CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 50: GIVING A CHANCE

Lu Qing took the accounts book that the two governmental officials had found, and Zhu Yu casually flipped through the one in her hand.

At a glance, she almost burst out laughing.

To say Li Wencai was mindless, he could manage accounts.

To say he had a mind, he brazenly documented every single bribe to his superiors in meticulous detail.

Now, this was good, every transaction, every case, crystal clear and unequivocal.

Zhu Yu had heard of those who uphold justice and sacrifice kin, but it was her first time seeing someone so principled that they ended themselves as well.

It really opened her eyes.

Just as she finished flipping through the account book, Lu Qing handed over two more. Zhu Yu opened them and, once again, found herself "in awe" of County Magistrate Li’s mind.

One of the books recorded the monthly income of the rice and flour business under his name, while the other was even more impressive, listing the preferences of no fewer than ten court officials, from Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Luo Yushu to Prefect of Congzhou Mao Fusheng.

And these preferences, of course, were not poetry, literature, chess, or painting, but beauties.

Zhu Yu skimmed through it; whether the records were accurate was uncertain, but they were indeed very detailed.

One official preferred slender, delicate figures with fair skin and a waist not even an arm’s reach, while another favored bold and exotic personalities...

After casually flipping through a couple of pages, Zhu Yu closed the book again. While curiosity is common, she was also an ordinary person, but her intuition told her that knowing too much about such matters might not be a good thing.

"Sir, this County Magistrate Li has truly shown his benevolence, fearing you might be troubled, he has saved you the effort." Zhu Yu handed all three account books back to Lu Qing, unable to resist mocking Li Wencai with a few words, "I hope you notice County Magistrate Li’s good intentions."

Lu Qing weighed the books in his hand: "I will certainly value his intentions deeply."

About an hour later, Li Wencai, confined in the room, heard footsteps in the courtyard again, and hurriedly struggled to sit up from the bed.

Having been starved by the Imperial Censor for two or three days, without a drop of water or a grain of rice, his limbs were weak, his body powerless, and his eyes shone golden, in which he vaguely saw the ancestors of the Li Family beckoning him.

Fortunately, last night, the Imperial Censor finally showed mercy, letting someone bring some food over. Though not much, enough to keep him from starvation, it helped him regain some strength and sleep a bit better.

Who would have thought, after just one half-full meal, this morning, the food supply was cut again. The little recovery he had made was nearly lost again to hunger.

Now hearing noise outside, Li Wencai’s head wasn’t his own, muddle-headedly directing his limbs to support his heavy body out of bed, staggering to the ground.

As the footsteps got closer, he even smelled the aroma of food.

It seemed to be the scent of what he usually ate, the usual craftsmanship of his household cook.

But having eaten them regularly, they were nothing special; now, they seemed like the most alluring delicacies in the world.

Soon, the footsteps stopped in front of the door. As the lock was opened, a group of people in governmental official attire filed in, forming a circle around the table, with Li Wencai’s cook nervously carrying a food box, taking out dishes and arranging them on the table before hastily retreating.

The Golden-faced Imperial Censor and that so-called personal attendant Chief Historian entered, casually sitting at the table, picking up chopsticks with an air of having a meal.

Li Wencai, dizzy from hunger, couldn’t react, stumbling towards the table, only to be blocked by two governmental officials, their fierce looks showing no respect for him.

Stunned, Li Wencai realized the officials in front of him were strangers, not from his own government office, and upon closer inspection, their attire was not from Taiping County’s governmental officials.

Judging from the color and pattern, it seemed more like the State Government level, though not specifically from the State Government...

Despite being starving, his soul nearly being drawn out by the aroma of the food on the table, Li Wencai forced himself to clear his head, looked at Lu Qing eating with his back to him, and quickly knelt on the ground.

"Lord Imperial Censor, I know my wrongs, I truly know my wrongs! It’s my incompetence that I failed to manage Taiping County well," he pleaded tearfully to Lu Qing, "if you’re angry with me, just have someone flog me, why torment me with this living hell!

Now you’ve given me a meal, even if you chop off my head afterward, I have no complaints!"

Lu Qing didn’t even pause his chopsticks, picking up a slice of mutton from the dish.

Li Wencai’s eyes, through the gap between the two officials, caught sight of the piece of mutton on Lu Qing’s chopstick tips.

The mutton was cut no more than two fingers wide, thin, and cooked just right. The mutton fat nearly melted, turning into a semi-transparent amber, smothered with rich gravy. The trembling meat on the chopstick tips tugged at Li Wencai’s heart, causing his mouth to water, his stomach to churn with acid, and bitterness to fill his heart.

He watched helplessly as the piece of mutton, akin to the most precious delicacy in the world, trembled... only to be placed into the bowl of that Chief Historian.

Li Wencai’s stomach growled loudly in protest, a sound so prominent that everyone in the room could hear it clearly.

Lu Qing put down his chopsticks and turned around; the observant officials immediately stepped aside a bit so he could clearly see Li Wencai.

"County Magistrate Li, it seems you’ve slimmed down these past few days." Lu Qing’s face hidden behind the golden mask, making it impossible to see his current expression, but his voice was clearly icy, "How does it feel to endure hunger?"

"Worse than death..." Li Wencai answered weakly, with a whimper, laying prone on the ground.

"Thanks to you as the parental official, the people of Qingshui County have been living such a life worse than death all along." Lu Qing snorted, throwing three account books from his hand, slamming them in front of Li Wencai, "All thanks to the ’good deeds’ you’ve committed."

Li Wencai peeked at the items thrown before him, instantly recognizing the familiar covers of the account books, and lost every ounce of remaining strength, nearly fainting.

Coming to his senses again, he stubbornly propped himself up, intending to crawl over and beg at the Imperial Censor’s leg, only to be firmly barred by the officials, preventing any contact with the Imperial Censor.

"My Lord! I was wrong! I truly know my mistakes! Previously, I was misguided, bewitched, deserving ten thousand deaths!" Li Wencai, face ashen, kowtowing incessantly, "I beg the lord for a chance to atone with merit! I’ll do anything you ask!"

"A chance can be given," Lu Qing glanced at Li Wencai, who was scared out of his wits, his eyes unable to hide disdain, "but only once."

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you for your grace! I’ll do whatever you ask!" Li Wencai hastily declared his loyalty.

"Alright, I’ll give you this chance, accomplish it and I’ll let you go, fail or renege," Lu Qing paused, "I’ll hang you on the city gate, letting you await death slowly."

With that, he no longer left Li Wencai a chance to speak, got up, and left with a flick of his sleeve.