High Rank and Handsome Salary 06

After hesitating again and again, Zhang Qi finally opened the booklet. He knew some characters—not many, but enough to piece together the contents of the battered little book.

After reading just a few pages, Zhang Qi's hands trembled with fear. The booklet was filled with evidence of how the Zhong family had bribed the previous prefect to forcibly seize the Gu family's farmlands years ago. Even the exact amounts of the silver used for the bribes were clearly recorded. "My Lord, if... if the Zhong family finds out about this..."

"What if they do?" Fang Zhiyi smiled. "The Zhong family currently relies on Fang Hongyuan. If I pull Fang Hongyuan down, they will be nothing but grasshoppers at the end of autumn, with their days numbered. If the Gu family wants to turn their fortunes around, they must cooperate with me."

Zhang Qi abruptly slammed the old booklet shut, his heart pounding wildly. Was His Lordship really playing such a high-stakes game?

The Gu family accepted the old booklet and then sent a young man to follow Zhang Qi back. Afterward, the young man and Fang Zhiyi held a secret discussion in the study. Zhang Qi had no idea what they talked about.

But now he was starting to understand. It was absolute madness. Not only was the Zhong family deeply rooted and powerful, but they also had a very good relationship with Old Master Fang. This...

The next day, a major event occurred. The Gu family officially filed a lawsuit in their own name, accusing the Zhong family of seizing their fertile lands and tampering with tax collections.

Everything happened incredibly fast. Before Fang Hongyuan could even react, Commander Zhao had already led his men to seal off the farmlands. The Zhong family immediately responded; first, they sent someone to find the prefect's father, and then they prepared to face the court.

This trial marked the first time Fang Zhiyi personally presided over a case. The members of the Zhong family initially thought nothing of him, but they gradually realized that something was wrong. Fang Zhiyi did not act at all like an ignorant, inexperienced prefect.

As witness after witness was brought into the court, and the clerk presented the long-prepared old booklet, the heart of the Zhong family's patriarch sank to the bottom. Was this seemingly harmless prefect planning to destroy them completely?

Meanwhile, Fang Hongyuan, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, was extremely frustrated. He was actually blocked outside by a few soldiers, and even throwing his weight around as the prefect's father proved useless.

Fang Hongyuan faintly sensed that the skies over Qingzhou were about to change.

But how could that be possible?

"To have evaded such a massive amount of taxes... I am afraid that even if your Zhong family has backers in high places, you will hardly be able to escape the blame."

Just as the Zhong family made up their minds to send someone to the capital to call in favors, Fang Zhiyi suddenly ordered everyone else to leave the court, a calculating gleam flashing in his eyes.

The Zhong family patriarch was taken aback. "My Lord?"

Fang Zhiyi smiled. "Do not be fooled into thinking I only know how to read. I have read many historical texts and records. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, even if the Zhong family manages to escape this disaster, you will still need a scapegoat. If this prefect guesses correctly, will this scapegoat be you, or your son?"

The Zhong family patriarch broke out in a cold sweat. It was indeed the truth. Even if they reached their backer in the capital, they would still have to hand someone over to take the fall. One must know that internal struggles within noble families were ceaseless, and with this incident suddenly occurring...

"Actually, this matter isn't all that troublesome," Fang Zhiyi said meaningfully, leaning back in his chair.

The Zhong family patriarch was no fool and immediately understood Fang Zhiyi's implication. "My Lord! Our Zhong family is willing to pay the back taxes in full! We only hope Your Lordship can be magnanimous and spare us..." Even now, he couldn't figure out what the Fang family was playing at. Could it be that Fang Zhiyi's actions were all instructed by Fang Hongyuan?

Fang Zhiyi sighed. "As for paying the back taxes... well, that must be done. But regarding the matter of the farmlands, you know, the victims are still here..."

The expression on the Zhong family patriarch's face was complex. "We are willing to return them!"

Fang Zhiyi curled his lip. "No, no, don't make it sound as if this prefect is extorting you. The ownership of these farmlands' deeds is unclear, and I have the documents to prove it." He waved the papers in his hand.

While others might not know, Zhang Qi knew very well that those deeds were entirely forged by the clerks and scribes in the prefectural office! He couldn't even fathom how His Lordship could be so audacious.

However, the Zhong family patriarch merely took one glance before lowering his head. Now that Fang Zhiyi had them firmly by the throat, how could he dare to step forward and verify their authenticity? If this really escalated to the capital, Fang Zhiyi's actions would at most earn him a reprimand, but the future days for the Zhong family would become miserable. Besides... if this blew up, his position as the family patriarch would likely be finished.

"Since it cannot be proven that they belong to you, nor can it be proven that they belong to the Gu family, this prefect has always been just. Let's be fair and put them up for auction."

Seeing that the Gu family did not object, the Zhong family could only nod in agreement. Everything today had happened far too suddenly, leaving them absolutely no time to think or prepare.

But after Fang Zhiyi said this, he began to hum a little tune, neither declaring the court dismissed nor the case closed.

Just as the Zhong family patriarch was cursing inwardly, the actions of the Gu family suddenly brought him to a realization. That young lad from the Gu family sneaked forward and slipped something to Fang Zhiyi, causing the prefect to beam with joy.

The Zhong family patriarch instantly understood. If you want money, just say so! What is the point of putting on such a show?

When it came to bribery, he was a professional. Previously, Fang Zhiyi knew absolutely nothing, so he figured he might as well save the bribe money to deal with Fang Hongyuan. But today, Fang Zhiyi had suddenly seen the light, which meant this money could not be spared. Once the bribe was accepted, they would be in the same boat, and neither could hope to escape unscathed.

Seeing the silver notes suddenly presented by the Zhong family, Zhang Qi's eyes widened in disbelief.

They... they really made money?

The Zhong family returned home resentful and indignant. They didn't even greet Fang Hongyuan when they saw him. Fang Hongyuan was puzzled, but when he tried to see Fang Zhiyi to ask what on earth he was doing, he was informed that His Lordship had gone to host an auction.

An auction?

By the time the other noble families received the leisurely sent notices for the farmland auction, the auction had long since ended. All those farmlands went to the Gu family, while several petty officials had already arrived at the Zhong family's estate to collect the evaded taxes.

The Zhong family patriarch was so infuriated that he fell severely ill. He never expected this! Fang Hongyuan kept claiming that his son only knew how to bury his head in books, but who would have thought he was actually a corrupt official with such ruthless methods!

"Remember, I take four shares, Commander Zhao takes three shares, the participating noble families take two shares, and the subordinates doing the legwork share the remaining one," Fang Zhiyi said, pulling out two silver notes and stuffing them into the hands of Zhang Qi and Liu Mang respectively. With his maneuvers today, not only had he earned the Zhong family's silver, but the money the Gu family spent to bid on the farmlands at a low price had also gone into his pocket. He hadn't even let go of the back taxes paid by the Zhong family.

Zhang Qi stood stunned for a long time before finally accepting the silver note and thanking Fang Zhiyi.

"But what about the Old Master..."

Fang Zhiyi laughed. "Rest assured. If he finds out, not only will he not blame me, he will praise me."

He was not wrong. When that old fox Fang Hongyuan learned of Fang Zhiyi's actions, he was initially stunned for a long time, remaining completely silent. But once he thought through the sequence of events, Fang Hongyuan burst into laughter.

"It seems I misjudged him. This son... is truly worthy of being called the seed of Fang Hongyuan!"

He wanted to praise Fang Zhiyi, but Fang Zhiyi seemed quite busy, merely dispatching someone to deliver a few things back home. For all of Fang Hongyuan's shrewd calculations, his current status ultimately relied entirely on his son's official position. The fact that the aristocratic families only associated with him for this very reason had always made him somewhat displeased. But now that Fang Zhiyi had finally shown such brilliance, he was eager to see how those aristocratic families could still dare to put on airs in front of him!