Chapter 278.3: Jin Wangfei

Jing Wan casted him a glance. So, in other words, this one was the greatest blight under the clear and bright world. Just now, she’d just let someone sweep out a piece of brightness, practically just picking up a rock and smashing one’s own foot. Also, is it really okay to have the Jiangnan matter exposed out like this? Although the matter of the courtyard exam was practically known by all, the salt administration, this piece, was concealed very tightly. Since it was related to money, how could it just be the problem of the courtyard exam. The unconcerned people were unable to tell, but for the concerned party, that was definitely ‘the listener having interest’.

“The rest, take what we can get, as their old man, the lowest ranked priced at a hundred thousand taels, and for every rank higher, add a hundred thousand taels. Let their old man bring the money to retrieve the person. For every day they don’t bring the money, this prince will temporarily help them raise for a day. After three days, bring money to claim the corpse. Of course, one-tenth of the money will be enough for the corpse. This prince is benevolent, so won’t ask them for the food money and lodging expenses.”

“Master don’t worry, this servant remembers it all, guaranteed to not make a single mistake, and not have any amount short.”

A bunch of young masters that came to watch the excitement all hated that they can’t find a crack to squeeze themselves into and thoroughly disappear.

The living Enma, the living Enma, truly is a genuine King Enma. Why didn’t they just listen and obediently squat at home for a few days. Clearly they didn’t do anything at all, yet needed to suffer this kind of unreasonable disaster? One has to know, at home, not all of them were favored. In fact, there was no lack of shu sons. Hanging out with these people, it was nothing more than for the sake of raising one’s status, letting the di mother and di brothers at home have misgivings. But now, they got thrown into one pot to stew, and their greatest ‘backing’ was even the most miserable one. Only needing one tenth of the money, and can even have them eliminated, without needing to thinking, one just knew how the people at home will choose. This was directly wetting themselves in fear!

Once the mind fell into chaos, they just began going crazy, wanting to flee outwards. Just, merely a bunch of wastrels, so how can they escape from the hands of a bunch of highly trained guards. As soon as the foot in front stepped out, the trailing foot just got tripped, and a foot ruthlessly landed on the back, getting stepped onto the ground, unable to move. Struggling and resisting, that blade just mercilessly descended, not fatal, but it was still blood splattering in all directions. The screams sounded. Such a scene, how many people have seen before? The people screamed in fear as long with.

“Shut up!” An Yi sternly berated, “This matter has nothing to do with you all, so just obediently stay to the side. Once the matter is over, naturally can just safely leave. Whoever dares to disturb wangye and wangfei’s peace will immediately become the deceased soul under the blade.”

Once these words came out, everyone all quieted down. Even if uncontrollably crying, they still deathly covered their mouth, not daring to let out a peep.

Originally, as ordinary people, towards these overlords, they also bitterly detested. For Li Hong Yuan to just immediately have them ruthlessly sorted out, naturally it was to everyone’s satisfaction. But, drawing blood, viewing human life like weed, that will just make others fear. Just like Li Hong Yuan in the capital, it was just rumored that he had forcibly kidnapped commoner women a few times, causing many families to fall apart, but what happened in reality, no one knew. At most it was just hearing about it, that’s all. It was mostly just those wastrels seeing him like a mouse seeing a cat. However, the ordinary commoners viewed him like a demon.

Jing Wan was rather helpless, but Li Hong Yuan didn’t care at all. Even if the entire world all feared him, it all didn’t matter. As long as Jing Wan isn’t scared of him, firmly standing together with him from beginning to end, then that is enough. The others simply weren’t in his scope of consideration.

Urgent and chaotic sounds of horse hooves. Regardless whether it was riding on horseback or sitting in horse carriage, all converged from every direction.

The people watching the Governor-General’s villa weren’t just one or two. Many officials all sent people. Yet, in the end, they were just easily duped, and thrown together into a pile. When they discovered, the person at the very bottom nearly lost their life. Finally noticing that the villa was already empty, but because not knowing where they went, and what they wanted to do, just fearing that they’ll ‘escape leaving an empty cicada shell’, having ulterior motives, they naturally hurriedly sent people to search. The waterways, the four city gates, they all sent people to ‘block’. And unable to sit still themselves, they also began searching in the city.

Speaking of which, having many people, and being enough disperse, there were also a few nearby here. Jing Wan probably didn’t expect that they would raise such a huge ruckus, but for Li Hong Yuan, it was perhaps within his expectations. Actually, prior to them entering Kaiming Crisp Restaurant, they had already gotten discovered, and with each rapidly going back to report to their respective masters, the officials thus would arrive this quickly. Just, before they even arrived, even more ‘grievous news’ came. Not just the Governor-General, as long as one’s family had a unfilial bastard, all were suspended on edge, just fearing that they also were involved inside.

In reality, Li Hong Yuan’s people had discovered the other party even earlier. Just, if they were to come up for a ‘chance encounter’, disturbing Jing Wan’s original plan, Li Hong Yuan won’t give face.

The officials that heard the news inwardly cursed at their unfilial brat for not listening, actually not having their words taken seriously. If they’d long known this, then even if it means breaking their legs, they still wouldn’t have let them taken a single step out of the family gates.

They also inwardly cursed Li Hong Yuan for randomly ‘mingling with the people incognito’ for no reason. You were high-profile the whole way, so couldn’t you have continued being high-profile? With them following, how would they have let their family’s brat offend them? Wasn’t it said that your wangfei’s body is unwell? Going out this early, is this anything like being unwell?

Standing at Kaiming Crisp’s entrance, the anxious officials lost their usual elegant demeanor, either using their sleeve to wipe their sweat, or stagger in their steps. And without a second word, they just charged before the two, kneeling down and performing a big bow to beg for forgiveness. It was their negligence that cause their family’s bastard to offend wangye and wangfei, asking to please forgive them.

Li Hong Yuan looked down at them from above, not issuing a single word. By the time the main party arrived, judging from his appearance, he probably already understood the actual circumstances, else his clothes wouldn’t have been all drenched in sweat. Li Hong Yuan finally opened his mouth nonchalantly, “Everyone came rather quickly. Just, this prince remembers, one’s not allowed to rush on horseback in the city, and the horse carriage’s speed also can’t be too fast. Seems you all very much have this prince’s style. After all, in the capital, this prince would occasionally run on horseback too, at most just having the other brothers’ carriages overturned. One’s own brothers, so this bit doesn’t really matter. Just, along the way for you all, how many people did you injure, how many stalls did you overturn, is it all your own family’s? Completely not needing to question?”

This is having yet to settle one matter, yet already involved in another matter? However, a certain someone was too shameless. He can set the fire, but others can’t light the lantern? One mishap, and this was another offense. They haven’t even been able to say a few words to, yet the offense just got pinned down one after another. If it continues like this, without even needing to dig out their most fatal evidence, they will have already been forced to remove the official hat first. In the end, it was still because they didn’t understand this one’s way of handling things. They were too frantic, thus would repeatedly make mistakes. They must calm down, calm down, calm down!

“It’s this lower official’s fault, asking wangye to rest assured, how one should be punished, this lower official definitely won’t say a single word more.”

Li Hong Yuan chuckled, just no matter how one listened, it all sounded like a sneer, “In that case, it can’t be better. ———–Someone come, have their family’s young master all invited out.”

Even if they tried to hide among the commoners with all their might, desperately hoping that they won’t get recognized, avoiding this disaster, in the end, they still got dragged out one by one. The deeper they hid, the heavier the injuries they sustained. As such, when they got brought out, the ones that didn’t get wounded in the face were also just a few. One has to know, of this bunch, there were more than ten of them.

Those who didn’t see their family’s child all successively relaxed a breath, and those who had two or even three among them, nearly fainted on the spot.

Eunuch Mu stood out, having Li Hong Yuan’s previous words repeated, “…………..Earlier, we have already looked into it, among these gentlemen’s elders, the lowest official post is a high sixth rank, so one hundred thousand taels, low fifth rank, two hundred thousand taels, high fifth rank, three hundred thousand taels, and so on, all the way up to high second rank, nine hundred thousand taels. Speaking of which, it’s not much either. Everyone please check whether or not your own family’s child is among them, and make sure of your official post’s rank. Afterwards, can return home and prepare the money. Of course, can also prepare one-tenth of the money, and claim the corpse three days alter. Speaking of which, for the living, the higher the elder’s position, the more costly. Comparatively, the corpse is just increasingly cheaper. The sixth rank can only save ninety thousand taels, but this second rank can save eight hundred and ten thousand. If switch with me, this ninety thousand taels can still manage to gather, but this eight hundred and ten thousand, such a money wasting thing, might as well not want anymore.”

Jing Wan glanced at Eunuch Mu. Truthfully speaking, if she were these people, certainly would want to eat him alive, “Mu An, shut up.”

Eunuch Mu trembled, immediately switching with a look of an obedient lackey, retreating to one side.

“As the saying goes, ‘not educating the son, the father’s fault’. This bunch of young masters of Kaiming Fu truly made one surprised. Cultivating one’s moral character, governing the family and ruling the state, pacifying the country, where do you all think you stand? Of course, I’m but a mere woman, so saying these, probably will be thought as ‘the hen crowing at daybreak[1]‘ by everyone. Just, towards all things, wangye has always been impatient, so I thus exceeded my place and took matters into my own hands, saying a few extra words. If there’s place that’s improper, asking everyone to be magnanimous, needless to take seriously. ————-Wangye, the interest is also gone for today, so let’s go back for now?”

“What are you troubling yourself with these people for? And it’s just you that’s good-tempered. However, the other party just simply won’t feel grateful.” Li Hong Yuan appear to be criticizing, but the tone was very gentle.

[1] The hen crows at daybreak – a woman meddling in politics

T/N: So I found this article that goes through the history of official’s salary, I don’t know what system the author based it off of, but I’ll translate the amounts for the Qing dynasty because it’s the only one recorded in taels and I’m too lazy to convert for the other dynasties. However the Qing dynasty, because it was the last imperial dynasty of China, the salary are on the lower end in comparison to the other dynasties. Moreover there’s a section that mentions the Governor-General, Inspector General, General Commissioner, and Surveillance Commissioner’s salary.

Another thing to mention is that usually along side money, their yearly salary also consists of set amount of fabrics, grains, vegetables, wine, tea, etc.

So the yearly salary for first rank is 180 taels, second rank 150 taels, third rank 130 taels, fourth rank 105 taels, fifth rank 80 taels, sixth rank 60 taels, seventh rank 45 taels, eighth rank 40 taels, high ninth rank 33 taels, and low ninth rank to those unranked positions 31 taels.

Later on, in addition to the yearly salary, an additional pay was established called the ‘discourage corruption pay’ specifically for the regional officials ‘outside of the Emperor’s control’. For the Governor-General 13000－20000 taels, Inspector General 10000－15000 taels, General Commissioner 5000－9000 taels, Surveillance Commissioner 3000－8444 taels. And btw, the Governor-General and Inspector General are both second rank officials, the rest are lower in the 3rd or 4th rank.