Thief Emperor

Chapter 1098 The Crying of Jinling

After the imperial edict was issued, the imperial envoy Qin Tong and the local official Zhang Sui carried it out readily.

With Lord Lu overseeing the case, all the criminals were in place within just over ten days.

In this major case, there were a dozen or so main culprits who were executed by the Jinling Prefecture without even waiting for the autumn execution.

These dozen or so ringleaders were actually the dozen or so people who touched the magistrate on the day he was kidnapped. They were all identified as ringleaders by the government and punished for treason.

For this crime of treason, the court showed leniency by killing only about ten people and not their families. However, their property was confiscated, and these families were forbidden from taking the imperial examinations or entering officialdom.

These dozen or so families were almost all educated, so they were unlikely to be poor. Although the family members were spared punishment and death, their property was confiscated, and the whole family might not have a good ending.

Moreover, if generations fail to pass the imperial examinations, they will have no chance to turn their lives around and will likely be bullied to death by their former enemies or even relatives.

Therefore, the imperial court's punishment this time can be said to be quite deterrent. Throughout the entire Jiangnan region, anyone who wants to oppose the imperial court will probably have to behave themselves after seeing the fate of these people.

Because of this major case, the new policies in Jiangdong Province and Jinling Prefecture were implemented more smoothly.

In the same year, His Majesty the Emperor issued an imperial edict to Nanjing, appointing Zhang Sui as the governor of Jiangdong and Nanjing Prefecture, setting a precedent for the governorship in the entire dynasty.

Of course, this governorship is currently only a temporary position.

Going forward, the post of governor, which involves sending officials to serve in the provinces, will likely become more and more frequent and eventually become a regular practice. However, this is definitely not something that will happen during the Zhangwu reign.

The governorship lasted for three years. As a protégé of the prime minister and the first governor of the dynasty, Zhang Sui worked very hard as governor.

With the kidnapping of officials as a "weathervane," he was no longer afraid of offending people. In addition, he was no longer the Prefect of Jinling and did not have to deal with local affairs. For three years, Zhang Sui devoted almost all his energy to the new policies.

And just like that, three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Unbeknownst to them, three years had passed, and it was now late autumn of the fourteenth year of Zhangwu.

That year, Zhang Sui's three-year term as governor was coming to an end, and he was about to go to Luoyang to report to His Majesty the Emperor.

Meanwhile, the trial period for the five-year new policy in Gangdong Province was only two or three months away, and the trial period would come to an end at the end of the year.

At this time, withered yellow leaves could be seen everywhere on the streets of Jinling City.

At the entrance of Zhang Sui's residence, several carriages were already ready to depart.

His nearly ten-year term in Gangnam Province is finally coming to an end.

At this moment, at the entrance of his residence, the three officials of Jiangdong Province and the newly appointed governor of Jinling were bowing and paying their respects to him.

The succeeding Prefect of Jinling was surnamed Chen and named Chen Hao. He had been in office for nearly three years.

At this moment, he bowed deeply to Zhang Sui, almost shedding tears: "With Lord Zhang gone, I am truly at a loss."

Zhang Sui tugged at his sleeve and said with a smile, "Once I, the governor, leave, won't Brother Chen be like a dragon entering the sea? From now on, you'll be the one who calls the shots in this secondary capital of the Tang Dynasty."

Chen Lingyin waved his hands repeatedly and said with a wry smile, "It is my honor to serve under Lord Zhang. How could I dare to have any other thoughts?"

"Moreover."

He cupped his hands towards the sky and said solemnly, "This world belongs to His Majesty. How can I, a humble official, have the authority to decide?"

Zhang Sui said speechlessly, "Alright, alright, I've already resigned, there's no need to say more about this."

He sighed and said, "I don't know if I'll be able to answer to His Majesty and my mentor when I go to Luoyang."

"Fortune and misfortune are unpredictable."

This seemingly casual remark about "mentor" made Chen Lingyin even more respectful. He flattered Chen several times before saying with a smile, "If you go to Luoyang, you might become a high-ranking official in the government the following year. Director Hu of the Maritime Trade Office has prepared a banquet for you. You must have this banquet before you leave."

Zhang Sui waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave today. I need to get to Luoyang before the twelfth lunar month to report to His Majesty and my mentor."

At this point, he looked at the officials present and said solemnly, "Gentlemen, after I go there, Jiangdong must remain as it is now. The imperial court is keeping a close eye on Jiangdong."

"Your Majesty has also been watching Jiangdong."

“If Jiangdong is different after I go there, then I am deceiving the emperor. If I am deceiving the emperor, none of you will be in a good position.”

Everyone quickly lowered their heads: "This humble official dares not."

Just as everyone was exchanging pleasantries and Zhang Sui was about to board the carriage, a woman in tattered clothes and disheveled hair stumbled over, then knelt heavily on the ground, crying out, "Master Zhang! Master Zhang!"

"My husband didn't run into Magistrate Liang! He didn't run into Magistrate Liang!"

She knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.

Zhang Sui, who was exchanging pleasantries with some colleagues, frowned immediately upon hearing this voice. Chen Lingyin, who was standing next to him, also frowned deeply. He was about to order his guards to chase the crazy woman away when Zhang Sui waved his hand to stop them.

Zhang Sui walked up to the woman with his hands behind his back, looked down at her kneeling on the ground, wailing incessantly, remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and sighed, "Three years ago, the Jinling Prefecture and the Imperial Envoy jointly investigated the case. Your husband was implicated in it, charged with treason. If it weren't for the court's leniency, your entire family would have been implicated." "How many times have you come here to cause trouble these past few years?"

Zhang Sui said in a low voice, "Out of a bit of compassion, I haven't used any methods against you. Now that I'm about to leave my post and return to the capital, if you continue to cause trouble like this after I leave, do you think the government will tolerate you?"

"Go home quickly and stop fooling around."

It was already cold, and the woman shivered. But she was educated and knew the dangers. Although she was afraid, she still lowered her head and cried through gritted teeth, "That day, I saw them causing trouble with my own eyes. My husband just went into Jinling City with them and he definitely didn't meet Master Liang!"

Zhang Sui angrily said, "At that time, the government obtained more than a hundred confessions, and seven or eight people identified your husband as the one who kidnapped Magistrate Liang. Afterwards, your husband also signed and fingerprinted the confession, but he still tried to deny it!"

The woman knelt on the ground and cried, "He didn't know how serious it was! He didn't know how serious it was!"

She cried bitterly, "How could he have known? He'd be beheaded and his property confiscated! He'd beheaded and his property confiscated!"

Seeing her pitiful state, Zhang Sui said helplessly, "If you don't know the dangers, you can't rebel."

The woman shook her head repeatedly: "He didn't plot rebellion, he didn't plot rebellion..."

"What this humble woman means is..."

The woman, tears streaming down her face, said, "He didn't know the gravity of the situation, so he signed and put his fingerprint on the document without understanding what was going on. I saw him in jail; he had no idea at the time that this was such a grave crime..."

Zhang Sui remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and sighed, "If that's really the case, he brought it on himself. Go home quickly and don't cause any more trouble."

"Otherwise, you'll also get a beating."

The woman sat on the ground, weeping uncontrollably: "My husband is dead, and my family is ruined..."

"Where can this woman go back to?"

At this moment, the autumn wind swept by, ruffling Zhang Sui's clothes. The Jiangdong governor stood with his hands behind his back, unable to utter a word for a long time.

When imperial edicts are implemented, they are often tinged with blood and tears; there's no way around it.

Zhang Sui glanced back at his subordinates, but the officials pretended not to see him.

This is an ironclad case that the imperial court has already decided; no one can overturn it, not even His Majesty the Emperor himself.

Overturning the verdict would be like slapping yourself in the face.

Moreover, there is nothing wrong with this case; all the procedures are correct.

The only one who can overturn the verdict is a successor emperor, but even a successor emperor is unlikely to overturn the verdict against Emperor Li, the founding emperor.

Just as Zhang Sui was about to speak, a fine horse galloped over from not far away, and a man in his thirties dismounted. The man was dressed in blue and had a handsome appearance.

He walked up to the wailing woman, looked up at Zhang Sui, and finally squatted down, saying calmly, "The past is the past. You are still alive, which is already a blessing."

“A silk workshop in the west of the city is hiring.”

The man said, "I know the owner of that workshop. Go home first, and you can start working in that workshop in a few days."

“From now on, the owner of this workshop will take care of your family.”

After saying this, the man stood up, shook his head, and said, "Just live a good life."

After he finished speaking, Zhang Suicai led a group of officials to bow and pay their respects to the middle-aged man.

"Greetings, Lord Lu!"

Upon hearing this title, the woman who had been wailing stopped crying and stared blankly at Lord Lu.

Lord Lu returned the greeting with clasped hands and said calmly, "Gentlemen, there's no need for such formalities."

After bowing, he looked at Zhang Sui and said with a smile, "Is Zhang Zhongcheng setting off for the capital today?"

When Zhang Sui became governor, his official position was Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, the same position as the previous Imperial Envoy Qin Tong.

Zhang Sui nodded quickly and said with a smile, "I'll be leaving today."

Lord Lu smiled and said, "It's just right. I've served two terms as the Salt Transport Commissioner, and this year my term is coming to an end, so I need to go back to Luoyang to report back."

"How about I return to Luoyang with the Censor?"

"To be able to travel with the Marquis."

Zhang Sui's eyes flickered, then he lowered his head deeply.

"I couldn't ask for more."

(End of this chapter)