Chapter 58: Please Get in the Carriage, Lord Shi

Shi Weizhi spoke with a powerful and resolute tone.
At first glance, he truly looked like a great, uncorrupted official.

This was precisely the response Xiao Zhi had been waiting for. *You brought it upon yourself—confiscation of property, execution of the clan, and complete guilt by association. When the torture begins, don't you dare cry out in pain.*

As they were speaking, a guardsman rushed anxiously through the door.
Xiao Zhi frowned and said, "Lord Shi and I are having a conversation. Did I give you permission to barge in and interrupt?"

Normally, the guardsman could have simply whispered a few words into Shi Weizhi's ear. However, because of Xiao Zhi's remark, Shi Weizhi had no choice but to temporarily dismiss the soldier.
Shi Weizhi ordered, "Wait outside the door. I will call for you when you are needed."

The guardsman had no choice but to obediently retreat outside, stamping his feet in frustration on his way out.

Xiao Zhi chuckled and said, "Lord Shi, you truly are an upright official concerned for the welfare of the people. Once I return to the capital, I will certainly report this faithfully to His Majesty. Furthermore, I will also mention it to the Minister of Works. Although he already knows how incorruptible you are, I feel compelled to say it nonetheless."

Shi Weizhi offered a perfunctory cupped-hand salute. "Thank you, Lord Xiao, for your kind words."
"It's just a matter of a few words, no need to thank me. I just hope the Minister doesn't beat me up when I bring it up. Of course, I am merely an ordinary mortal myself. If Lord Shi insists on thanking me, what sort of gift should you bestow upon me?"

Xiao Zhi's conversational pivot was so abrupt that Shi Weizhi failed to react for a moment.
Was Xiao Zhi asking him for a bribe? Wasn't this extortion?

A wave of joy washed over Shi Weizhi. Could it be that Xiao Zhi wanted to mend fences with the Shi family?
He had long heard rumors that Xiao Zhi heavily accepted bribes, and it turned out to be true.
Officials serve thousands of miles away from home purely for wealth; naturally, Xiao Zhi could not rise above worldly desires.

"I happen to have a box of fine tea at my residence. Lord Xiao, please accept it with my compliments when you leave shortly."

This was a customary tactic in official circles: first agree to a token item to signal an attitude, and then gradually deliberate on the monetary value of the gifts to be added later.

Xiao Zhi calculated the time in his mind. Mu Weihu should have already taken action by now. That guardsman who had just entered most likely wanted to inform Shi Weizhi that his family estate had been seized.
"How about... you go and prepare the tea leaves?" Xiao Zhi motioned with his chin. There was still a guardsman waiting for him outside, after all.
"Then please excuse me for a moment."
With that, Shi Weizhi stepped out the door.

The guardsman waiting outside was brought from the Shi family estate and had served him loyally for many years.
The man had been nearly driven to distraction with anxiety. Finally seeing Shi Weizhi emerge, he rushed forward and blurted out, "My lord, something terrible has happened! The estate has been confiscated!"
"What did you say?"
Shi Weizhi almost thought he misheard. When he turned his head back, he saw that Xiao Zhi had also followed him out and was looking at him with a beaming smile.

"Lord Shi, did he neglect to tell you that there is a carriage waiting for you outside?"
The vehicle waiting outside the prefectural office was naturally a prison cart.

Veins bulged on Shi Weizhi's forehead as he raged, "Xiao Zhi! You confiscated my estate—where is your evidence of a crime?"
"When the Imperial City Directorate makes an arrest, no evidence is required."
It wasn't that evidence didn't exist; rather, Xiao Zhi simply couldn't be bothered to explain.
"Lord Shi, once you enter the dungeons of the Imperial City Directorate, you will soon learn what it means to confess whether you are willing or not."

Xiao Zhi strolled leisurely up to Shi Weizhi, gently waving his folded fan. The words "Those who oppose me shall perish" painted upon it looked exceptionally glaring.
Yet, Xiao Zhi maintained his smile throughout. "Can you guarantee that your precious son won't confess either?"

Shi Weizhi knew he was finished. To be precise, his entire family was finished.
"Lord Xiao, have I ever offended you in any way? Has my older cousin offended you?"
Strictly speaking, not really.
Earlier, when Shi Weigong went to the Imperial City Directorate to demand the release of prisoners, that didn't really count as an offense.

Xiao Zhi shook his head. "I simply find the faces of your family members utterly repulsive, so I've decided to deal with all of you. Is that answer satisfactory?"

Shi Weizhi knew that Xiao Zhi was merely fobbing him off with perfunctory words. Yet he could not fathom why Xiao Zhi persistently targeted them.
This very question had also been discussed in the letters exchanged between Shi Weizhi and Shi Weigong.
Shi Weigong had likewise been utterly baffled.

Xiao Zhi remarked, "Lord Shi, you mentioned preparing some tea leaves for me earlier. I think we can dispense with the tea leaves; just keep the box. You can use it to hold your severed head."

Outside the prefectural office, Mu Weihu had already arrived with his men.
Xiao Zhi said, "Lord Shi, please board the cart."
Even as iron fetters were placed upon him, the prefect offered no resistance.
He closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate.

Once inside the prison cart, Shi Weizhi asked, "Lord Xiao, could you at least let me die with clarity?"
Xiao Zhi replied, "If you cooperate well enough, I will tell you the reason behind all this right before you draw your last breath."

Shi Weizhi's prison cart set off along the imperial highway leading toward the capital. Xiao Zhi, however, was in no rush; he sauntered leisurely to a teahouse to continue listening to storytellers.

...

Ghost Valley, fifty miles west of the capital.
A vice commander of the Imperial City Directorate held a blueprint in his hands, gazing out at the men spread across nearly the entire valley.

House after house was rising from the ground, and various construction projects were proceeding in full swing.
"Commander, according to Lord Xiao's instructions, the hot spring water here needs to be channeled to this exact location. But there are quite a few buildings right in the middle of the path—how should we handle that?"

The speaker was an official from the Ministry of Works. When it came to infrastructure construction, they were the professionals.
They hadn't come to help build Ghost Valley because Xiao Zhi begged them to; rather, Geng Wenshi had shamelessly forced them into the assignment.

Geng Wenshi had submitted memorials to the throne several times, requesting that the Ministry of Works be allowed to supervise the manufacture of the handheld thunder-bombs, only to be repeatedly rejected by Qin Yong.
How could Geng Wenshi not know that the emperor was guarding against the Ministry of Works—or to be precise, guarding against everyone?

After understanding the scale of Ghost Valley's construction, Geng Wenshi realized that the scope of development here was staggering and far more complex than simply manufacturing handheld thunder-bombs.
He knew that until Xiao Zhi finished off Shi Weigong, he wouldn't make a move against anyone else just yet.

Would Geng Wenshi help Shi Weigong? Absolutely not. Even if he wanted to, the others wouldn't.
In official circles, a group of old foxes played treacherous games, all sharing a single mindset: *let my fellow Daoist die rather than myself.*

Therefore, Geng Wenshi's strategy was to cultivate a good relationship with Xiao Zhi.
No matter what Xiao Zhi was doing, whenever assistance was within his power, Geng Wenshi would proactively offer it rather than wait to be asked.
Over time, the ties between Xiao Zhi and the Ministry of Works would become inextricably linked. When that day came, would Xiao Zhi still dare to move against him?

Currently, it was merely the construction phase with no major secrets involved, so the vice commander in charge didn't drive the men away.
"Lord Xiao's diagram, I also..." The commander scratched his head while looking at the blueprint.
If a professional like you can't understand it, then someone like me, who isn't even a half-expert, understands it even less.

"Commander, would it be permissible for this junior official to take this diagram and show it to the others at the Ministry of Works? If we build something incorrectly, wouldn't we be failing Lord Xiao's expectations?"
"Fine, just don't delay the progress." The vice commander waved his hand dismissively. As long as it accelerated construction, what was so precious about a single diagram? Anyone could look at it.

Were the people from the Ministry of Works truly incapable of understanding? Probably not. As blueprints were continually passed around, the layout of Ghost Valley would cease to be a secret.
The Ministry of Works official beamed with a flattering smile and immediately had a copy of the diagram transcribed.
The copied blueprint was dispatched without delay.

Geng Wenshi's desk was already piled high with blueprints, and he was reviewing them one by one.
Nearly every single diagram caused Geng Wenshi's eyes to light up in astonishment. So things could be designed in such a manner!
In the modern era, designs known to every passerby were entirely unheard-of novelties in this realm.