Chapter 136

Damnation, to think I’d land myself in a cell just for delivering a gift! Zhao An racked his brains, but he simply couldn’t fathom what the old Education Commissioner was playing at. Was it too little? Or was the man truly so incorruptible that he viewed gold and silver as mere filth? That didn’t seem right. If they really didn't accept money, how could prefects and magistrates across the province possibly afford to pay their annual tributes to the higher-ups? Even Old Ding, the richest magistrate north of the Yangtze, had to send money to the Governor, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and the Education Commissioner every year—starting at several thousand taels a pop! There was no reason that doubling the amount should result in him being arrested for bribery. There had to be some misunderstanding. And this misunderstanding must have been grave enough for the old Commissioner to decide he needed to be made an example of. But what could it be? Zhao An couldn’t think of anything; he had never even met the man before, so how could there be a misunderstanding?