The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 354 - 302, Genuine Emotions Revealed

Here it comes!

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Sun Xiaozhun's heart jumped violently.

He knew that the words just now were merely a prelude; the imperial envoy, whose methods were unscrupulous and had been tricking them since entering the city, was finally about to show his true colors.

"Sir, please speak; I shall hold nothing back," the dark and lean Magistrate, dressed in scarlet, said with a serious look in his eyes.

Zhao Douan curiously raised his hand and drew an invisible circle in the courtyard:

"If this place is so wealthy, why is the grand county government so austere? The County Magistrate dares to be corrupt, probably a man of luxury. It's hard to imagine the government office being so shabby."

Sun Xiaozhun stated solemnly,

"Those who commit great evil are good at camouflage. That Wang Chusheng had a reputation for simplicity, always showing himself as upright, and that's how he concealed his deeds until now."

You answered pretty quickly, had your script ready, huh...

Zhao Douan stared at him, nodded slightly, accepting his answer.

His gaze traveled past the golden autumn chrysanthemums and fell on the two plump white geese under the tree, and he remarked softly,

"The Prefecture's statement makes sense. How could a truly poor government office be able to nurture such fat geese?

I've heard that to discern a person's loyalty or treachery, one should not look at their clothing or appearance, but at the people around them.

A gentleman befriends gentlemen, a villain befriends villains, but I just wonder how many geese have been fattened within the Taicang County government."

Sun Xiaozhun remained silent, catching the implication:

"Do you mean..."

Zhao Douan interrupted suddenly:

"Is Sun Futai from a poor family background?"

The abrupt change in topic took Governor Sun completely off-guard!

He was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said with self-mockery:

"The term 'from a poor family' is somewhat flattering for me, just a minor household really."

Even a poor family is a family... This phrase might not quite fit in Great Yu.

A dynasty that hasn't changed in six hundred years is nearly a miracle.

But in those six hundred years, the noble clans within the dynasty had been replaced over and over.

In addition to natural decline, there was intentional action from the Royal Family.

Some poor families with a long history had already fallen into ruin, no different from regular people, left with only the tales of "our ancestors were once wealthy."

Sun Xiaozhun was one of the rare ones who climbed up through his achievements, coming from a poor family.

His journey wasn't considered miraculous, merely steady and solid.

If anything special could be said, it was that he was one of the few officials who actively chose to work in remote and difficult county towns.

Because he could endure hardship, he was able to seize the positions overlooked by the children of great families and climb up through his achievements.

"Ah, since you've suffered before, did you raise geese as a child?" Zhao Douan asked again.

Sun Xiaozhun frowned and answered truthfully:

"Not just as a child. When I was the County Magistrate in Lingnan, my household raised chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs, and even the vegetables we ate were grown by ourselves."

Such a pitiful County Magistrate... Zhao Douan commented:

"When I was in the Capital, the Prime Minister once told me a story about how he herded sheep as a child, explaining that a flock of sheep, being blindly obedient, needs a leader.

However, I'm curious, looking at this flock of geese, there's no mention of a leader goose.

Each one quite similar, they gather together like a cloud. Any slight disturbance outside and they scatter like mist, loudly clattering, stirring up misleading winds to blind the eyes."

At first, Sun Xiaozhun listened in confusion, but gradually, his expression changed.

Zhao Douan stood before a bright expanse of golden chrysanthemums.

He reached out his hand and plucked a chrysanthemum.

Yet his sight drifted beyond the county government, gazing towards the towering, fiery red mountains to the south.

The yellow nearby, the red in the distance, like gold and raging fire...

Zhao Douan suddenly turned his head, with a smile that was not quite a smile, said:

"But it occurred to me that there must indeed be a 'leader' among the geese, otherwise how could they survive? When they run, how do they decide on a direction? Where do you think, Sun Futai, that 'lead goose' could be?"

Where is the lead goose?

A pointed question.

Sun Xiaozhun's heart leaped, and he looked down as he spoke,

"In my opinion, flocks of sheep differ from flocks of geese. The former are, after all, powerful livestock, whereas the latter are feeble beasts."

"Hmm, so because the beasts are too weak, they don't need a leader?"

"Since one can't see it, one might assume there is none."

"No, there is one," Zhao Douan shook his head and said,

"The leader of the flock of geese is the owner who raises them. Do you know where their owner is?"

Sun Xiaozhun's forehead broke out in sweat again. He was silent for a moment, then with some trepidation, shook his head:

"I do not know, please enlighten me, sir."

Zhao Douan stared at him deeply. The hand that had been inserted into the chrysanthemums loosened, allowing the flower petals that fell between his fingers to be carried away by the wind, scattering around the courtyard:

"People raise geese to eat their eggs. So, whoever gets the eggs is the owner."

"People raise geese and must guard against theft. Hence, whoever stops me from catching the geese is the owner."

"Governor Sun, do you think this reasoning is right?"

Accompanied by the soul-searching questions, Sun Xiaozhun's head gradually drooped.

When he finished asking, the astute and formidable magistrate had become a head shorter than him out of thin air.

Others may not understand the meaning behind these roundabout words, but how could Sun Xiaozhun not?

Was Zhao Douan doubting him?

Investigating incognito was a sign of suspicion.

And Governor Sun, as the indirect supervisor who arranged to obstruct outside inquiries, undoubtedly found it difficult to clear himself of suspicion.

Furthermore, on the list provided by Mr. Song, it explicitly mentioned that Governor Sun had taken money from the County Magistrate of Taicang County.

At this moment.

Over a hundred cavalrymen sealed off the county government office, leaving Governor Sun isolated and unsupported, as Zhao Douan unveiled his blade and proceeded to interrogate him.

Silence.

For a good while, Sun Xiaozhun slowly raised his head, and his hunched frame rose up, piece by piece.

He no longer bowed and scraped; his face no longer held any humble flattery, only calm as he met Zhao Douan's gaze and said,

"Mr. Zhao, I have been in office, a full count, for less than two years."

Zhao Douan spoke softly,

"Three years a clean magistrate, ten thousand taels of white silver, two years is not short."

Sun Xiaozhun's chest heaved as if he were struggling to suppress the emotions within. His eyes didn't blink:

"Mr. Zhao, during my time as County Magistrate, my wife raised not only geese but also fish. At first, the fish she kept would always die in the tank. I sought advice from fishermen, who told me that my wife was changing the water too frequently.

The water in a fish tank can be green, rotten, and smelly, and the fish can still survive. Changing half of the water might be fine, but if you change all the water to clean water in one go, they truly can't survive."

Hmm, didn't expect him to be a fish-raising type...

Zhao Douan remained expressionless:

"If they die, just replace them with new fish; this doesn't justify tolerating foul water."

Sun Xiaozhun suddenly grew agitated:

"But between black and white, there's grey, Mr. Zhao!"

At this moment, the Taicang magistrate, who showed a temperament unlike ordinary officials, seemed to have grown tired of Buddhist-like tactics in conversation.

He bluntly pierced through the paper window, staring at Zhao Douan and said:

"Sir! So, as an official in the Capital, you must know that even under the feet of the Emperor and the Saint, right beneath their eyelids, the officialdom cannot be clean!

And that's not to mention, each winter and summer, the officials from all over Great Yu send what to the Capital in carloads? Winter charcoal tributes, summer ice tributes, what charcoal and ice? They are all acts of filial piety."

"Who doesn't know this? Don't you know, or does the Saint not know? Isn't it all tacitly accepted by everyone?

Why?

I didn't understand this when I was a County Magistrate in Lingnan, but I learned later that local officials always have various ways to skim off the top and get their fill.

But officials can't do that!

The officials are squeezed into the Capital pond, scrambling for food, each hungrier than the last, how could that be enough?

If the officials can't get their fill, they will show no mercy come the performance appraisals of local officials. Who wouldn't fear that? How could they not fear?"

"Don't just talk about officials, even ordinary people who fall sick and invite a doctor, have to offer a red packet, not for assured recuperation, but for fear that the doctor might be displeased and treat you poorly."

"This is to protect their official hat; without a powerful backer, who can feel at peace? Who can sleep soundly?

And what about those who wish to rise through the ranks?

Not to mention, purely on the basis of one's achievements, with no one in the Capital speaking for you, how would the Emperor know of your existence?"

Sun Xiaozhun sped up his speech, letting out all this in one breath.

His words were as candid as could be, with not a hint of concealment.

Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned.

It wasn't the content that was surprising.

But astonishment at whether this magistrate had decided to throw caution to the wind, or what:

"Governor Sun, you..."

Sun Xiaozhun waved him off, interrupting:

"Mr. Zhao, let me speak first."

He stepped back two paces, his face showing a hint of self-mockery:

"You must be wondering why I'm saying all this, it's not that complicated. Wang Chusheng committed a crime, the man has run off, and it's clear he won't be found.

So who will carry the blame for this?

It surely has to be someone significant to account for it, who fits the bill?

I thought it over, and it has to be me.

I am both the immediate superior and I don't have a large family as my foundation.

Surely Governor Gao and Liu the Inspector can't be expected to carry the blame, can they? Therefore, I, as the magistrate, may not have many days left in my position. Might as well be more forthright."

He took a deep breath, his eyes nearly red, and stared at Zhao Douan, saying:

"Mr. Zhao, I know that since you dared to reveal your identity and directly bring in the troops, you must already have some evidence. Yes, indeed, I have taken Wang Chusheng's acts of filial piety, but who hasn't?"

After a pause, Sun Xiaozhun suddenly bowed in a deep bow, his tone earnest and sincere:

"Mr. Zhao, you can't investigate! If you continue, it will truly become something that can't be undone."