The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

"I want to meet Wang Xiaojing's family."

Pan Jun raised his eyebrows, glanced at Lu Yuan, and stood up and said, "Please follow me."

Pan Yun led the two of them to the backyard.

They were playing mahjong in the backyard, and Wang Xiaomei was running around the yard dragging a broom.

Seeing Pan Yun, she dropped her broom and rushed over to hug her legs, looking up with the brightest smile: "Little Master Uncle——"

Pan Yun smiled and touched her head, and introduced Yu Qian to the Wang family: "This is our guest from Sanqing Mountain."

The Wang family members did not show any strange expressions because of the two men's tattered clothes. They did not even ask where Yu Qian came from or what he did. They just warmly invited the two to sit down.

Pan Yun used the excuse that she had something to do in the front yard and gave the space to them.

Yu Qian rolled up his sleeves, sat down and rubbed the hemp rope with them, and asked slowly, "How old are you, father-in-law?"

Wang Laozhang had wrinkles on his face and smiled, "I can't remember if I'm sixty-two or sixty-one. Sometimes time goes by too fast, and sometimes it goes by too slow. I'm confused myself."

Pan Yun returned to the front yard to get medicine. A yamen runner came over with a gong and rang it: "New rules of the county government: Anyone who enters the city today must leave before sunset and are not allowed to stay in the city!"

Without waiting for the people to make a scene, the bailiff shouted, "Leave the city or go to jail, you can choose one. This is the order of the county magistrate!"

Everyone was angry but dared not say anything, and just looked at the bailiff in silence.

The yamen runner turned to face Pan Yun and changed his expression: "Pan Miaozhu, with so many people, can we finish watching it before sunset?"

Pan Yun nodded and said, "It should be possible."

The bailiff heaved a sigh of relief and complained in a low voice: "It's not that I'm evil, it's really a death order from the higher-ups. It's better to leave the city than to be caught in jail."

Pan Yun asked, "Is this what Master Wu meant?"

After drinking Peach Blossom Drunk, she didn’t think Cai Sheng would be able to sober up today.

"That's right. Fortunately, the city gates were sealed and people were allowed to leave but not enter an hour ago. Otherwise, it would be a problem to drive so many people out of the city. If things go wrong, there will be a big chaos."

Pan Yun asked calmly, "Why are you chasing them away? Are the rebels coming?"

"No, the rebels are still in Sanhu Village," the yamen runner looked around and whispered to Pan Yun, "The imperial envoy is coming, and the higher-ups want to make a good impression on him."

That's it. Your county government just threw the imperial envoy out of the county government today.

Pan Yun smiled at the yamen runner and said, "I understand."

The bailiff left, and then Pan Yun and his colleagues gave the people medicine and told them to leave the city quickly.

The villagers agreed one by one and did not dare to confront the county government. They just took the medicine and left.

The surroundings gradually became quiet, and when Yu Qian came out from the backyard with red eyes, there were not many people left in the yard.

Yu Qian stood by the door and watched quietly. He also heard the yamen runners beating drums and gongs.

Pan Yun asked him, "Master Yu, are you staying here tonight, or do you have other plans?"

Without waiting for Lu Yuan to speak, Yu Qian immediately said, "Sorry to bother you tonight."

Pan Yun nodded slightly and asked him to stay.

Lu Yuan could only temporarily entrust him to Pan Yun, and then went out. He came back with a bag fifteen minutes later.

At the same time, Pan Jun felt several gazes falling on him.

She swept her eyes across the roof, corners and tree branches. She was very familiar with this feeling. During the trip to Japan, Chen Liutao and Qu Zhixing had been staring at her like this from the beginning. Later, after she stared back at them a few times, they knew they could no longer hide, so they dared not stare at her anymore.

Pan Jun lowered his head and smiled. It seemed that Chen Liutao and the other man did not remind their colleagues.

Miaohe had finished examining the patient and was packing up the needle bag and pulse pillow while craning her neck to look around.

Tao Yanbai gave her a slap on the head: "Be serious, what are you doing?"

Miaohe whispered, "It always feels weird, like someone is staring at me."

When Tao Yanbai heard this, he turned his head and looked around with her.

Pan Yun saw it from a distance, but did not warn them. It was not until the people hiding in the dark stopped staring at them that she called Tao Yanbai and Miaohe, "Come here."

The two ran over happily.

Pan Yun pointed at Yu Qian and Lu Yuan and said, "These are distinguished guests. Find a guest room and let them settle down. We will have something delicious tonight."

Miaohe happily agreed and took Yu Qian and the others to the guest room.

That was another yard in the backyard. Yu Qian had just washed and changed his clothes and came out when he saw a little girl hiding behind the gate and staring at him.

Yu Qian walked forward with a smile, and just as he was about to extend his hand, she turned and ran away.

After running a few steps, Wang Feiyin picked him up and said, "Xiaoyi, be careful not to fall!"

Yu Qian and Wang Feiyin greeted him and looked at the child in his arms curiously: "There seems to be something wrong with this child."

Wang Feiyin: "She was reluctant to speak and was a little timid."

Yu Qian: "Why don't you want to speak?"

"When the rebels entered the city, there was chaos. Some people took advantage of the situation and abducted many children and women. The brothers and sisters who had taken care of her got separated that day and no one knew where they went. She was abandoned at home and almost starved to death. Although she was saved, she refused to speak and couldn't leave home alone."

She used to follow Pan Yun, Miao He and others, but later when they had to go out to provide disaster relief, she habitually followed Wang Feiyin.

Now he no longer clamors to follow Pan Yun, but only follows Wang Feiyin.

Dreaming back to the stage of raising children.

At this moment, Wang Feiyin missed the second brother very much.

Yu Qian was a little sad and asked, "What do the local villagers think of the rebels?"

"I felt hatred and sympathy. More than half of the two thousand people were from Yushan County. They were related to each other and everyone knew why they rebelled. After the siege, Magistrate Cai arrested many of the rebels' families. There was wailing in the city, and people pleading for their families lined the streets."

In other words, most villagers sympathized with the rebels.

I'm afraid that rather than hating the rebels who directly brought the disaster, they hated Cai Sheng who forced the people to rebel even more.

Yu Qian's face was as gloomy as water.

That night, Yu Qian wrote a letter to Lu Yuan and asked him to send someone to deliver it to the capital immediately. The next morning, the Jinyiwei were waiting outside the door, and Yu Qian took them to the county government office as soon as he left.

At this time, Cai Sheng, who rarely got up early, was waiting at the city gate with his men.

Yu Qian strode into the county government office and said to the stunned clerk, "Call Cai Sheng."

Lu Yuan added: "The Imperial Envoy has arrived, why don't you pay your respects to him!"

The clerk knelt down hurriedly and couldn't help but glance at his hanging arm: I wonder if the imperial envoy will give me the medical expenses if I ask him now...

When Cai Sheng heard the report from the yamen runner, his eyes widened instantly and he quickly asked the lieutenant general, "When did the imperial envoy arrive?"

The lieutenant general looked puzzled and said, "I don't know. I strictly followed the order of Magistrate Cai. I opened the city gate only after you came. No one entered the city this morning."

Cai Sheng was so anxious that he stamped his feet and asked, "What about yesterday? Did the imperial envoy enter the city yesterday?"

"I don't know," the lieutenant general looked bewildered. "Many people entered the city yesterday, but I didn't see any strange officials coming in or out."

"Oh, he must be visiting incognito. Why don't you keep an eye on him?"

The lieutenant general's face turned cold: "County Magistrate Cai, although I am a military officer, my rank is higher than yours. Although I was ordered to come here to defend the city and must cooperate with you, you can't give orders to me. I was guarding here yesterday, but where were you, County Magistrate Cai?"

Cai Sheng opened his mouth. He was awake early this morning, and as soon as he woke up, the sky fell and the earth cracked.

He remembered everything in the dream!

It was as if he had lived his whole life in a dream, and that beautiful dream seemed so real. So when he woke up, he found that he was still the magistrate of Yushan County, but he had let Wang Xiaojing's family go in a daze. The gap of shock was so great that he almost fainted this morning.

Master Wu pinched his fingers and stressed again and again: "If you leave a bad impression on the Imperial Envoy, he will report you to His Majesty. Even with your brother-in-law's help, it will be dangerous."

Cai Sheng, who had lived a life of high officialdom and wealth in his dreams, finally pulled himself together, changed his clothes, and went to the city gate to meet someone.

Hearing that a mere sixth-rank lieutenant general dared to order him around, Cai Sheng told himself to be patient. This was different from his dream, and he couldn't help but get angry. In his dream, he was the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, and even the emperor had to give him some courtesy!
It was with this feeling of separation that Cai Sheng rushed back to the county government office to meet Yu Qian.

The lieutenant general didn't know what Yu Qian was like, and he was almost furious at Cai Sheng's contemptuous look.

He did not agree with the other party and directly ordered people to open the city gates to let the people enter the city, and then he went to see the imperial envoy angrily.

Humph, he wants to report the situation of the rebels to the imperial envoy.

Before coming, even two days ago, he was still in favor of fighting!
After all, winning a battle is a military achievement.

As lieutenant generals stationed in the Jiangnan garrison, it was difficult for them to get opportunities to make military achievements.

Their daily routine was to station troops to farm, conduct patrols and military training, and they were occasionally seconded to suppress bandits.

So, this opportunity is rare.

However, two days ago he received news that the suppression of the rebellion in Fujian was not going smoothly. Not only had the rebels not been contained, but the rebels had killed two lieutenant generals, two county magistrates, and captured two cities.

If the army sent by the imperial court is in such a state, what about these local garrisons who usually just wield hoes to farm?
The lieutenant general and Song Dalin had fought, but their encounter was brief.

When they arrived, Song Dalin had already searched Yushan County thoroughly, but did not find Cai Sheng. He then robbed the county government's warehouse and escaped through another city gate. They fought briefly and then completed the battle to capture the city.

Later, he surrounded the mountain, and Song Dalin counterattacked from the high ground. Both sides suffered losses. Although the lieutenant general reported that the other side suffered heavy losses, he knew in his heart that their losses were even greater.

So, if Song Dalin is like the group of rebels in Fujian, what if he becomes more courageous as the fighting goes on, and his territory becomes larger and more powerful?
By then, let alone making any contribution, he might not even be able to save his life.

So, Cai Sheng wanted to surrender, and he also wanted to surrender.

Now it depends on whether Yu Qian agrees or not.

Cai Sheng hurried to the county government office, but when he saw the gate of the county government office, he paused and turned to go to the charity house.

Lieutenant General: ...

He gritted his teeth and followed behind to the Yiyuan.

Because the county government notified yesterday that the city gates were closed and no one would be allowed to enter the city, Wang Feiyin asked Pan Yun and others to cut and prepare medicinal herbs early in the morning, while he lay on a recliner, fanning himself leisurely.

Little Eleven snuggled up to him, opening her mouth from time to time, and Wang Feiyin would peel a melon seed and give it to her.

Cai Sheng rushed in. Everyone looked up at him, then silently lowered their heads and continued to work without standing up to salute.

Pan Yun was the most polite, because she raised the knife in her hand and waved it to greet him: "Mr. Cai, the noble man has stepped on my humble land, which brings honor to my humble home."

Then he lowered his head to cut herbs and asked casually, "What can I do for you, Magistrate Cai?"

Cai Sheng rushed forward and asked in a low voice, "I asked you to go find Song Dalin and Wang Xiaojing the night before last. What did they say?"

Pan Yun was surprised: "I waited for you for a long time yesterday but you didn't come. I thought you didn't care about this matter anymore."

"Stop talking nonsense. Have Song Dalin and Wang Xiaojing agreed to surrender?" Cai Sheng asked anxiously.

Pan Yun looked embarrassed: "They are willing to consider it, but they have conditions, and they are quite harsh. I don't think you will agree, so..."

Cai Sheng's eyes widened: "You refused?"

"No, no," Pan Yun said quickly, "This is a big deal. How dare I, a humble commoner, make the decision for you?"

Cai Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and asked solemnly, "What are their conditions?"

Pan Yun proposed ten conditions: "First, exempt Yushan County from extra labor such as sedan chair drivers, night watchmen, cleaners, and express delivery shops; second, exempt this year's additional two-cent tax silver, and guarantee that no additional taxes will be levied within three years..."

All of these hit Cai Sheng's nails. Before she could finish, Cai Sheng jumped up and shouted, "This is impossible! Troublemakers! Troublemakers! They are really abominable!"

Pan Yun stopped cutting herbs, looked at him and sighed, "I also feel that you are not capable of meeting these conditions. It seems that the recruitment will not be successful. But the imperial envoy seems to have arrived. I vaguely heard that he arrived yesterday and entered the city among the disaster victims. No one knows what he heard and how much he believed..."

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Cai Sheng's back, making him tremble. He felt regretful and hateful: "I shouldn't have let Wang Xiaojing's family go..."

Otherwise, with Wang Xiaojing's family in hand, even if they refuse to surrender, he can try to use the hostages to threaten them. Perhaps he can take down the entire rebel army without surrendering. Wouldn't this be a greater achievement?
This way, some mistakes can be covered up.

When Pan Yun saw his eyes rolling around, she knew that he had not made up his mind.

She smiled softly and spoke to the lieutenant general behind him, "Lieutenant General Fang, I heard that the suppression of the rebellion in Fujian was not going smoothly. Even the army sent by the court failed."

Admiral Fang nodded.

Pan Yun sighed and said, "I wonder if the imperial court will punish the Fujian governor. I heard that he was a corrupt official. This time Deng Maoqi rebelled in Fujian because he did not care about things, condoned the gentry and landlords to impose taxes, and allowed the silver mine officials to abuse the miners. Is this the government forcing the people to rebel?"

Before Lieutenant General Fang could say anything, Cai Sheng had already shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about! This is clearly a rebellion by unruly people!"

Pan Yun smiled and said, "Although the court is now focusing on suppressing the rebellion, the war has been defeated again and again. If Your Majesty is angry, the court will have to investigate the reason, right? Even if Song Zhang is Wang Zhen's man, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to keep his position as the governor~~" (End of this chapter)