The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

The officials of Guangzhou Prefecture were all on tenterhooks, waiting for Xue Shao to explode, wondering where he would burn and on whom.
All morning, the provincial administration office, the prefectural government office, and the county government office were very quiet. Officials subconsciously shuffled their feet when they came and went, afraid that making loud footsteps would break the law and attract Xue Shao's attention.

The military officers from the Regional Military Commission and the Thousand-Household Garrison stood with their arms crossed, watching the spectacle unfold. They even approached Cao Rong and urged, "Sir, why don't you go to the Provincial Administration Commission and see what this is all about?"

Cao Rong was also amused. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Go if you want to, but don't go too far. If you offend those civil officials, they might cause trouble for us later."

The military officers happily agreed and rode off to the Provincial Administration Office to see what was going on: "It's lunchtime, let's invite them to lunch."

As they walked onto the main street of the Provincial Administration Office, before they even dismounted, they saw a tall, upright young man walking out of the Provincial Administration Office accompanied by Song Hao, the Prefect of Guangzhou, followed by a string of civil officials.

The military officers exchanged glances. Had things been arranged?

Wasn't Xue Shao supposed to be upright and incorruptible, a tough guy who wouldn't budge no matter what?
The thought had barely crossed their minds when several men, dressed in tattered short jackets and trousers, and only wearing straw sandals, stepped past them and knelt before the gate of the Provincial Administration Office. Holding a petition aloft, they cried out, "Your Honor, we have been wronged! We beg the Censor to redress our grievances!"

The military officers' eyes lit up, and they all became excited. They quickly dismounted, grabbed their whips, and stared intently at the scene.

Xue Shao stood on the steps, looking down at Xi Jin, and said, "Go and get the petition."

Xi Jin agreed and stepped forward to take the petition.

Xue Shao skimmed through the text. The kneeling man was as thin as a bamboo pole, his back hunched. As Xue Shao looked at him, the man recounted, "I am Qian Hui, a military household. My ancestors were ordered to move to Guangdong to garrison in the thirteenth year of the Hongwu reign. In the first year of the Xuande reign, I followed the army to quell the rebellion in Annam. It wasn't until the third year of the Xuande reign, when the court abandoned Annam, that I returned to Guangdong with the army. In the fourth and fifth years of the Xuande reign, Japanese pirates invaded, and I also fought against them. In September of the fifth year of the Xuande reign, I injured my thigh during a battle against the pirates, making it difficult for me to return to the battlefield. The Thousand Households Office allocated land to me for military garrisoning. However, the fifty mu of land that was supposed to be allocated to me was reduced to five mu. That's not all. My family also has to give two Thousand Households and one Deputy General sixty mu of land to cultivate every year. If we don't complete this task, we won't even be able to cultivate our own five mu of land. And the Thousand Households Office also assigns us military rations every year. This is different from what my ancestors called military garrisoning. That's not what Emperor Taizu Gaozu said!"

Qian Hui shouted, "Back then, Emperor Taizu told our ancestors that it was an honor to be a soldier, as it allowed one to defend the country and protect one's family!"

"The imperial court allocates land, provides grain and seeds, and distributes farming tools to us military households. Even if there are oxen, military households get priority over free households. We are soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and also soldiers of the Zhu family!" Qian Hui said. "If we die on the battlefield, the imperial court and the army will support our wives, children, and elderly parents. If one person is a military household, the whole family is a military household. Every family is like brothers and sisters, helping each other. If we are crippled or disabled, the imperial court will also take care of us. In short, as long as the imperial court exists, military households will never lack food!"

"That's why my ancestors followed Emperor Gaozu in conquering the world. At the emperor's command, they didn't hesitate at all and were directly incorporated into the military households, leaving their homeland and traveling thousands of miles to this damp and phlegmy place. But, but where is our land? Where is our way of survival?" Qian Hui stretched out his chapped hands and questioned Xue Shao: "Imperial Censor Xue, did the emperor break his promise and betray us military households, or is there someone in between who deceived both the emperor and us?"

"We beg the righteous censor to give us the truth and justice!" Qian Hui slammed his fist down, his forehead hitting the floor tiles with a dull thud.

The sound seemed to strike Xue Shao's heart. He gently closed the petition and said in a deep voice, "I have accepted your petition. Men, take them to the yamen. I want to question them in detail!"

Song Hao was drenched in cold sweat, but he had no choice but to lower his head and agree. He didn't even eat lunch and had someone take the group to the government office.

The military officers' mouths gaped open as they realized, "Is this a prelude to our attack?"

"Military households?" A lieutenant general's face turned cold, and he asked in a deep voice, "Which commander's jurisdiction is this?"

They all went to see the five ragged soldiers who had been taken away, and their whips cracked with anger.

Is this outfit deliberately made to look so tattered?
They didn't believe that there were really soldiers living like that!

"It must be the civil officials; they're trying to get us!"

"That's right, the one surnamed Xue is a civil official. They're ganging up on us! Let's go back and find the commander!"

"go!"

The military officers glared fiercely at the gate of the Provincial Administration Office, then turned around, mounted their horses, and rode away.

The provincial administration officials and the prefectural officials hurriedly chased after Song Hao and reported in a low voice: "Lord Song, there were several military officers in front of the gate just now, and they all saw it."

Song Hao glanced at Xue Shao's retreating figure and whispered, "I'm not blind. They came to watch our show, but they ended up making a scene for themselves."

"They went back to report the news, this..."

"Never mind," Song Hao glanced at Xue Shao's figure as he walked into the prefectural government office and said in a low voice, "It's better to take the blame for others than to take the blame for our own people. Or do you want to lie on the chopping block in place of these military officers?"

The group quickly shook their heads.

Song Hao said, "It's right that you don't want to. One person's energy is limited. It's better for Xue Shao to deal with those military officers than to keep an eye on us. Just cooperate with whatever he wants to do."

"Lord Song, are you saying that these people were summoned by Xue Shao?"

"Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that he showed up at the Provincial Administration Office and someone came to file a complaint right afterward?" Song Hao said meaningfully, "This Imperial Censor Xue doesn't follow the usual path. He loves to do incognito visits. He only appeared today, but who knows how long he's been infiltrating Guangzhou Prefecture?"

"Perhaps he has already figured out Guangzhou Prefecture. He wants to establish military households. It seems that the people in the Guangdong Provincial Military Commission have really angered him. As far as I know, since he started inspecting Jiangnan, he has only dealt with local government officials and has never interfered in military and political affairs."

"It's not appropriate for him to interfere; that should be a matter for the Five Military Commands..."

Song Hao glanced at him and said, "But he was specially ordered to conduct inspections, which included military inspections."

Seeing that Xue Shao had already entered the main hall of the prefectural government office, Song Hao quickly quickened his pace to catch up, and said with a smile, "Lord Xue, I've sent someone to arrange lunch. Would you like to eat first, or..."

"Let's take them along and have a meal together," Xue Shao said, glancing at the five men standing to the side. Although they were ragged, thin, and hunched over, they still possessed the air of soldiers, exuding a sense of composure.

An Chen chose good people. Although they were in hardship, they still had courage, and it was precisely because of this courage that they dared to come up to him.

At this moment, Pan Yun and An Chen were standing in a restaurant diagonally opposite the prefectural government office.

All the government offices of Guangzhou Prefecture were located in one place. Except for the Regional Military Commissioner's Office, which was on the next street, the county government offices, the prefectural government offices, and the provincial administration offices were all on this street.

So they witnessed everything from their private room on the second floor of the restaurant.

Pan Yun took a bite of a grape, squinted at its sourness, and then casually popped the last one into Pan Xiaohei's mouth, asking An Chen, "Are the people you found in such a short time reliable?"

“The Imperial Guards can be handled with complete confidence, Grand Preceptor,” An Chen said. “Although the time is short, their efficiency is uncompromising.”

He said, "Cao Rong and his men are fearless. The soldiers at the bottom and the garrison troops are living a very hard life. Last night, we found the account books and looked for the military garrisons that had collected more money and grain over the years. We compared them with what was said in the letter. It turns out that some military households in the military garrisons have been secretly contacting the soldiers of the thousand-household garrison, planning to rebel. If we follow that direction, we will find them every time."

They were about to rebel when the Imperial Guards came knocking, offering them a way out. Naturally, they seized the opportunity.

It could be said that they wanted to kill Cao Rong and his group even more than the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Pan Yun nodded in satisfaction, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of someone coming out of the county government office not far away. She immediately turned around and said, "I'm not eating. See you later."

After saying that, she picked up Pan Xiaohei and left.

An Chen took two steps after her: "Grand Preceptor, where are you going?" Pan Yun waved her hand and ran downstairs and disappeared. He could neither chase after her nor shout loudly. He could only walk to the window and watch her drift away in a few steps and disappear from sight in no time.

The third son also squeezed through the window to watch, exclaiming in amazement, "The Imperial Advisor's lightness skill is truly amazing."

An Chen glanced at him and asked, "Why did the Imperial Advisor leave?"

"Oh, I was just squatting on the roof, and I think I saw the Grand Preceptor's eldest nephew come out of the county government office."

"Wang Cong?" An Chen frowned. "What's he doing here?"

The third brother said matter-of-factly, "Isn't it normal for him to be here? Wang Cong left Quanzhou in August and sailed south to Guangzhou."

An Chen: "Did you report it?"

"I reported it!" the third brother exclaimed excitedly. "I reported it immediately!"

"Oh, I know, boss, did you forget to check it?"

"Shut up," An Chen thought for a moment about what he had been doing during that time. Oh, it was the emperor's birthday celebration. He stayed in the capital to assist Yun Yan.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he was so busy that he didn't pay attention to the intelligence they sent back to the capital.

An Chen let out a breath, mentally reviewed his dereliction of duty, and then ordered, "Follow them and see what they're up to."

The third brother watched him quietly.

An Chen met his gaze, paused, and then changed her mind: "Forget it, you can't keep an eye on him anyway. Just investigate Wang Cong and see what he's doing in Guangzhou Prefecture."

Third brother: "Boss, Wang Cong is just a Taoist priest who does business. Isn't it more important to deal with Cao Rong right now?"

“Just go when we tell you to,” An Chen said. “That’s called having a holistic view. The Cao Rong matter involves a wide range of issues, and we have to make sure that nothing goes wrong.”

The third brother's eyes were full of doubt, clearly not understanding what this had to do with staring at Wang Cong.

An Chen said, "Wang Cong is different from us. He sailed south in a sea ship. His identity is no secret. He is the grand-nephew of the Imperial Advisor. If Cao Rong has many connections with maritime trade, do you think he might contact Wang Cong?"

“The Imperial Advisor is not Xue Shao. If her attitude changes, things will be terrible.” An Chen sighed. “I only dared to agree to Xue Shao’s actions against Cao Rong and his gang because of the Imperial Advisor’s support. If the Imperial Advisor breaks off the alliance, we need to prepare early.”

"That's impossible. The Imperial Advisor isn't that kind of person."

An Chen: "I'll say it again: the Imperial Advisor is a good person, but she's not Xue Shao. She does things on a whim. How do you know she won't show favoritism to her relatives and friends?"

"Okay, I'll go check on Wang Cong right now."

"Start investigating from the day he stepped into Guangzhou. Make sure you find out the truth!"

Meanwhile, Pan Yun was following Wang Cong through a maze of alleyways when he pushed open a door and entered a courtyard.

Pan Yun stood in front of the door, looked up, and raised her hand to knock.

The door opened unexpectedly in front of her. Wang Cong, sword in hand, stood there with a cold expression. When he saw it was Pan Yun, his hand on the hilt paused: "Junior Martial Uncle?"

Wang Xiaojing and the others, who were lined up in two rows behind him holding swords and clubs, were overjoyed: "Junior Uncle!"

The other men didn't care and all followed Wang Cong in calling him Junior Uncle.

Pan Jun didn't mind, waved her hand to indicate her agreement, and carried Pan Xiaohei across the threshold into the courtyard.

She glanced around and saw that the yard was fairly large, but clothes were hanging everywhere on ropes. She asked, "What are you doing? Who did you think came to visit?"

Wang Cong sheathed his sword, which had been extended by one finger, and cheerfully circled around her: "Nobody, I just noticed someone was following me and thought I was being robbed. Junior Martial Aunt, what brings you to Guangzhou Prefecture? How did you get here?"

Pan Yun glared at him and said, "I flew here! What do you care how I got here? I'm asking you, where's your boat?"

Wang Cong opened his mouth.

Pan Yun had already walked around the entire courtyard, and when she finally saw five rows of washing tubs in the backyard, she was taken aback: "What's this?"

Wang Cong said, "This is our new business, Junior Uncle, would you like to try the quality?"

Pan Yun threw Pan Xiaohei down and said, "Go and try it."

Wang Cong exclaimed in surprise, "Xiao Hei is this amazing now?"

"It's progressing very quickly, but what about you? Has your cultivation improved?"

Wang Cong: "...Junior Uncle, we've only been apart for a few months, how could you have made progress so quickly?"

Pan Yun gave him a careful look, then looked at Wang Xiaojing, Song Dalin and the others. Seeing that they had all lost weight, she sighed and said, "Never mind, I'll treat you to a meal."

Wang Xiaojing and the others cheered.

Just then, Wang Cong and the others hadn't had lunch yet. Pan Jun left Pan Xiaohei behind, stuffed a yellow talisman folded into a triangle into the corner of the door, and left them all behind, closing the door and going to eat.

Wang Cong glanced back, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing and silently followed Pan Yun.

Wang Cong and his group had been in Guangzhou for some time. Apart from staying at an inn for the first few days, they had been renting a place there ever since and were very familiar with the restaurants and eateries in the area.

Led by Song Dalin, they arrived at a small restaurant, and because there were so many people, they booked the entire restaurant.

One advantage of booking a restaurant is that, in addition to enjoying the restaurant's signature dishes, you can also order the dishes you want to eat.

Pan Yun tossed a silver ingot to the shopkeeper, letting them make their own. She then pulled Wang Cong to a seat by the window on the second floor, raised her chin, and asked, "Tell me, what happened?" (End of Chapter)