Late Qing Dynasty Executioner

Chapter 27: Family Struggle

When he arrived at the yamen, Addis first chatted with the magistrate and the instructor, and then sent someone to find the head of the Bian family and Bian Shichun, the person involved.

"The Bai family sued you for beating up their son and sending people to burn down the Bai family restaurant. Is that true?" Addis asked the Bian father and son.

The head of the Bian family bowed slightly, saluted, and replied: "It is a completely false story. A few children went out to play in the spring, and Bai Wencheng accidentally fell. There were many people who saw it at the time, but the child was standing behind Bai Wencheng, so he was falsely accused.

As for the burning of the Bai family restaurant, it has nothing to do with my Bian family. The government will make a fair judgment on this matter. I hope you will be able to see through it. Of course, the Bian family is willing to give a thousand taels of silver to show our gratitude for the misfortune suffered by the Bai family. I hope you will pass it on."

After the head of the Bian family finished speaking, he took out a stack of silver bills from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Addis said to himself: You are sensible. He took the banknotes and counted them. There were twenty-one in total, all of which were large-denomination banknotes of one thousand taels each. They were the same as the ones given by the Bai family, bearer banknotes of the same industry.

Twenty were for himself, and the remaining one was a token of appreciation for the Bai family. Addis held the banknote and thought about it. Although both families gave the same amount of money, there was a difference in distance after all, so he should still help the Bai family.

"Your son was involved in the murder of his classmates. His reputation has been damaged. I think he should not take the imperial examination again in his lifetime."

Bian Shichun couldn't help but tremble with anger. He didn't expect Addis to be so shameless. He took the money but didn't do the job. If it wasn't for his fame, why would the Bian family pay such a large sum of money.

"The title of a scholar is not worth 20,000 taels of silver!" said Bian Shichun.

When they returned to the Bian family, the father and son walked in, and the head of the Bian family asked, "Do you think you lost the 20,000 taels of silver?"

"Be careful, walls may have ears. If you have anything to say, go home and talk!"

The top Manchu families would also take in these local families for their own use. By doing so, they would not only receive a lot of filial piety, but their children would also get some help when they became local officials, which would make things much more convenient.

"Haha, that's great. You and your son can stay and have the feast together!" Addis said with a smile.

The head of the Bian family pulled Bian Shichun behind him, bowed to Addis and said, "We will follow your orders, sir. The Bian family will make concessions."

"Haha, okay, next time your Bian family comes to the capital, you can come to my house!" Addis laughed.

After leaving the county government office, Bian Shichun couldn't hold back any longer, but as soon as he called out "Dad", the head of the Bian family reached out to stop him.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. The Bian family is willing to follow your orders!" The head of the Bian family smiled respectfully, with a look of gratitude.

You should know that an ordinary farmhand only earns ten taels of silver a year. These 20,000 taels of silver are enough for the annual expenses of two thousand farmhands.

Addis was trying to drive him away, so the head of the Bian family tactfully replied, "Thank you, sir. I'll take my leave now!"

"Haha, whose life is it?" The head of the Bian family laughed and said, "Addis is already over sixty years old. He can't be dead and still control others. You are still young!"

Bian Shichun couldn't help but be stunned. This was not wrong. Addis had forbidden him from taking the imperial examination for the rest of his life, but he didn't say whose life it was. Addis didn't have much time left in his life.

"I'm not sure I can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi!" In the Qing Dynasty, there were millions of candidates taking the exam at a time, but only tens of thousands of them could pass the examination and become a Xiucai. Over the years, more than a hundred thousand Xiucai took the exam together, but only a few hundred of them could pass the Juren examination.

If passing the Juren exam required talent and money, then passing the Jinshi exam required even more talent and money, and it also depended on one's birth.

With the social status and wealth of the Bian family, unless Bian Shichun was extremely talented and was noticed by a very powerful teacher, he would never be able to become a Jinshi in his life, and his career as a Juren would be over.

Although a juren can become an official, his starting point is relatively low after all, and it is not easy to earn back the 20,000 taels of silver.

The so-called three years as a clean magistrate and earning 100,000 silver coins, first of all you have to be able to become a magistrate. It is relatively easy for a Manchu juren to become a magistrate. It is not impossible for a Han juren to become a magistrate, but that is already a special case.

"We'll talk about whether he becomes a Jinshi or not later. Twenty thousand taels is a lot, but it would be good if we could understand the matter. Otherwise, if we continue to fight with the Bai family, the losses will be more than just these twenty thousand taels of silver." The head of the Bian family couldn't help but sigh.

Destruction is always easier, especially when the strength is equal, it is easy to consume the strength for a long time. The Bian family has no way to break the impasse. On the contrary, because of Addis, the Bai family has the upper hand. If the Bian family is not careful, they may suffer heavy losses.

"A person can have backbone, after all, death is the end of everything. But a family needs more compromises, and the fight between families does not happen overnight!" sighed the head of the Bian family.

It is easy for a person to be destroyed physically, but a family will not be dead even if their property is confiscated and their clan is exterminated. It is not impossible for them to turn the tables by relying on deep hatred.

After all, hatred is one of the greatest motivations.

Therefore, the purpose of family feuds is rarely to kill the other party directly, but more to fight for interests, find ways to strengthen themselves while weakening the opponent.

After his father's explanation, Bian Shichun understood the reason, but he still felt uncomfortable, so he called a few guards and prepared to go hunting in the back mountain to vent his anger.

Compared with other families who run restaurants and rice shops in the city, the Bian family does not have any industry in the county, but they own a mountain of several thousand acres behind the county.

They can make a lot of money every year by logging and hunting. They also have to collect some money according to the rules when others go into the mountains to collect firewood and herbs.

Spring is not suitable for hunting, but it doesn't matter if you play for fun. Bian Shichun's purpose is not hunting. After all, it is getting dark, and he just wants to take a walk. If he encounters prey, he can shoot a few arrows to vent his feelings.

As soon as Bian Shichun arrived at the foot of the mountain, he saw Chen Gu, Liu Er, and Zhang San on the top of the mountain entering the mountain together.

The top of the mountain is guarded by people arranged by the Bian family. There are people guarding every intersection. One reason is to collect money, and the other is to defend. After all, Dingshan is right on the edge of the city and can easily become the first target of the attackers.

Even though it is not suitable to attack the city directly from Dingshan due to the steep terrain, the entire city can be overlooked from the top of Dingshan, so it would be good to go there to gather some information.

"Why are they going into the mountains at this time?" Bian Shichun couldn't help but feel puzzled when he saw the three people's disappearing backs. After all, Chen Gu should have gone to the Chen family to study at this time.

Bian Shichun and his men followed, and as soon as they reached the mountain, they heard a small explosion.

The sound was very small, similar to the sound of firecrackers in later generations.

(End of this chapter)