"Mr. Zhang, I will only give you one chance to tell you honestly how much money you have cheated."
At this time, Zhang Qian was completely frightened. As long as he could escape from Zhao Huan's clutches, he would never make any excuses no matter what he was asked to do.
Facing Zhao Huan's inquiry, Zhang Qian did not dare to hide anything, and said tremblingly: "Go back to the prince, I have an account book at home..."
"It's impossible to keep track of the accounts accumulated over the years. It's probably...a hundred thousand guan."
Hearing this, Zhao Huan couldn't help but laugh, and shouted directly to Zhang Xiaochun: "Master Zhang, your son is a huge greedy person!"
The scene exploded instantly.
All the people opened their mouths and looked at Zhang Qian in disbelief.
"What?! One hundred thousand strings?!"
"Oh my God, how much money did this guy get?"
"Hmph! What's so strange? His father knows Taiyuan Prefecture and is the local chief official. As a young master, he can't be greedy as much as he wants?"
"Even if he emptied the treasury, no one would dare to say no."
Zhang Xiaochun closed his eyes directly. His old face was completely lost. He was afraid that if this matter spread to His Majesty's ears, Your Majesty would kill him first without Zhao Huan taking action.
One hundred thousand strings...this evil beast!
Zhao Huan did not hesitate and said straightforwardly: "Master Zhang, what are you waiting for? In addition to the fine, your Zhang family owes me 110,000 yuan, so go back and raise it quickly."
"I will wait for two hours. If you don't see the money after two hours, your son will be dead."
After saying that, Zhao Huan ignored Zhang Xiaochun and whispered to Sun He with his hands behind his back: "If you don't see the money, or the Taiyuan soldiers dare to act rashly, Zhang Qian will be killed directly."
Sun He clasped his fists hard: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, except for your orders, no one in the world can let Zhang Qian leave alive."
Although these subordinates have flaws of one kind or another, in terms of loyalty, Zhao Huan is very reassured.
Zhao Huan immediately took Li Shishi and Xiao Yan'er and left in style under the hot gazes of the people.
Zhang Xiaochun had no choice but to go home and check his son's account. After excluding the remaining 50,000 taels from Zhang Qian's corruption, bribery, deception, and Zhang Xiaochun's coffin book, he only managed to collect 60,000 taels of silver.
The remaining huge gap cannot be filled by Zhang Xiaochun no matter what.
But he still has a way!
He personally took the money to the post house where Zhao Huan was staying, and knelt down outside the steps with a thud.
He took off the black gauze hat on his head with both hands.
"The low-ranking official failed to teach his son well, causing the evil beast to commit a heinous crime and had no face to face the elders of Taiyuan."
"Even if we spend all our wealth, we can only collect 60,000 taels of silver, and we cannot repay the remaining shortfall."
"I know that I am no longer qualified, so I am responsible for informing the Taiyuan Prefecture. I ask the prince to be my guarantor and submit my resignation to Your Majesty, allowing me to resign and return to my hometown and withdraw from officialdom."
Zhang Xiaochun knew very well that his son had committed such a big crime, and when His Majesty began to investigate him, both father and son would die.
Rather than making a fuss all over the house, it would be better to retreat early.
Not long after, there was a sound of footsteps.
Zhang Xiaochun looked up, only to find that it was not Zhao Huan who was approaching, but Li Shishi.
Li Shishi took Zhang Xiaochun's black gauze hat with both hands, smiled gently, and said softly: "Your Majesty agreed."
"Although Mr. Zhang is not good at educating his children, he is still an official. It is a pity that he is in trouble for a long time."
"Your Majesty couldn't bear to see you living on the street, so he only accepted the ill-gotten wealth and your black hat. As for the 10,000 yuan in wealth, Mr. Zhang will keep it for his old age."
Just when Master Li turned around, Zhang Xiaochun quickly asked.
"If it hadn't been for my son, would the prince still come to deal with this official?"
Li Shishi's slightly raised lips were full of meaning: "Tong Guan and Cai Jing both served as officials in Taiyuan Prefecture."
"Senior Zhang is sandwiched between traitorous ministers. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to keep his body intact, right?"
After saying that, Master Li left without looking back.
Zhang Xiaochun finally understood that Zhao Huan would kick him away from Taiyuan regardless of whether his son caused trouble or not. There was no special reason other than distrust.
However, with Zhao Huan guaranteeing him and leaving his family wealth to him, it was already the best outcome for Zhang Xiaochun.
Master Li placed the black gauze hat in front of Zhao Huan and said softly: "Why did the prince let Zhang Xiaochun go? This is not like the prince's style."
Zhao Huan, who was leaning on the window sill while Xiao Yaner pinched his waist and beat his legs, asked instead, "What is my style?"
Li Shishi blurted out: "Kill decisively and without mercy."
Zhao Huan laughed directly: "Then you have misunderstood me. In fact, I am kind-hearted. If you can, I will try my best not to kill."
Li Shishi laughed out loud, feeling that Zhao Huan was too thick-skinned. He was about to argue, but swallowed his words again.
Thinking about it carefully, it seems that... Zhao Huan is really not bloodthirsty.
After all, after Tong Guan's death, Zhao Huan did not purge Tong Guan's gang members, and every time he only killed the people who deserved to be killed, almost never involving others.
Perhaps because of this, even though Zhao Huan was violent and crazy, he did not cause much backlash in Beijing.
Seeing that Master Li seemed to understand the essence of "killing", Zhao Huan immediately explained.
"Everyone in the world says that I am violent. If I were really violent and murderous, all the ministers in the dynasty would have joined forces to depose me."
"When I take action, I always strike with precision. When I kill Tong Guan, I only kill Tong Guan. I only use defensive counterattacks to deal with Cai's gang members. I will kill anyone who provokes me."
"In this way, although the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty know that I am not easy to mess with, they are unwilling to join forces to deal with me. Instead, they hope that I can get rid of their political enemies."
"Killing is also a technical job."
"Just like today, I cleaned up the Changqing Restaurant and even eliminated the official officials, but I was able to gain the support of the people."
"But letting go of Zhang Qian, the scourge, is just to save Zhang Xiaochun's dignity."
"Zhang Xiaochun has no merit but hard work. If his family is ruined, who will be willing to sincerely serve the Song Dynasty in the future?"
Li Shishi thought he was proficient in officialdom, but sitting in front of Zhao Huan, he felt so immature.
The violent prince in front of him seems to be arrogant, but he is rough on the outside and subtle on the inside, and he is wise but foolish.
Every time he kills a person, the benefits must outweigh the disadvantages. He can not only defeat the enemy but also get the benefits he wants, killing two birds with one stone.
On the contrary, Zhao Huan would not easily raise the butcher's knife.
"Your Majesty, there is something from my family that I don't know whether to ask or not."
Seeing that Master Li was hesitant, Zhao Huan knew what she wanted to ask, and immediately smiled and shook his head: "I am not interested in the throne, at least not now."
"If you are not in charge of your position, you will not pursue your political affairs. Now I need to concentrate on running Yizhou Mansion and have a good time with Wanyan Sheng."