Chapter 353 - 337: The Account

Chapter 353: Chapter 337: The Account

Liyang Commandery Magistrate’s Office.

Time seemed to stretch.

The green-robed Deputy Official glanced at Chen Shouheng, then at Tan Mingyuan, and hesitantly asked, "The Tan Family has bid five hundred and ten thousand taels. Are there any further bids?"

Tan Mingyuan’s heart was in his throat.

Just as the Deputy Official was about to confirm again...

"Five hundred and twenty thousand taels."

Chen Shouheng’s voice finally rang out once more.

Tan Mingyuan let out a long, silent sigh of relief. A thin layer of cold sweat had already broken out on his back.

He forced a smile. "I... withdraw."

His withdrawal was clean and decisive.

In his mind, Chen Shouheng had just spent a high price of 520,000 taels on the second property, which must have severely depleted his funds.

Coupled with the one million taels the Celestial Sword Sect had demanded back, the Chen Family’s available silver was likely next to nothing.

Even if they converted those five thousand taels of gold, it would only amount to five hundred thousand taels of silver, and that would take time.

’The Chen Family no longer has the strength to compete with me for the third property.’

"The second property is sold to the Chen Family for a final price of five hundred and twenty thousand taels!"

The gavel fell again, and the dust settled.

Zhao Yuanhong gestured for the Deputy Official to continue.

The green-robed Deputy Official unrolled the final scroll, his voice rising slightly. "Finally, we will auction the third property: the Sun’s Textile Workshop, its movable assets of raw silk fabrics, and 4,800 mu of Sang Tian. The starting bid is 350,000 taels! Gentlemen, place your bids!"

His words had barely faded.

"350,000 taels!"

Tan Mingyuan practically shouted out the bid, a smile gracing his lips.

However, in the next instant, his smile froze.

"Four hundred thousand taels."

Chen Shouheng’s voice followed immediately after, not just raising the bid by ten thousand, but jumping it by a full fifty thousand taels.

Tan Mingyuan stared at Chen Shouheng in disbelief.

’What is going on? How does he still dare to raise the price like this?’

A mixture of shock and anger made Tan Mingyuan blurt out, "Four hundred and ten thousand taels!"

The price began to climb once more.

Tan Mingyuan’s heart sank bit by bit.

The price quickly surpassed five hundred thousand taels, then reached five hundred and twenty thousand taels.

This was the same as the final price of the second property.

Sweat began to bead on Tan Mingyuan’s forehead.

"Young Master Chen!"

Tan Mingyuan couldn’t help but speak, adopting a more humble tone. "During the last bid, I was a bit too eager. If I caused any offense, I hope you can overlook it. Five hundred and twenty thousand taels is already a high price. I ask that you, Young Master Chen, show some mercy and allow me to have this one. What do you say?"

But Chen Shouheng acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing, speaking directly to the Deputy Official, "Five hundred and thirty thousand taels."

"You!"

Tan Mingyuan’s face went pale with anger. "Five hundred and forty thousand taels."

Zhao Yuanhong, who had been watching from the side, now frowned deeply.

He couldn’t resist speaking up, his tone grave. "Young Master Chen, this official must remind you that this price is artificially high. I urge you to be cautious."

Chen Shouheng looked at Zhao Yuanhong, a cold smile on his face. "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Zhao. I... am aware."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned back to the Deputy Official and declared resolutely, "Five hundred and fifty thousand taels."

Zhao Yuanhong was left speechless. His expression soured, but he couldn’t very well say anything more.

Tan Mingyuan’s chest heaved violently.

But at this point, he was past the point of no return and could only grit his teeth and follow.

The price skyrocketed all the way to six hundred thousand taels.

Tan Mingyuan’s throat felt dry, and his palms were slick with cold sweat.

Six hundred thousand taels!

He looked at Chen Shouheng’s still calm and unruffled face, and a ruthless thought surged in his mind.

’Fine! You want to play, is that it? I’ll let you play!’

He decided viciously, ’I’m not bidding anymore! Let’s see how you’re going to clean up this mess!’

The hall fell deathly silent, the only sound being the green-robed Deputy Official’s voice. "The Chen Family has bid six hundred thousand taels. Is there anyone who will bid higher?"

The green-robed Deputy Official looked toward Zhao Yuanhong.

Zhao Yuanhong waved his hand, signaling him to proceed.

At this moment, he too was completely unable to understand Chen Shouheng.

The green-robed Deputy Official called out three times before bringing the gavel down heavily.

"The third property is sold to the Chen Family for a final price of six hundred thousand taels."

Chen Shouheng accepted the two documents from the Deputy Official. His face betrayed no emotion as he carefully folded them and tucked them into his robes.

At the head of the hall, Zhao Yuanhong watched this, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

He cleared his throat and warned, "Chen Jieyuan, according to the rules, the total for these two properties is one million one hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver. You must deliver the full payment to the Commandery Magistrate’s Office Silver Vault within ten days. Failure to do so will be considered a breach of contract. The Commandery Magistrate’s Office will have the right to reclaim the properties for re-auction and will also hold you accountable for the breach."

Chen Shouheng raised his eyes to meet Zhao Yuanhong’s gaze and said, "Rest assured, Lord Zhao. Now that the contract is made, I will naturally abide by it. I will deliver the full amount of silver within ten days."

The doubt in Zhao Yuanhong’s eyes deepened.

Just then, Chen Shouheng seemed to remember something and asked, "Oh, right. Lord Zhao, there is one thing I don’t understand and would like to ask you about."

"What is it?" Zhao Yuanhong raised an eyebrow.

Chen Shouheng asked, "This auction of the Sun Family’s assets was to cover the one million taels of tax silver the family owed. Now, the proceeds from the auction..."

He paused, his gaze fixed calmly on Zhao Yuanhong. "It seems to have exceeded that amount. I take the liberty of asking, what will the Commandery Magistrate’s Office do with this excess silver? Will it be absorbed into the Government Treasury, or will it be returned to the Sun Family?"

As soon as he said this, the hall fell quiet for a moment.

Zhao Yuanhong was clearly stunned.

He had never expected Chen Shouheng to be concerned with such a trivial question.

Still, he followed procedure and answered with a nod, "You are quite meticulous, Chen Jieyuan. According to the law, any amount exceeding the debt will naturally be returned to the Sun Family."

He paused, then added, "The Ministry of Revenue and Finance will handle this matter according to the law. You need not worry about it, Chen Jieyuan."

"I see. Thank you for clarifying, my lord."

Chen Shouheng nodded. "If there are no other instructions, I will take my leave."

Zhao Yuanhong’s heart filled with even more suspicion, but he didn’t let it show on his face. He simply waved a hand. "Just ensure the silver is delivered on time. Please, Chen Jieyuan, be on your way."

"Farewell."

Chen Shouheng said no more and left with a clean, decisive turn.

Almost at the same moment, Cao Wenxuan also rose gracefully, gave a slight curtsy in Zhao Yuanhong’s direction, and followed him out with elegant steps.

Zhao Yuanhong frowned in thought for a moment, then rose with a flick of his sleeve. He ignored the ashen-faced Tan Mingyuan and strode away quickly, heading straight for the depths of the rear courtyard.

He passed through several corridors and arrived at a small courtyard behind the third hall of the Commandery Magistrate’s Office.

Outside the courtyard, a Guard with a somber aura stood watch. Upon seeing Zhao Yuanhong, the Guard saluted silently and cleared the path.

Zhao Yuanhong reached the room in the small courtyard, took a deep breath, and then raised his hand to knock gently on the door ring.

The sound of knocking was exceptionally clear in the silence.

There was no response from the room.

Zhao Yuanhong wasn’t anxious. He stood waiting patiently outside the door with his hands at his sides.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, Zhou Bo’an slowly concluded his cultivation.

"Come in."

Zhao Yuanhong pushed the door open, entered, and then gently closed it behind him.

Zhao Yuanhong walked forward quickly and bowed. "Greetings, Governor."

Zhou Bo’an grunted in acknowledgment and looked up at Zhao Yuanhong. "Is it done?"

"Reporting to the Governor, it is done."

Zhao Yuanhong quickly recounted the entire auction in great detail from beginning to end.

Zhou Bo’an listened quietly, his face devoid of any expression.

Only after Zhao Yuanhong had finished his report and stood bowed, awaiting instructions, did he let out a soft "Hmm."

"It was adequate."

Zhou Bo’an finally spoke, his tone flat. "Though not a complete success—letting the Tan Family leave empty-handed was somewhat unexpected. Still, it could be considered... barely satisfactory."

Zhao Yuanhong chose his words carefully. "Governor... what should your subordinate do next?"

He was unsure of the Governor’s true intentions.

Could going to such great lengths really just be to watch the Chen Family buy these properties at a high price?

Zhou Bo’an said, "Have your men watch the Chen Family like a hawk. And keep a close eye on the movements of the Cao Family, the Celestial Sword Sect, and that Tan Family as well. Report any sign of trouble immediately. I will dispatch men from the Governor’s Mansion to assist you."

Zhao Yuanhong’s mind was full of questions. He couldn’t help but ask, "Governor, forgive your subordinate’s foolishness. Your scheme this time... drawing in the Celestial Sword Sect, forcing the Chen Family to return the silver, and having the Tan Family drive up the price... Why go to such great lengths...?"

"Why?"

Zhou Bo’an smiled. "The Chen Family suffered such a huge loss today. Do you think they’ll take it lying down? The Celestial Sword Sect forcibly took one million taels, the Tan Family maliciously drove up the prices, and then there’s you, Zhao Yuanhong..."

He paused deliberately, his gaze landing on Zhao Yuanhong’s face with a smirk. "You accepted one thousand taels of gold from them, only to turn around and back them into a corner. Tell me, who do you think the Chen Family will hate the most?

"If the Chen Family truly has any power, would they simply swallow their teeth and blood and let this go? I’m afraid... their retaliation is imminent."

Zhao Yuanhong felt the hairs on his skin stand on end, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. ’How could Governor Zhou know that I took the money?’

He hurriedly bowed. "Governor, please understand, that one thousand taels of gold..."

"No need to explain."

Zhou Bo’an cut him off. "The Chen Family donating gold and silver for the expenses of your Liyang Commandery Magistrate’s Office is standard practice for the Dynasty."

"Your insight is brilliant, Governor. That gold was indeed the silver the Chen Family donated for the administrative expenses of the Commandery Magistrate’s Office." Zhao Yuanhong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Governor wasn’t pursuing the matter.

But then he heard Zhou Bo’an add a warning, "For this period, you are to stay put in the Commandery Magistrate’s Office. Don’t go anywhere. Only with me here can I guarantee your safety."

"Your subordinate understands."

Zhao Yuanhong couldn’t help but ask boldly, "Governor, was all of this... to force the Chen Family’s hand?"

Zhou Bo’an did not deny it.

Understanding dawned on Zhao Yuanhong. "Governor, your tactic of luring the snake out of its hole... your subordinate is in absolute awe. Your Grace is brilliant and martial, unparalleled in your schemes, truly..."

"Enough."

Zhou Bo’an waved a hand, cutting him off. There was no trace of pride on his face, only a faint hint of weariness. "There’s no need for such flattery."

Zhao Yuanhong fell silent, embarrassed. He then asked, "Governor, the deaths of Governor He and the three lords from the Garrison Command... are they truly connected to the Chen Family? Do they have that kind of power?"

Zhou Bo’an was silent for a long time before he spoke in a tone bordering on indifference. "Does it matter whether they are or not?"

He looked up and out the window. "He Mingyun is dead. The men from the Garrison Command are dead. The Court needs an explanation. The Palace also needs an explanation. If no one dies in Jiangzhou, this affair will never be over."

"The Chen Family rose quickly, but their foundation is too shallow. They have no Kao Mountain in the Court, nor do they have many complicated, vested interests among the great Noble Families and Sects.

His tone was flat, as if he were stating the simplest of facts. "A power that appears so suddenly, gets entangled in He Mingyun’s case, and holds a massive fortune of unknown origin... Who could be a more suitable explanation than them?"

He looked at Zhao Yuanhong, his eyes sharp. "Therefore, this explanation can only be them, and it will only be them. Do you understand?"

Zhao Yuanhong didn’t dare meet his gaze and quickly lowered his head. "Your subordinate understands. I will watch the Chen Family closely and ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"Mm."

Zhou Bo’an responded faintly. "Go. Remember my words, and be careful."

"Yes, your subordinate takes his leave."

Zhao Yuanhong said no more, bowed, and retreated from the small courtyard, gently pulling the gate shut behind him.

Only after walking a great distance did he slowly come to a stop and straighten his body. The humility and panic on his face were gone, replaced by an icy chill.