Chapter 21

County Magistrate Liu, whose real name is Liu Bian, is known to the people of Yixian County as Liu Sanbian, a nickname that reflects his cautious and fickle nature. Liu Sanbian is a typical traditional Chinese scholar, but he lacks the spirit of self-sacrifice found in figures like Wen Tianxiang and Lin Zexu. Instead, he has fully inherited the weaknesses of the Chinese scholar's character.

A gentleman does not stand under a crumbling wall; it is wise to protect oneself, and he has learned the dark, petty thoughts that one should not pass up a good deal, or one is a fool. You might say he is a clean official, and that is true. Being able to collect only three parts of the fire tax in a county, he is indeed considered a clean official among the Qing officials.

However, this clean official turns a blind eye to all of Lian Er's lawless deeds, and of course, he dares not interfere. Additionally, he takes bribes from both plaintiffs and defendants, accepts bribes from merchants in private, and even partners in business. He has even filled nearly a hundred positions in the county administrative office with his own people.

He is a typical gray official. Being a clean official is too hard for him, and being a major corrupt official is too scary. In the end, he can only be a gray official who makes his life a bit more comfortable. He is not guilty of capital crimes, and he does not aspire to be remembered in history. He just gets by, day by day, while his fields at home grow larger and he has taken three concubines, bringing benefits to his relatives as well.

In fact, people like Liu Sanbian are the absolute mainstream in the Qing officialdom. Lian Er and his ilk prefer to deal with such local officials, and the Qing rulers are exceptionally reassured by such officials, considering them absolutely trustworthy. So over the years, Liu Sanbian has lived a smooth and prosperous life.

But everything changed today. After listening to Xiao Letian's intimidating words, he felt as if he had seen a ghost while walking at night, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"Liu Sanbian, I really didn't expect it. You, a mere man, are actually colluding with bandits? And not just any bandits, but the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's rebels! Look, isn't this a private letter from the rebels to you? I had a hard time finding it in your study, it was really difficult..."

Xiao Letian held a Qianlong famille-rose teacup, sniffing the aroma of the top-grade Longjing tea, and looked at Liu Sanbian's terrified face, laughing smugly.

"Falsely accused... This is a false accusation..." Liu Sanbian's hands were trembling, but before he could shout, Xiao He Xin's left hand flashed, and a dagger with a pale blue blade pressed against his neck. "Magistrate, this is laced with snake venom. If you dare to make a sound, I'll send you to the other side..."

At this moment, another of Xiao Letian's bodyguards, Wang Huaiyuan, also moved, using the Eagle Claw technique to lock the shoulder blade of the bailiff, Wang Hu. "Don't cause trouble for your master, sit down quietly..."

Xiao Letian had revealed his identity. The letter he gave to County Magistrate Liu was personally written by Shi Dakai, expressing deep gratitude for Liu's support of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's cause, and even bearing Shi Dakai's private seal. Moreover, the scribes on the mountain had professionally aged the letter, making it look as if it had been written three or four years ago.

Xiao Letian looked at Liu Sanbian with a cold smile. He had long understood this man's character: cowardly and incompetent, hiding behind the tiger skin of thousands of years of feudal bureaucracy to intimidate the people. Once his life was at stake, he would be scared out of his wits.

"Xiao... Xiao... Mr. Xiao! What do you mean? I have never had such a letter..."

Liu Sanbian was almost in tears. There were only five people in the inner chamber: Xiao Letian and his two skilled subordinates, himself, and the controlled Wang Hu. He had also seen Xiao Letian fiddling with his Colt revolver, as if it were about to be pressed to his head at any moment.

Xiao Letian looked at Liu Sanbian with a wicked smile. "What do you mean, County Magistrate? Wasn't this letter hidden in your study, inside your Song Dynasty edition of the Analects? How can you forget so quickly? I know you won't admit it, and you'll try to defend yourself, but think about it: if I send this letter to the capital and pass it on to that prince... do you think they will believe you?"

"Even if they don't believe it, it will still be enough to annoy the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and perhaps the Emperor will even skip a meal..."

As Xiao Letian spoke, the tea table in front of him began to shake violently, and the teacup in front of Liu Sanbian was trembling, clinking, clink, clink...

Suddenly, Liu Sanbian, with tears in his eyes, said, "Mr. Xiao, you can bring down Lian Er, and you are someone I dare not offend. What do you want? I am just a seventh-rank county magistrate, with low status and little power. I can't help you much. Please, let me off, I surrender, I really surrender..."

Xiao Letian gave Xiao He Xin a nod, and the dagger was finally removed. "Why do you say that, County Magistrate? I came here today to bring you great fortune. Why would you think I would harm you?" Xiao Letian smiled and straightened the teacup.

He had bet right, really right. Despite his confident appearance, Xiao Letian had been nervous from the start. This plan against Liu Sanbian was not a spur-of-the-moment idea; it was the starting point of his grand plan.

Thank you, Heshen, and the advanced film and television media of the previous life. It was their inspiration that led Xiao Letian to think of an extremely devious path. In a famous film or TV series, a major corrupt official once said to a clean official, "In history, clean officials are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, while corrupt officials are as numerous as the sands of the Yellow River. If I don't use corrupt officials, who else would I use?"

Many problems that seemed unsolvable to Shi Dakai and his mountain brothers were actually no problem at all to those familiar with Chinese officialdom or feudal bureaucracy.

The character for "official" has two mouths. As long as you have the method, you can make them say whatever you want. In an era without video recording, audio recording, or mobile phone eavesdropping, officials could deceive the court and the people, serving as the media of their time.

Xiao Letian nodded, and Xiao He Xin quickly pulled out a small sandalwood box from his chest. When he opened it in front of County Magistrate Liu, a faint glow of treasure filled the air, and Liu Sanbian's eyes widened. Despite his wealth of hundreds of thousands, he had never seen such a perfect box of Dongzhu pearls.

Dongzhu, a type of pearl, is a high-quality pearl produced in the Heilongjiang River basin. Because it comes from the northeast, it is particularly favored by the Manchu nobility. Due to imperial endorsement, Dongzhu became a symbol of power in the Qing Dynasty, and only high-ranking nobles were allowed to wear it on their hats or court beads.

In front of Liu Sanbian, there were over a hundred round, lustrous pearls, worth at least 20,000 taels of silver at the lowest estimate.

"Mr. Xiao? What do you mean..."

"Nothing much, just a small gift for County Magistrate Liu..." Xiao Letian could clearly see Liu Sanbian and Wang Hu's throats moving, swallowing their saliva.

"I love making friends, and it's said that friends share wealth. This is really nothing, but if you don't mind, I will send you goods of equal value every quarter..."

Xiao Letian, like a devil tempting someone to sin, slowly broke down Liu Sanbian's psychological defenses.

"I'm not joking. I said I would, and I will. Not only that, but I will also provide the same amount of goods to your subordinates, the vice-magistrate, the chief clerk, the county historian, the inspector... everyone under you will receive a share, and it will only increase, never decrease..."

"Come, come, County Magistrate Liu, just sign this letter, and write 'read' or something, and everything will be fine... What! You don't want to write? Oh, I heard your third son back home is incredibly smart, a thousand-mile horse. Be careful, don't let him get hit by a carriage when he goes out..."

"Ha ha ha, that's right... Sign here, yes, yes, and put your fingerprint... beautiful, your fingerprint is beautiful, thank you, I will keep this treasure..."

"Oh, and I heard you have a mistress in the north of the city..."

Wang Huaiyuan and Xiao He Xin looked at each other, never expecting the strategist to have this trick up his sleeve, using both soft and hard tactics to manipulate Liu Sanbian like dough. At first, County Magistrate Liu might have thought of reporting to the Qing authorities later, but when he heard that his illegitimate daughter and mistress were known, he completely collapsed in his chair, like a pile of mud.

As he watched the forged letter being tucked into Xiao Letian's chest, he felt his life being taken away by Xiao Letian. Recalling Xiao Letian's threats and the two martial arts experts behind him, Liu Sanbian knew that the deed was done and could not be undone.

But when he looked at the Dongzhu pearls on the table and thought about Xiao Letian's promises, his heart, which had just cooled, warmed up again. Perhaps following this "second-rate" person might bring some unexpected benefits.

At this moment, Xiao Letian's gaze finally fell on Wang Hu, but this time there was no teasing, only cold killing intent. Wang Hu, a man of the underworld, had a natural sense of danger. As soon as Xiao Letian's gaze landed on him, the expert in Bagua saber suddenly exerted his strength, breaking free from Wang Huaiyuan's control and kneeling on the ground.

"Mr. Xiao, please have mercy, give me a chance. I really had no choice with the fat innkeeper. I really wanted to let him go. During the fight, I tried to establish a connection with him several times. I really wanted to let him go... Please, let me live, please let me live..."

He then slammed his bald head against the floor tiles, the sound echoing through the room. Wang Hu, a man full of the small wisdom of the Chinese lower class, had eyes sharper than those of scholars. When Xiao Letian's method of subduing the county magistrate was revealed, he had already guessed the outcome.

Xiao Letian was going to recruit the county's officials for his own use, and Wang Hu, who had just forced the fat innkeeper to his death the previous night, could not be spared. To survive, he had to put aside his pride.

Only when Wang Hu's forehead was bleeding did Xiao Letian finally grunt, "You're smart, and you know to repent. If you hadn't had a bit of kindness in your heart last night, your whole family would have been gone by now. Your blind old mother has suffered for you all her life, and now she will suffer because of you. Truly unfilial..."

He pointed at the armchair. "Want to save your family? Want to join my ship and share in the wealth? Do you know how great this fortune is? Great enough to make County Magistrate Liu laugh in his dreams, let alone you... But to earn my forgiveness is not that simple. It depends on whether you have the courage..."

At this, Wang Hu, kneeling on the ground, straightened his back, blood flowing from his forehead down his face. "Mr. Xiao, rest assured. I, Wang Hu, am a man of the underworld. I will do whatever you say without a word... How about I kill that old coffin tonight?"

Xiao Letian laughed. Good! It seemed Wang Hu was worth cultivating.