Great Tang Idyll - Chapter 131

After waiting for the old man to hide, Li Xun thought of Zhang Xiaobao’s idea and immediately joined Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan, and the three children from the manor to play in the passages made from the straw stacks. They popped their heads out from time to time as they played hide and seek with each other.

Magistrate Jia and the others could now see the Zhang Manor. At this point, they could no longer maintain their composure and started running, intending to catch the Zhang family first. However, when they reached the main courtyard of the Zhang family, they found no one there, and the door was wide open.

“Oh no, they may have run away. Hurry up and chase after them!” The first thought that came to Magistrate Wen’s mind was this. He shouted to his people, and they ran toward the Little Bridge. They had come from the other direction and happened to pass the Zhang Manor first.

These people didn’t delay and continued down the path. When they reached the main courtyard of the Wang family, they found the same situation there. Now uncertain about what was going on, they continued chasing. After running for a certain distance, they saw several people building houses in the distance and little children playing in the field. They finally felt relieved.

“It looks like they’re working on something. Assign fifty people to catch those little children. Maybe the young masters of the Zhang and Wang families are there. The rest, charge ahead with me.” Magistrate Wen had a horse, and he shouted, slowly urging it forward. The others gathered around him and charged forward.

The old man, who hadn’t understood what was going on earlier, now realized. The people rushing over were wearing the clothes of bailiffs, and two others were wearing the attire of county magistrates. His first thought was that these people were planning a rebellion, and Li Xun had found out ahead of time and deliberately set up an ambush.

Seeing this, he had no choice but to step back. Beside him were the guards and bailiffs who were hiding behind the wooden boards.

The people with Magistrate Jia were still unclear about the situation. They just wanted to catch the people quickly. The first to arrive were the fifty people assigned to capture the children. These fifty rushed over, kicking the children with their feet or tossing them into a pile with their hands.

As soon as they started acting, crossbow arrows flew out from the surrounding haystacks. This wasn’t the bailiffs’ doing; the bailiffs weren’t equipped with such weapons. They were Li Xun’s guards. Originally, they hadn’t planned to use the crossbows, but they had prepared them just in case. Since the others began attacking, they couldn’t hold back.

The fifty people were caught off guard. Thirty were shot on the spot, and the rest were frightened. Looking at the hundreds of people around them, they didn’t dare to move. Li Xun’s guards immediately rushed over. They beat the captives and then tied them up.

When the shouting started, Magistrate Wen and the others realized something was wrong. They turned and saw three or four hundred people gathered. Their chests tightened, and seeing the crossbows made them feel even more afraid.

“Oh no, retreat!” Seeing the situation, Magistrate Wen’s first thought was to run. He shouted as he pulled on the reins.

At that moment, the wooden boards all fell over at once. The people behind the boards saw the crossbows being used in the field, and fearing for the Young Prince’s safety, they no longer held back. They fired directly with their crossbows and drew their swords. The bailiffs were stunned. At first, they had agreed to only scare the people, so they were surprised when things escalated to actual fighting.

The bailiffs didn’t know what to do. The old man saw his guards and motioned for them to charge. “If anyone resists, kill them.”

Magistrate Wen was shot off his horse on the spot. The crossbow bolt didn’t hit his vital points, but he lay on the ground and shouted loudly, “Don’t attack! We’re on the same side! I am the magistrate of Huayuan County!”

The bailiffs and others he brought with him were also stunned. They had never seen a battle like this before. First, crossbows had been fired, then people charged. Just by looking at the clothes of those around them, they knew the situation was grim. The swords, knives, and the determined looks in their eyes made it clear these were not ordinary people—these were the kinds of fighters seen on the battlefield. The bailiffs realized they couldn’t fight against them.

At the beginning, some people threw down their weapons and began running in a panic. The other bailiffs and guards were soon surrounded. Li Xun’s guards blocked the back and side roads, while the remaining 300 bailiffs were trapped in the front, where Li Xun’s guards stood. Anyone attempting to fight or escape was immediately cut down.

Li Xun’s guards, who had come from the field, had already readied their crossbows again, preparing to shoot another round of arrows.

“Stop. People of Huayuan County, drop your weapons!” Magistrate Wen, now feeling desperate, shouted loudly when he realized those who had thrown down their weapons were not killed.

His subordinates heard his command, dropped their weapons, and stood there with expressions of horror on their faces.

Magistrate Jia was slightly better off; surprisingly, he hadn’t been shot. He looked at the people around him, his eyes dull, and seemed lost in thought.

He came to his senses only after being pushed down and tied up. “Zhang Yongcheng! How could you use such evil tactics? You raised your own private army and attacked officials of the court! Wait until your family is executed!”

As soon as he finished shouting, someone kicked him in the head. Magistrate Jia, thinking these people were raised by Zhang Yongcheng, was filled with fear and hatred. He turned to see who had kicked him and was stunned to see an old man walking over.

He asked tentatively, “You… are you Lord Minister?”

“Yes. You’re Jia Shan. I saw you when the Emperor personally appointed the magistrates. You tried to murder Li Xun, and now you’ve been caught. What else can you say?” the old man asked with a stern expression.

“Murder Li Xun? Who is Li Xun? Li Xun? Ah, the Young Prince. My lord, I am wronged. I didn’t do it,” Magistrate Jia now realized where the guards came from—they were Li Xun’s guards. He cried out in injustice, wondering why Li Xun had come here and not gone home for the New Year.

“Hmph, wronged?” Li Xun also approached at this moment, followed by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He pointed to a ten-centimeter shoe mark on his body and asked, “Who left this mark on me?”

Magistrate Jia looked at the shoe print on Li Xun’s body, stunned. He said stupidly, “The shoe print is too small. I didn’t kick you.”

“Hmph, you dare to argue?” Li Xun replied, a laugh escaping his lips. “The person who kicked me is one of your people. He has small feet.” The shoe print had been left by Zhang Xiaobao. Just moments before, they had discussed the plan, and Zhang Xiaobao had decided to kick the magistrate while those people were kicking the children. It didn’t matter whether the foot was big or small—he had been kicked regardless.

Magistrate Jia immediately understood that the Young Prince wanted him and his family dead. How had he offended him? Could it be that he hadn’t sent money to the Young Prince after taking money from the Han and Yuan families?

No, he couldn’t die.

“Lord—Lord Minister. Save me. I didn’t know the Young Prince was here. I came to arrest criminals—to arrest the Zhang family. You need to help me!” Magistrate Jia cried out, begging the old man.

The old man glanced at the footprint on Li Xun’s body and listened to Magistrate Jia’s words. Now, he understood. Magistrate Jia had intended to take down the Zhang manor in one fell swoop, but the old man had decided to help the Zhang family. Just when he was about to make the crime more serious, Steward Zhang stepped forward and pointed at the magistrate.

“You’re talking nonsense. Why don’t you use Sanshui County’s bailiffs to arrest people? Where did these people come from? You’re the magistrate of Sanshui County. Could it be that you’re using people from other places to arrest officials from Sanshui County?”

“Lord Minister, I have evidence. Let me show you the evidence, and you will understand,” Magistrate Jia hastily responded. He feared that if they didn’t ask for evidence, they would simply kill him, and no one would speak for him then. Hearing the housekeeper’s words, he scolded Steward Zhang in his mind for being foolish but shouted nonetheless, “This…”

The Minister didn’t know how to respond. At the same time, he resented Steward Zhang a little. Why did he have to step forward?

“My lord, since he says he has evidence, let him present it,” Steward Zhang replied calmly.

“Alright. Take it out.” The minister had no choice but to agree.

“Quick, quick, my son, take out what you brought and let them see,” Magistrate Jia urged his son.

Jia Weiran, who had been shot in the leg and was in pain, didn’t dare to neglect his father’s words. He immediately took the letter from his robe. He handed over a few pieces of paper and said, “They were only awarded four thousand mu of land. My lord, look at it. They’ve encircled six thousand mu.”

Jia Weiran handed the papers forward. The minister took them, glanced at them, and suddenly snorted, throwing the paper back into a crumpled ball. “Open your eyes and see how much has been circled. It’s obviously four thousand mu. You’re not from the Administrative Office, but you possess an item from there. What crime is this?”

Without waiting for Jia Weiran to pick it up, Magistrate Jia crawled over from someone else’s feet, snatched up the paper, and unfolded it. At first glance, a buzzing sound filled his head. His vision darkened, and he nearly fainted. That was the original document he had replaced at the Administrative Office. Why was it here? No, that couldn’t be right—his son had obviously taken the fake document he had made.

At that moment, Li Xun stepped forward. “Jia Shan, what else do you have to say? Framing your colleagues, privately leading soldiers from another prefecture to kill people. When you were discovered, you tried to kill me, the Young Prince, to silence me. Come, take him away. These people too. Send them to the capital.

“I will also write a letter to my uncle. I can’t believe I was almost killed and seriously injured within the borders of the Great Tang. This is unacceptable. Perhaps one day, when some magistrate is feeling bold, he might invite foreign troops to attack the capital. Jia Shan, do you have any more evidence?”

“Young Prince, forgive me, I don’t dare anymore. I don’t dare,” Magistrate Jia begged. “Yes, yes, I framed my colleague. I plead guilty. Young Prince, show mercy. I was only greedy for the Zhang Manor’s money. I never intended to kill the Young Prince. I have confessed.”

Magistrate Jia knew that if his punishment was based on the two crimes Li Xun had mentioned, it would likely be either dismissal from office or death. But if it followed what Li Xun had accused him of, no one in his family would escape.

“Really?” Li Xun asked.

“Really,” Magistrate Jia replied.

“Someone, come. Write it down and let him seal it with his thumbprint. Lord Jia, go find someone to vouch for you. I don’t really want to kill people during the New Year. Maybe you can save your life.” Li Xun didn’t dare to say someone would kill him outright. His uncle would definitely tell him to return, and he didn’t want to go back. Moreover, killing an entire family was cruel.

As for who Jia Shan would look for, it didn’t matter. Regardless, he wouldn’t be able to be an official again. It would be enough for him to keep his life. Sanshui County was stable now.