sjar Chapter 1050 The Truth Behind the Bloodshed
Chapter 1050 The Truth Behind the Bloodshed
Why does Li Che know so much about the Qiu family's affairs?
It's quite simple. While looking through the booklet detailing the family history left by Wang Yuanshan, Li Che came across the Qiu family of Jingzhou.
Considering Qiu Bai's occasional use of the Jingzhou accent, suspicions began to form in her mind.
So he ordered Zhang Zhen to send night watchmen to investigate the area, and they indeed found something.
Li Che knew that Qiu Bai was not a vicious person, otherwise he would not have treated him as a confidant and kept him by his side for so many years.
Ever since he got the booklet from Wang Yuanshan, he was determined to make a killing, so he decided to start with the Qiu family.
According to the information in the pamphlet, the Qiu family had a considerable amount of hidden wealth, ranking among the top families of the same level.
"Your Majesty..." Qiu Bai's voice was terribly hoarse, "Your subordinate has deceived Your Majesty for many years, and deserves to die. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
Li Che did not immediately wake him up, but simply looked at him quietly and said, "Tell me what you have to say."
Qiu Bai remained silent, seemingly gathering the courage to speak.
After a long while, he slowly raised his upper body, not daring to meet Li Che's gaze, but staring blankly at a corner of the imperial desk.
"I am indeed from the Qiu family of Jingzhou. My father, Qiu Mingyuan, is the half-brother of the family head, Qiu Hong."
"When I was young, I also believed that my family was harmonious, with kind fathers and filial sons, and loving brothers... but I never expected..."
He paused, then continued, "Although my father was born out of wedlock, he was exceptionally talented, especially in managing general affairs."
“When my grandfather was alive, he entrusted him with half of the family’s farmland and grain transport, which became the root of our troubles.”
"My eldest son, Qiushan, who is also my cousin, and his maternal clan, the Xie family of Chenjun, regard my father as a thorn in their side."
“They were worried that my grandfather would change the order of inheritance, and they were even more wary of my father’s control over the family’s wealth. They often targeted me, but my father resolved them one by one.”
"Later, when there was an alarm on the border and the imperial court requisitioned grain, Qiushan, together with his uncle, the county magistrate, fabricated evidence that my father 'colluded with granary officials to embezzle military grain.'"
"The main branch of the family conspired with the elders of the clan, and before my father could defend himself, they executed him in the ancestral hall at midnight according to family law, while publicly claiming that he died suddenly from an illness!"
Qiu Bai's eyes were already bloodshot: "Your Majesty! My father was cautious his whole life, and he never made a mistake in managing the family!"
"Just because he threatened the power of the main branch of the family, and became a scapegoat for those shady dealings, they treated human life so lightly!"
Li Che remained calm, though he couldn't help feeling indignant.
This is the ancient legal system, where family rules and private actions supersede the law. How can such bad habits not be changed?!
He had witnessed far too many infightings within powerful families, and there were many even more sordid ones.
But since this happened to someone close to us, it is all the more alarming.
"I was young and impetuous at the time, and I didn't believe that Father would be so confused." Qiu Bai's voice lowered. "In Father's study, I found half a letter that hadn't been destroyed, and it was Qiu Shan's handwriting."
"The letter mentioned an agreement to 'eliminate the second wife, seize financial power, and split the canal revenue 30/70 after the deed is done.' The recipient was none other than that county magistrate!"
"I also found out that the embezzled military rations were actually secretly sold by Qiushan to the chieftains in the southwest in exchange for gold, silver and contraband weapons."
"I took the evidence and wanted to seek justice from my uncle, who was considered fair in the family, but he was away on business and had not yet returned."
Qiu Bai gave a bitter laugh: "It must be my bad luck. Qiu Shan and his mother had long intended to eliminate me completely. At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet that year, they drugged my wine, intending to make me lose my mind and fall into the water."
"Fortunately, I was alert enough to notice something was wrong with the drink when it entered my mouth, so I only drank half a cup and then pretended to be drunk."
"When Qiushan saw that I was not defeated, he tore off his disguise and, with eight trusted servants, cornered me in the waterside pavilion in the back garden."
"He confessed everything himself, saying my father was in the way, and that I, this little bastard, couldn't be allowed to live either..."
“So, you made your move.” Li Che slowly replied.
"Yes." Qiu Bai nodded emphatically. "I had no choice at the time. They attacked with their fists and feet, each move deadly!"
"In the midst of the melee, I seized a knife to defend myself and killed Akiyama with one strike. There were also three servants who attacked most fiercely, while the rest scattered."
"When Qiushan's mother, Madam Xie, heard the commotion and rushed over, she saw her son dead and went berserk, attacking him relentlessly. I, having already gone this far, decided to..."
Qiu Bai raised his head, tears still wet on his face: "In one night, five lives were lost, including direct descendants of the Qiu family. Even if they were the ones who plotted first, I cannot refute the crime of patricide."
“The main branch of the family wanted to emulate the old case of killing my father and ordered the execution of their subordinates according to family law. Fortunately, my great-uncle returned in time and saved me.”
“But he alone could not defeat the combined forces of the other branches, and after much effort, he could only hand me over to the authorities for punishment.”
“The family pinned all the blame on me, saying that those servants were bandits I had colluded with to kill my brother.”
"He should have been executed immediately, but a new decree from the imperial court allows serious offenders to redeem themselves by entering the northern frontier's penal camp..."
After Qiu Bai finished speaking, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength and collapsed to the ground: "I struggled to survive in the criminal camp, hoping to one day clear my father's name and seek justice for myself."
"Later, I was taken in by His Majesty as a personal guard, and I was given a new lease on life. Later, I followed His Majesty into the State of Feng, and pursued His Majesty's grand ideals. Gradually, I put these things aside..."
"The reason I concealed my origins is that I know my background is filthy, and I fear that it would offend Your Majesty's ears and, more importantly, tarnish Your Majesty's reputation."
“This is a grave crime of deceiving the emperor. Your Majesty shall decide my fate.”
The warm pavilion was deathly silent. Li Che listened in silence, his fingers tapping lightly on the imperial desk.
The story itself was not unexpected; the sordid infighting among powerful families was generally like this.
The information the watchman found in Jingzhou was similar to what Qiu Bai had said, with only minor differences.
Qiu Bai's confession at this moment signifies that he has ultimately chosen absolute honesty with the emperor, even if it may bring consequences he cannot bear.
For Li Che, a loyal Qiu Bai was more important than the entire Qiu family.
After a long silence, Li Che finally spoke slowly: "Alright, get up."
Qiu Bai's body trembled, and he hesitated before slowly standing up, but still kept his head down.
“Your crimes have already been judged by the court back then, and your sentence in the penal battalion is your term of imprisonment.” Li Che’s gaze fell on him. “This matter is not entirely your fault, or at least not entirely your fault.”
"The infighting among powerful families has become so filthy; you are merely a pawn that was nearly crushed in the process."
Qiu Bai suddenly looked up, a faint light rekindling in his eyes.
"As for the crime of deceiving the emperor," Li Che shook his head slightly, "what you concealed was merely personal grudges and family feuds, not any disloyalty towards me."
"You have risked your life alongside me all these years. If I were to deny your achievements today because of such past events, would that be the behavior of a wise ruler?"
"Your Majesty!" Qiu Bai's eyes welled up with tears again.
"However," Li Che's tone shifted, his gaze sharpening, "since the Qiu family's affairs involve military rations and smuggling, they are no longer just your family matters, but matters of state!"
He leaned forward slightly: "I'm giving you a chance, a chance to clear your father's name."
Qiu Bai felt a chill run down his spine and held his breath.
"The army has just returned victorious from Qiongzhou. I intend to tour the country to inspect the river defenses and canal transport... Jingzhou is located at the gateway to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and is also the center of the two lakes, so it is natural to go and see it."
Qiu Bai trembled violently, as if he had realized something.
As expected, Li Che said, word by word, "At that time, you will be in charge of leading the team to accompany me. Do you understand?"
"I want to see what kind of face the Qiu family will have when they see that the patricide they framed back then has now become the Marquis of my Great Qing!"
Qiu Bai's chest heaved violently as years of suppressed hatred surged into a torrent, pounding against his heart again and again.
Without the slightest hesitation, he kowtowed, saying, "Your subordinate is willing to be the vanguard for Your Majesty! I will brave mountains of knives and seas of fire, even unto death!"
The idea of going on an inspection tour was not something Li Che had just decided on a whim.
After pacifying the south, he harbored the idea of touring the surrounding areas.
Firstly, after the implementation of the provincial system, the difficulties encountered at the local level were more numerous than expected.
When local officials submit memorials, they always say things like "we are doing our best to handle it" or "there are some obstacles," but the actual results are as slow as an old ox pulling a broken cart.
If they don't go down and see for themselves, those local officials will just pay lip service while secretly going against it.
Simply reading documents and listening to reports in the deep palace is ultimately like scratching an itch through a boot.
Secondly, the imperial court also needed to appease the people in the south who were suffering from the ravages of war.
The army's intimidation is temporary. He must let the world know that the one who now sits on the throne is not an emperor who only knows how to fight in the court, but a young emperor who is in his prime and can see things clearly.
At the same time, it is also necessary to reassure those diligent local officials so that they can focus on serving the imperial court.
Thirdly...
Li Che stretched his stiff neck and looked at the sky outside the palace, which was divided into four squares by the palace walls.
Since entering the capital, I have been trapped in this luxurious cage for three years.
The daily grind of paperwork and dealing with ministers of all kinds with their own ulterior motives has worn me out.
The short trip to Yunmeng Mountain, the feeling of riding through the wilderness, truly refreshed Li Che.
If a powerful ruler is confined to the palace for too long, his vigor will be worn down, which is certainly not a good thing for the country.
When I last visited Yunmeng Mountain, I was away for more than half a month, and the court was still operating as usual, which proves that the cabinet system has a considerable capacity to maintain order.
This gave him the confidence to make his southern tour.
The only problem now is that we need a person of sufficient stature to sit in the central position and oversee the overall situation.
As for this candidate, is there a second option besides the Prince of Yan of Daqing?
The problem was that when Li Che recalled the last time he went on a northern tour to escape the summer heat, Li Lin looked very reluctant, his face so bitter it looked like juice could be squeezed out.
If it's this difficult in half a month, this trip will take at least half a year. Would Fourth Brother agree to that?
I'm afraid he'll jump up and fight himself to the death.
"I need to think of a way..." Li Che rubbed his chin, thinking silently to himself.
His fourth brother was a skilled warrior and a sincere person, but he was completely clueless about handling government affairs and would avoid them whenever possible.
Forcing them isn't impossible, but it's never good to damage the relationship between brothers.
Ideally, there should be some leverage over him, so that he'd willingly take on the responsibility...
Thinking of this, Li Che's eyes darted around, and he looked at Qiu Bai in front of him: "What has the Prince of Yan been doing lately?"