant Chen Youcai, and adopted son Chen Baishou will be exiled to the prison and sentenced to five years of penal servitude."

"The steward and servant involved in the case shall each be flogged sixty times and exiled to the county for hard labor, and shall not be allowed to leave the city. Chen Youde's family shall be provided with thirty mu of land for their support, and the rest of their property shall be confiscated. The case file shall be submitted to Puzhou for approval, and execution shall be carried out after the reply is received."

Chen Youde's body trembled violently, as if he had been slapped by something.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a sound.

Two bailiffs stepped forward, dragged him up from the ground, and took him away. When the steward and the others were taken away, their legs were so weak that they could not stand steadily, and the bailiffs took turns holding them up and dragging them away.

Gu Yansheng opened the case file, looked at Qian Laohei, and said, "Qian Laohei, you were the first to report this, so your sentence is reduced by two degrees. One hundred strokes of the cane, the word 'theft' tattooed on your cheek, and two years in the county jail."

Qian Laohei kowtowed, his forehead hitting the brick floor with a dull thud.

Gu Yansheng then looked at Donkey Three, "Donkey Three, although you were the first to report this and made a meritorious contribution, you escaped from prison and returned, which is a very serious crime. You will be given eighty strokes of the cane, have the word 'escape' tattooed on your forehead, and serve six months of hard labor in this county to observe your future conduct."

Donkey Three knelt on the ground, his legs still aching, but he managed to stay upright.

Zhang Sanlang stood under the corridor, watching all this unfold. A thought crossed his mind, but he didn't rush into action.

Three days later, the reply from the prefectural government arrived.

The magistrate of Puzhou approved Gu Yansheng's verdict.

Just after the roll call, Zhang Sanlang was summoned to the office of Registrar Gu.

"Zhang Qianxing, please sit down." Gu Yansheng picked up his teacup and smiled slightly.

Zhang Sanlang sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

Gu Yansheng leaned back in his chair and looked at him, as if he were checking an account, slowly going through each item. "You handled the Chen family's affairs well."

"From the initial collection of taxes in Chenjiazhuang to the discovery of the forged contract, and then to Qian Laohei and the donkey's initial complaint, you have made contributions. Others may not know, but I do."

He paused, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "The intricate details of investigating, registering, renting, and selling the Chen family's shops, fields, and houses are precisely the responsibilities of the Household Registration Office. I'd like to entrust them to you."

Zhang Sanlang was taken aback for a moment. "Registrar Gu, this matter should logically be led by Clerk Tao; I'm merely his deputy..."

Gu Yansheng put down his teacup, a smile appearing on his lips. "These clerks are all seasoned officials. Whoever handles the Chen family's fortune will inevitably get a piece of it."

"Tao Cheng might not be able to, but he might not be able to control his subordinates. Yan Shizhong is also in charge of the county granary, and he's really too busy. As for Feng Jian, let's not even mention him."

He looked at Zhang Sanlang and said, "In all your years in the county government, you've never made a mistake in any of the documents you handled. When you were transferred from the clerk's office to the household registration office, every single account you handled was perfect."

"Most importantly, you haven't taken any money you shouldn't have all these years. The Chen family is considered extremely wealthy in this county, and I can only trust you with this matter. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanlang grinned, quickly stood up, and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your trust, Registrar Gu. I will certainly handle the matter well and live up to your expectations."

Gu Yansheng waved his hand.

Zhang Sanlang left with an official document in his hand, stamped with the registrar's seal, which read: "Zhang Shouli, the head of the household affairs office, is to investigate Chen Youde's property, rent or sell it, and register it." The handwriting was neat and the ink was rich.

In the following days, Zhang Sanlang, along with Wang Tiesi and Liao Tiesi, went door-to-door to investigate the Chen family's property.

According to Registrar Gu, since Kong You'an had not yet been apprehended and there was no official document from the prefecture, the Kong family's property could not be touched.

Zhang Sanlang simply had the goods and account books sealed off, awaiting the reply from the prefecture before settling accounts.

After checking the Chen family's shops, it was found that thirteen of them belonged to the Chen family, while only three warehouses at the dock were owned in partnership with the Kong family.

The shop premises are valued at 380 strings of cash, and the goods at 1,000 strings. The Chen family mansion in Chenjiazhuang, with five or six courtyards, blue bricks and gray tiles, still has the old plaque above the gate that reads "Passing Down the Family Tradition of Farming and Reading," though the seal has been replaced. It is valued at 200 strings of cash.

The Chen family owns 580 mu of land, scattered around Chenjiazhuang, Liushugou, and Guangjiqiao. At the current price, each mu is worth eight or nine guan, which is equivalent to five thousand guan.

The silver and copper coins, dug out of the Chen family's cellar and searched from shops and warehouses, were stacked box by box in the county granary. They were weighed, counted, and recorded, totaling 1,860 strings of cash.

Zhang Sanlang flipped to the last page of the ledger and wrote "eight thousand four hundred and forty strings of cash" in the total column.

He put down his pen and stared at the number for a moment.

The wealth accumulated by the Chen family over generations was confiscated in one fell swoop.

When he was a clerk in the county government, he received twelve strings of cash annually. Now that he has been promoted, his salary has increased to eighteen strings of cash.

It would take four or five hundred years of not eating or drinking to accumulate the wealth of the Chen family!

He recalled a saying: "Small fortunes come from diligence, medium fortunes from virtue, and great fortunes from fate."

De? Chen Youde? Bah!

He closed the ledger and tucked it into his pocket.

Zhang Sanlang checked the account book three times to make sure there were no mistakes or omissions before closing it and going to Gu Yansheng's signing room.

Gu Yansheng took the ledger and turned the pages one by one.

Shops, goods, farmland, estates, and cash were all categorized, with clear amounts and a provenance for each transaction.

He nodded as he looked through the items, his smile growing wider. "Zhang Qianxing, what do you think is the best way to distribute these valuables?"

Zhang Sanlang thought for a moment and said, "The land will be incorporated into the government's land register, and then rented to landless tenants. The harvested grain and fodder will be returned to the county treasury for disaster and famine relief."

"The county government will assess the value of the shops and properties based on market conditions, and the higher price will be awarded to either the shops or the properties. After the goods are inventoried, the county government will retain a portion, and the remainder will be sold. In addition to cash, 30% will be sent to the prefectural treasury, and 70% will be retained by the county treasury."

After listening, Gu Yansheng smiled and said, "Good. This way, the prefecture will benefit and won't face difficulties during the approval process, while the county will also gain something. I'll leave this matter to you. After you've realized the value of the rented or sold property, come back to me for a report."

He picked up a pen, wrote a few lines on the note, stamped it, and handed it to Zhang Sanlang.

Zhang Sanlang took the warrant and was about to leave when Gu Yansheng called him back, "Wait. Many people have contributed to solving this case. Rewards should be given."

He considered the matter in his mind and decided to "immediately withhold 1,300 strings of cash and use it as public funds for the county government. Take 300 strings from it and reward those who have made contributions."