Swords into Plowshares Episode 14 Recap
> Swords into Plowshares Recaps
Due to the urgency of the matter, Qian Hongchu could no longer afford to hesitate. He immediately summoned his trusted general Liu Yanchen and mobilized his personal guards. Although Shuiqiu Zhaoquan and others tried their best to dissuade him, Qian Hongchu knew the case had deep complexities. If he proceeded step by step, he feared the evidence would have long been destroyed.
Thus, he ignored their advice and insisted on leading his troops directly to Gaoxu County Yamen, with the clear intention of conducting a raid. Qian Hongchu and Sun Taizhen disguised themselves as arrogant noble scions, acting ostentatiously. As soon as they mounted their horses, Qian Hongchu ordered Gaoxun to be bound. Immediately, they led their followers to force their way into the county yamen, surrounding Qin He and a group of clerks inside.
Shen Congyue, relying on his connections, still put on an arrogant expression, attempting to use his official authority to intimidate them. However, Sun Taizhen acted decisively, stepping forward and delivering a flying kick, knocking him and his desk to the ground, then immediately ordered him to be hog-tied. After taking control of the yamen, Qian Hongchu thoroughly investigated the document archives and then proceeded to the prison, where he met Shen Yin, who had been unjustly imprisoned.
Despite being incarcerated, Shen Yin appeared calm. Facing Qian Hongchu's inquiries, he calmly recounted the sinister schemes of collusion between the Taizhou Agricultural Reclamation Bureau and local powerful families. It turned out that these parasites, under the guise of "loans," practiced "first collection, then measurement." Even before the people had planted their crops, the officials would forcibly collect "loaned grain" based on inflated figures.
Then, after the autumn harvest, when actual production was measured, the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau controlled by the powerful families would use large measures for collection and small measures for distribution. They would further manipulate the accounts, layer by layer, stripping the people of their wealth, to the extent that after a year of hard work, what they earned was not even enough to cover their official debts, and their land and homes were all seized.
The mastermind behind all this was Du Hao, the Director of Agricultural Reclamation, who had served three generations and had deep roots. Furthermore, he held a shocking additional identity: he was the brother-in-law of the powerful minister Hu Jinsi. Meanwhile, Qian Hongyou and Shuiqiu Zhaoquan were discussing, believing that exposing the fraud in measuring scales and the hidden illicit activities in the accounts was not inherently difficult.
Manipulating scales and concealing tricks in ledgers were merely petty thieving tricks, easily discovered upon investigation. The real challenge, however, lay after breaking through the initial problem – like pulling up a radish that brings up mud, this mud might contain deeply entrenched vines, and touching one strand could shake the entire system.
Qian Hongchu followed the clues, examining numerous loan agreements, and indeed discovered that many of the people's land deeds and grain tax receipts had been held as collateral by powerful families, plunging countless households into a abyss of debt. All clues pointed towards the powerful nobles and ministers in the Hangzhou court, indicating widespread involvement that could shake the very foundation of the state.
To thoroughly investigate the corruption in Taizhou, Shuiqiu Zhaoquan personally went to the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau and arrested Director Du Hao with swift, decisive action. On the spot, a large number of grain tax receipts bearing official seals were seized, providing irrefutable evidence in black and white, confirming the widespread corruption in Taizhou's five counties.
However, within the Ninghai County Yamen, Shen Yin pointed out an even trickier problem to Qian Hongchu: even if the truth came to light, how to compensate the populace for their losses and restore order remained a formidable challenge. Upon hearing this, Qian Hongchu's heart grew heavy. He sighed, lamenting that the amount of grain missing from Taizhou alone, if in the Central Plains, would be enough to "buy an emperor."
In Hangzhou city, Cheng Zhaoyue caught wind of the situation and, overnight, summoned his confidants. He resolved to raise five hundred thousand "hu" of grain at all costs, intending to fill this enormous deficit before the imperial envoy's thorough investigation, thus staging a scheme to "cross the sea under camouflage." Qian Hongchu and Shuiqiu Zhaoquan jointly signed an urgent report, sending it overnight to the Hangzhou Royal Palace, directly exposing the deep-seated malpractices in the imperial court.
The palace eunuchs dared not delay, presenting it to Qian Hongzuo's desk that very night. Qian Hongzuo immediately issued an edict, summoning his high-ranking ministers into the palace for a late-night discussion. Qian Hongzong and Yang Renquan entered the palace one after another. Only Yuan Dezhao politely declined to enter, merely sending a messenger to report that he would enter the palace as usual in the morning to inquire about the emperor's well-being and perform his duties.
As the Emperor's father-in-law, Yang Renquan's relatives were also implicated in the case files. Without waiting for the monarch's inquiry, he proactively stepped forward, removed his cap, and pleaded guilty. Qian Hongzuo knew full well that severely punishing Yang Renquan at this moment might force a major faction within the court to rebel, which would be detrimental to the overall situation. So, he stepped forward and spoke reassuringly, temporarily stabilizing the situation.
He first removed Yang Renquan from the center of the whirlpool, implementing a long-term plan to avoid "beating the grass and startling the snakes." After Yang Renquan left, only the two brothers, Qian Hongzuo and Qian Hongzong, remained in the hall. They analyzed Du Hao's case.
On the surface, it appeared to be local corruption by parasites, but a closer examination of the flow of money and the network of connections revealed that it had already entangled nearly half of Wuyue's prominent families. In contrast, Hu Mansion remained calm. Hu Jing meticulously reported the situations in the palace, such as the incomplete attendance at the summons and the Emperor's father-in-law's plea of guilt.
Hu Jinsi reacted with extreme calmness, determining that it was not advisable to act rashly at present. Only by observing the changes silently could he discern the "King's true intentions" and then make a decision.
