Detective Di Renjie: The Mysterious Dynasty

Chapter 385: The Dragon Temporarily Stays in Shanggou Village

On the outskirts of Crouching Tiger Manor, Ge Tianba, together with Yun Gu and their men, went out on a boat and welcomed the boat of Hu Yun and others into the manor.

Far away from Wohu Village, about dozens of miles away in Shanggou Village, a small boat was swaying slowly in the sparkling waves, and finally reached the shore after many hardships.

Upon closer inspection, the boat had a very deep draft, as if it was loaded with too much cargo, making it difficult to steer.

"Come on! Try harder!" With a deep shout, a strong man at the bow jumped off the boat first and directed the sailors on the same boat to skillfully anchor the boat and dock it steadily.

The man had an honest face and was very strong. He was wearing a short water jacket and his hands were covered with calluses from pulling the oars.

He grew up by the local water. His name was Fang Jiu, and he was one of the boatmen who caused trouble in Shanggou Village.

The origins of the people on this boat are roughly the same as Fang Jiu's, except for one person who is different.

This man looked no more than thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, but his eyes were as calm as a still pond, as if he had seen all the ups and downs in the world, as if nothing could touch his heart anymore.

When the ship docked steadily, he jumped lightly onto the shore, followed by the sailors.

Everyone started to carry the heavy, wet sacks, but no one complained of being tired, and all of them looked excited.

Fang Jiu wiped the sweat from his forehead, walked towards the middle-aged man with joy, and said with a smile: "Brother Wang! You are really amazing. With this ship of food, the whole village can be saved."

Brother Wang smiled faintly, placed the Youlan Sword in his hand gently on the sack, and then easily picked up a bag of grain and carried it on his shoulder.
He swiftly carried another bag and said loudly, "Don't be polite. Let's quickly transport the food back to the village so that the villagers can eat it!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Jiu nodded excitedly and helped to move the things.

This Brother Wang is Hu Jinghui who has restored his original surname, and the sword he holds is the Youlan Sword.

He is a "dead" person and his real name can no longer be used, so it is convenient to restore his surname to Wang.

The group of people carried food and happily headed towards Shanggou Village.

However, in stark contrast to everyone's joy was the situation in Shanggou Village: the houses in Shanggou Village collapsed and it was almost in ruins.

It was noon, but there was no smoke coming out of the chimneys of any house in the village.

There was no sound in the village. All the leaves and barks of the trees near the village entrance had been looted, and all the edible things nearby had been eaten up.

A group of old, weak, women and children gathered together, picking up a bunch of wild vegetables and grass, preparing to fill their stomachs.

The faces of the young and old were thin and expressionless. No one said a word. They were not desperate, but they were hungry.

Until Fang Jiu and others returned with piles of white rice, the sound of joy also spread.

Hu Jinghui took off the sack on his shoulders, leaned on his sword, and looked at the villagers' lively expressions from afar, with a fascinated smile on his face.

His thoughts drifted back to the past, and the scene of his incognito visit to Daliushu Village in Youzhou with Di Renjie, Zhao Ji, and Li Yuanfang was still vivid in his mind.

The Daliushu Village at that time was so similar to the Shanggou Village today, and it is exactly the same at this moment.

The common people were also forced into a state of misery by the government. The young and middle-aged men all fled, while the old, weak, women and children were left behind as they could not escape.

It can be said that in just those few short days, Di Renjie completely changed Hu Jinghui's life.

"Chengyuan, where are you now? Where are the Lord and Yuanfang?" Hu Jinghui asked with a little melancholy.

At this time, Fang Jiu and several of his friends enthusiastically invited Hu Jinghui to have dinner with them. Hu Jinghui did not hesitate and followed them.
-
In fact, Zhao Ji and Di Renjie and his party had already quietly arrived in Yangzhou at this moment.

The two men just had a slight difference of opinion on whether to go directly into the city or to take the approach of a secret visit.

As always, Di Renjie prefers to go on a private visit first, visit the people and find out the truth.

This is what should happen, but since we caught a Zhang Zhi, it would be inconvenient to take him with us to the countryside.

In addition, when the imperial guards arrived in Yangzhou, Zhao Ji, the genuine imperial envoy, disappeared, so it could not be said that he was on a secret visit.

After much discussion, Di Renjie said to Zhao Ji with a smile, "Chengyuan, you should stay in Yangzhou and deal with Prince Ying and the officials of Yangzhou. With a prisoner in hand, you may have something to do."

"Yuan Fang and I will take Zhang Huan and the others to the Han Canal for a detailed investigation. With you in the open as a cover, they won't expect that I'm already in Yangzhou. We will definitely gain something from this trip."

This deployment was already quite comprehensive, but Zhao Ji was worried about the division of troops. After careful consideration, Zhao Ji finally sighed and agreed: "Well, the situation in Yangzhou is very different from that in Youzhou and Pingzhou in the past. You must be more cautious, my lord."

Li Yuanfang smiled and nodded: "Chengyuan has said this so many times along the way that my ears are almost callused from hearing it."

Zhao Ji smiled helplessly and shook his head: "It's better to be safe than sorry. I don't know why, but I always feel uneasy."

The leaders of the Iron Hand Group will certainly take action, and a fight is inevitable.

Either the blame lies with Zhao Ji, or with Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang, so he can't help but worry.

Di Renjie also smiled and patted Zhao Ji on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Yuan Fang and I will be careful. If the situation is not good, safety must be the first priority!"

Zhao nodded after hearing this, but didn't say anything more.
-
Shanggou Village, at the home of village elder Guo Laulu.

Hu Jinghui held a bowl of white rice in his hand and ate it with wild vegetables, enjoying it with relish.

Guo Laolu, who was sitting together, put down his bowl and chopsticks gently because of his old age and limited appetite.

"My benefactor, it's all thanks to you. If you hadn't rescued us several times, all the young and old in the village would have been captured by those damn people from Yangzhou government and would have starved to death!" Guo Laolu said with gratitude.

Hu Jinghui heard this and put down his bowl and chopsticks. He smiled and responded, "My dear father-in-law, you are too serious. There is a saying that when you see injustice, you should help. This is nothing. However, if this continues, it will not be a long-term solution. The villagers must find a way out as soon as possible!"

After hearing this, Guo Laolu couldn't help but sigh: "How can it be that easy? We, the canal farmers, have made our livings on the canal for generations, and we have no land to cultivate. Now that the canal salary has been withheld, how can we survive?"

"What's more, now Pang Si and his gang are causing trouble, many of them have become salt smugglers, and the government is surrounding them, so it's even more impossible for people like us to survive."

Hu Jinghui nodded slightly. He knew this very well.

So, he gave a solution: "When Fang Jiu and I went to the county town to buy food, we heard that the imperial envoy from the court would soon arrive in Yangzhou."

"Why not let Fang Jiu take a few people to Yangzhou to file a complaint and bring down the corrupt officials in the Yangzhou Canal Transport Office? Only then will the villagers have a way out!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Laolu did not respond immediately, but fell silent.

Fang Jiu put down his bowl and chopsticks, with a doubtful look in his eyes: "Officials protect each other. We have gone to the county town and the governor's mansion to file complaints many times before, but it was all in vain, and it even implicated many villagers. Is it any use to complain to that imperial envoy now?"

Hu Jinghui had no choice but to reveal his relationship with Zhao Ji: "Don't worry, I know this imperial envoy. He always cares about the people and hates evil."

"He is a prince of the imperial court, a high-ranking official. If he knew about your affairs, he would definitely not let the corrupt officials in Yangzhou go!"

Despite this, Fang Jiu and Guo Laolu still had a look of doubt on their faces.

Hu Jinghui saw this and couldn't help feeling helpless.

Officials of all ranks in Yangzhou have completely destroyed the government's credibility among the people.

The people who have suffered losses are not willing to believe that the government can make decisions for them, but instead fear it like a tiger.

Helplessly, he continued, "Do you know Di Renjie? This imperial envoy can be considered as Di Gong's student, and he is different from ordinary officials..."

Guo Laolu was just an ordinary citizen and might not know who Di Renjie was, but the "Hero Wang" before him had actually saved the lives of his fellow villagers.

Since Hu Jinghui is so sure, it is worth a try.

What's more, the villagers have no choice. Most of the young and strong laborers have fled, leaving only the elderly, the weak, women and children. If they do not seek change, they can only sit and wait for death.

So, Guo Laolu made up his mind: "Since you said so, you must have your reasons. Fang Jiu, I think you should make another trip to Yangzhou after working hard!"

Fang Jiu did not agree immediately, but raised his doubts: "Brother Wang, since you know this imperial envoy, why don't you go to Yangzhou in person?"

Hu Jinghui shook his head slightly, his tone firm: "No, if I leave, those minions of the government will come again, and the villagers will suffer again!"

Fang Jiu heard this and felt that Hu Jinghui's words made sense. He finally nodded and agreed: "Okay, I'll go to Yangzhou!"

Hu Jinghui finally smiled when he heard this: "Well, I still have some money, you can take it with you. I will also write you a letter, and when the time comes, you can give it to him, he will definitely help!"

(End of this chapter)