TGCFNM -Chapter 226 The Head of the Xuanyuan Family

Chu Ling looked at the man kneeling below and sized him up. “Who are you?”

“Reporting to Your Excellency, I am Xuanyuan Ze, head of the Xuanyuan family of Dongle City. I have personally escorted my younger brother, Xuanyuan He, here to plead guilty.”

Chu Ling lightly tapped the table with her fingertip and looked at Xuanyuan Ze. “You plead guilty—of which crime?”

Xuanyuan Ze lowered his head. “Reporting to Your Excellency, the Xuanyuan family has three crimes! First, we should not have engaged in moneylending. Second, we should not have done business with spice merchants from Great Yuan. Third, we knowingly committed wrongdoing despite being aware of our faults—an unforgivable offense.”

Chu Ling raised a hand, signaling him to continue.

It was clear Xuanyuan Ze had already prepared his strategy before coming. As soon as Chu Ling told him to go on, he began speaking in an unbroken stream.

“As for moneylending, many families engage in it. But the Xuanyuan family are founding meritorious officials of the state—how could we sink to the same level as others? That is our first crime.” After speaking painfully, he looked at Xuanyuan He beside him, his brows full of anguish. “My younger brother has achieved nothing for half his life. He always wished to accomplish something to make Grandfather look at him with pride. Who would have thought he would take the wrong path? Now that he has been caught by Your Excellency, he is guilty.”

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow and curved her lips into a smile. “That’s right. He is guilty.”

Xuanyuan Ze faltered.

Chu Ling continued with a smile, “Head Xuanyuan, what about the other two crimes?”

Xuanyuan Ze took a deep breath, glanced at Chu Ling, and went on, “The second crime is that we should not have done business with spice merchants from Great Yuan…”

Chu Ling interrupted him directly, her tone righteous as she questioned him, “That’s right. We have a blood feud with Great Yuan—an irreconcilable enmity. How could your Xuanyuan family do business with people from Great Yuan? What exactly were you intending?”

Xuanyuan Ze’s gaze darkened, and there was a faint hint of threat in the way he looked at her.

Chu Ling smiled brightly. She had no intention of giving the Xuanyuan family a way out. What could they possibly do to her?

Xuanyuan Ze could only swallow his anger and continue, “It was still my younger brother’s fault. He believed spices would have a strong market in Great Zhou, so he took the risk and secretly cooperated with the spice merchants. But it never involved state affairs—he was merely conducting business.”

Chu Ling let out an “Oh,” as if she understood, but quickly asked, “Is there anyone who can testify that they were only doing business?”

Under his sleeves, Xuanyuan Ze’s hands clenched into fists, veins bulging as his face flushed red. “Your Excellency, our Xuanyuan family truly was only conducting business. As founding meritorious officials, how could we possibly do anything harmful to Great Zhou?”

Chu Ling gave an enlightened nod. “Is that so? Then continue.”

Xuanyuan Ze ground his teeth. After a long moment, he steadied himself, fists tightly clenched, and continued, “The third crime is that my younger brother knew this matter carried risks, yet for the sake of performing well before our respected grandfather, he knowingly committed the offense. It is indeed a grave crime! But considering his filial devotion…”

Suddenly, Chu Ling slammed the wooden block on the desk and shouted, “Head Xuanyuan, you’re absolutely right—this is a grave crime! An unforgivable one!”

Xuanyuan Ze stiffened. Just as he was about to speak, Chu Ling interrupted him again.

Her sharp gaze locked onto Xuanyuan He as she rebuked him angrily, “You clearly knew these two matters were crimes, yet you deliberately committed them. What exactly were you intending? Did you think that because your Xuanyuan family are founding meritorious officials, no court official would dare touch you? Were you certain that no one would dare interfere with the Xuanyuan family?”

Xuanyuan He suddenly lifted his head. “No!”

“No?” Chu Ling sneered. “The things you’ve done—each and every one of them—if they fell upon anyone else’s head, they would be capital crimes punishable by extermination of the nine clans!”

“Your Excellency!” Xuanyuan Ze shouted angrily. “You’ve gone too far!”

“Overstepping? Then isn’t the Xuanyuan family—who have been privately in contact with people from Great Yuan—going even further?” Chu Ling shot back.

“It was merely business dealings, nothing more,” Xuanyuan Ze barked coldly.

Chu Ling raised a brow. “Bring your witnesses here to sign and press their seals, and maybe I’ll believe your nonsense.”

“You!” Xuanyuan Ze abruptly stood up, pointing straight at Chu Ling.

Chu Ling almost laughed. So he couldn’t even keep up the pretense anymore?

Ghost Scholar watched carefully from the side. Seeing Xuanyuan Ze’s face turn ashen while he restrained himself from speaking further, he turned to Chu Ling.

“It seems the Xuanyuan family was confident from the beginning, believing they could pass this safely. In their minds, at worst it was only letting Xuanyuan He suffer a bit. But Your Excellency refuses to cooperate and keeps pressing the matter, leaving Xuanyuan Ze unable to cope. Now he’s finally furious from humiliation.”

“But, Your Excellency, are you certain you want to make an enemy of the Xuanyuan family? After all, this is their territory. Even if you won’t give them a way out, it’s best not to make things too ugly. At this moment, you should extract yourself.”

Chu Ling straightened her sleeves, tilted her head toward Ghost Scholar, and gave him a reassuring look.

Xuanyuan Ze took several deep breaths, slowly lowered his arm, then cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Chu Ling. “Your Excellency, this matter was indeed my younger brother’s doing. He acted recklessly. I beg you to show leniency.”

Hearing the stiff plea, Chu Ling secretly rejoiced.

But to let it end just like that? That would be far too dull.

“Alas, I too wish to show leniency,” Chu Ling said deliberately in a low voice—just loud enough for Xuanyuan Ze to hear. “However, ever since I began investigating the moneylending matter, I’ve received information from all sorts of sources… I truly cannot turn a blind eye.”

Sure enough, Xuanyuan Ze’s brows knitted, his expression shifting as countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

Chu Ling pressed on. “The moneylending itself is indeed harmful to heaven’s harmony. But what’s more serious is this: was the money earned from it used to conduct business with Great Yuan spice merchants?”

She deliberately emphasized “Great Yuan,” then watched with satisfaction as Xuanyuan Ze’s face darkened, black as the bottom of a pot.

Grinding his teeth, Xuanyuan Ze shot Xuanyuan He a furious glare before solemnly declaring, “Your Excellency, the Xuanyuan family bears absolutely no disloyalty toward Great Zhou. We would never do anything to harm Great Zhou.”

“A guarantee is of no use,” Chu Ling sighed.

With a sweeping gesture, Xuanyuan Ze said decisively, “As Your Excellency has stated, moneylending harms heaven’s harmony. From this day forward, all external loans shall be written off entirely. Moreover, the Xuanyuan family will conduct a secret investigation. Anyone found privately lending money will be seized and brought before Your Excellency for judgment.”

Chu Ling nearly failed to suppress her laughter. If I can’t have peace, then no one will.

“What the Head of the Xuanyuan family says is right—those people should indeed be arrested,” Chu Ling affirmed first. Then lowering her gaze to the evidence on the table, she added, “But this matter still requires an explanation, does it not?”

“Your Excellency judges cases with fairness and impartiality. The Xuanyuan family has no objections!” After speaking, Xuanyuan Ze stepped back behind Xuanyuan He, clearly intending not to interfere further.

Chu Ling gave a small hum of acknowledgment. Seeing Xuanyuan He covered in thorny branches, she said, “Then let the Head of the Xuanyuan family personally discipline his younger brother. As long as the common people have no complaints, this matter shall be settled.”

After speaking, Chu Ling glanced at the gathered townsfolk outside and curved her lips into a faint smile.

“Court dismissed!”