Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 241 The Heart to Be Destroyed

Some gentry families and the prefect of Wuchang had been arrested at the site of the Chu riot.

People in Zhejiang did not know that Xu Yinghuang had been arrested, but they knew that the governor of Yingtian had already gone to Suzhou Prefecture and arrested the Song family and two other families, all of whom were large families that had close ties with Li Cai.

However, Liu Yuanlin, the governor of Zhejiang, was very uneasy because the cavalry of the Xiaoling Guard did not stroll to the five prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Lake Tai, but went all the way to Hangzhou and Ningbo.

Of course he also received the letter from the Inspection Office and knew what it was about.

The person in front of him now is very inconspicuous, but he dare not neglect him.

"Fei Bai is the supervisor of the Nanzhili school. This time I came to Zhejiang. I wonder why..."

Xiong Tingbi smiled and took out a document from his sleeve: "The gentry take an examination every three years. After all, I passed the examination last year, so there is not much to do this year. Because I was born in Jiangxia, and I was transferred from the military department to the Nanzhili School Supervisor, Governor Li requested to transfer me and ordered me to follow the Xiaoling Guard Cavalry for training. This time I came here to discuss with the governor about the crossing into Jiangxi."

Liu Yuanlin's heart was beating fast as he looked at the official document.

If you want to communicate, why don't you come earlier and wait until they have entered the country?
When Liu Yuanlin heard him say that he was "born in Jiangxia", he looked at him deeply after reading the document and asked tentatively: "Is it about... the Chu vassal?"

Xiong Tingbi shook his head and said, "That is not my business. Governor Liu, I will first report the Xiaoling Guards' planned marching schedule and camping schedule..."

Liu Yuanlin listened to him, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Taizhou, Wenzhou...

Doesn't this basically mean going around Hangzhou and then returning to Nanjing via Huizhou Prefecture?
Liu Yuanlin also heard something wrong: "Stay in Yanzhou Prefecture for five days?"

Quzhou Prefecture is not very large and is adjacent to Huizhou Prefecture. Although it is more difficult to walk due to the many mountains, it takes five days...

"Yes, only stay for five days."

Liu Yuanlin looked at him, wondering why the word "only" was added.

After thinking about it again, he realized that they had to go around a circle to get to Yanzhou Prefecture, but they didn't pass through Jinhua Prefecture in the middle...

So he bowed and said, "My dear nephew, Zhejiang Province complied with the imperial edict and the imperial decree last year and returned nearly three million taels of stolen goods. The Xiaoling Guards made a special trip to Zhejiang Province, and there must be a reason for it. I would like to ask for your advice. Zhejiang Province, everyone, dares not let down the imperial court's expectations."

He said: The problems we had in the past may have been big, but since we were willing to do what we did last year, we will never forget the word loyalty.

Now you are doing this openly, and you are just short of saying that there is a problem in Zhejiang. But what is the problem? I, the governor, don’t know it yet. Is it because I have a problem?

But I have no problem with Chu Fan's matter!

Liu Yuanlin and others were troubled by Zhao Zhigao and Shen Yikuan last year, and now they just want to keep a low profile.

I don’t know if this is a delayed reckoning.

That's why Liu Yuanlin lowered his head and asked frankly. Of course it would be better if it was an opportunity to redeem himself for meritorious service.

"Only stay for five days" seems to remind them to seize the time and seize the opportunity.

Xiong Tingbi smiled again and said, "Zhejiang is a land of outstanding people and high-ranking officials. Shaoxing's lawyers are famous all over the world. The governor has been in Zhejiang for many years. How dare I give you advice? I hope the governor will write to the various prefectures for everything. I will lay a good foundation first."

After saying that, you don’t remind him, or you have already reminded him.

After he said goodbye and left, Liu Yuanlin thought about it for a long time before he figured out something.

It is said that Zhejiang is a land of outstanding people, with many high-ranking officials, and Shaoxing's legal advisers are famous all over the world. Of course, it is impossible that Zhejiang has nothing to do with the Chu vassal riot and the case of "rebellion" defined by the emperor.

And stayed in Yanzhou Prefecture for a longer time...

Liu Yuanlin, who was familiar with Zhejiang, suddenly thought of this: Xu Yinghuang, the current prefect of Wuchang Prefecture, was from Chun'an County, Yanzhou Prefecture.

The Xu family in Yanzhou Prefecture also had a lot of problems with the nearly three million taels of silver that were returned last year. After exchanging letters, Xu Yinghuang was finally asked to write to his family and acknowledged more than 20,000 taels. Could it be that...

Liu Yuanlin shuddered and quickly ordered, "Where is Deputy Envoy Chen now?"

Chen Jingji, who had served as the prefect of Yanzhou, knew Yanzhou Prefecture better. Last year, some of the stolen money recovery issues related to Yanzhou Prefecture and Huzhou Prefecture were settled by Chen Jingji.

The most important thing is that we are all in the same boat!
Now the Zhejiang ship is trying to sail safely through the current stormy waves. Even if it spits out some, at least it will not end up in disgrace and bring disaster to its family.

Their only most powerful guarantee was that the emperor still respected those who had protected them in the past, or at least wanted to show all officials in the world: as long as you are smart, know how to judge the situation, and are not afraid of making mistakes, you must know how to get things done.

Therefore, Liu Yuanlin called Chen Jingji and others and rushed to the Shen family eagerly.

Shen Yi, who has been idle at home for more than a year, feels very uncomfortable and helpless.

"…How did we return the stolen money last year that caused such deep resentment?"

He knew that these guys came here in such a hurry probably because they had heard about the uproarious incident of the Chu vassal being instigated to riot, and the instigators were considered by the emperor to be treasonous. And those "ringleaders" were actually from Zhejiang?

"... Lord Longjiang knows that we are just officials. How can we come up with so much silver in such a short time..."

Shen Yi Guan understood. He closed his eyes in confusion and muttered to himself: "Confused... Confused..."

Liu Yuanlin lowered his head, feeling very angry.

Zhao Zhigao is fine, he is always timid. But you, Shen Yiguan, Shen Jianwu, also said that you also pledged 1 million taels, how much did you take?
Of course, at that time, they were just putting pressure on them, suggesting that Zhejiang would have to hand over at least two million taels to appease the emperor's anger. They said this number, not that they would bear it themselves.

However, when the Shen family checked their donations and resubmitted the list of taxes to be paid, the actual amount of money they paid out last year did not match what everyone had known about them over the years.

There are still so many gaps, who should we ask for help?

"Stupid..." Shen Yiguan really didn't expect that they would dare to use Chu Fan's affairs to do something after what they did last year. Even if Liu Yuanlin and the others transferred more pressure to some people, what would they do? How dare they do that?

Can't you just be a good boy and keep a low profile for thirty or fifty years?
The emperor should have given him and Zhao Zhigao some face, otherwise why would he have awarded them rewards last year?

Are they going to drag Zhejiang down with them?
"Who doesn't have difficulties? Are you so ignorant of the seriousness of the matter?"

"... Lord Longjiang doesn't care about worldly affairs, and we really don't have much to do..." Liu Yuanlin took the lead in hinting, which was also a way out. "Now I'm afraid that Zhejiang will really be affected. Under the crime of treason, if someone talks nonsense..."

Shen Yikuan opened his eyes and stared at them for a long time, and finally silently called his cousin over.

"How did the clan conduct self-examination last year?"

Liu Yuanlin remained silent.

Regardless of whether Shen Yikuan really didn't know or was pretending not to know, the fact that they came here today to clarify the problem is actually almost a showdown: if the disaster really affects Zhejiang and involves such provincial officials as them, how can the Shen family stay out of it?

For example: A few days ago, good news came from the capital that Shen Yikuan's son Shen Taihong passed the imperial examination and ranked eighth in the second class of the palace examination. How much silver did people in Zhejiang give to the Shen family to congratulate them?

After asking about the situation, Shen Yi Guan tiredly let him go first, and then he was silent for a long time.

"...What a sin." He just said this, and then had to return to the dirty state and discuss with them how to end it.

You must pay for what you have done.

"I will report this to Your Majesty and ask for an even distribution among the counties and prefectures, so that no one will be exempted from any privilege or demoted. There will be no more than two cases per county, but the stolen silver that should be investigated and fined...don't be stingy with your money, borrow it or sell it, and make up for it, don't just distribute it to the lower levels."

What needs to be done is not only to satisfy the emperor, but also to weave an impenetrable net to shift the blame to the families with the most serious crimes.

Only by expressing their stance first could they gain the tacit understanding of the emperor and the court and allow them to handle the case.

This way, even if some people say something, they can be disbelieved in the end...

"This matter has been resolved. Those of you who should retire should submit your resignation letters. Zhejiang has been destroyed once before, and it cannot happen again. Clean up the mess, and the court will send new people."

Shen Yiquan not only cleans up their butts, but also cleans up his own butt.

Liu Yuanlin and others were somewhat unwilling and hesitated to speak.

"If your majesty had not forced Shen Rumo to stay and preside over the imperial examination, he would have returned to Suzhou Prefecture by now that the canal is frozen again."

Thinking of his son who had just passed the imperial examination, Shen Yi Guan consoled him, "This time, I will take care of this matter myself. If you are in trouble, you can borrow some money from me first..."

Liu Yuanlin and others looked down on him. Even now, it was still just a loan.

But the second brother didn’t laugh at the eldest brother. Shen Yi was always greedy, and they were also greedy.

At this point, the cavalry of the Xiaoling Guard had actually arrived in Zhejiang. These Zhejiang officials did not know that the culprits of the Chu vassal disaster were mainly concentrated in Zhejiang, and not Li Cai who taught in Zhenhai Guard and the families of his disciples.

Although the number of cavalrymen is small, what if the emperor gets angry and says that Zhejiang is a province of rebellion?

"Thank you, Lord Longjiang..."

They could only express their gratitude. Since they were still kept in the dark, the only one who could help was the old Prime Minister.

That old face is still worth some money, not to mention that this time he has to pay for his own face...

Xie Tingzan had sought advice from Shen Yikuan and had also criticized Shen Yikuan to his face, saying that the current situation in Zhejiang is "all your fault."

Now he and Xiong Tingbi were both Jinshi in the same class, held the same official position, and were both of the same generation name as "Ting".

While he was chatting, a visiting card from the Shen family was delivered to him.

After opening it and reading it, Xie Tingzan sneered and said, "My dear brother, you have caused quite a stir in Zhejiang. The old Prime Minister is going to take action himself. I think this time it will still be left unresolved."

Xiong Tingbi didn't care, and said with a smile: "How can stirring things up not muddy the waters? Brother Yue Ke has always been upright, but you should understand that although Your Majesty has repeatedly made clouds and rain and thunders, he just wants to reap some good fruits."

Xie Tingzan also understood, but was indignant: "What about the people who have been wronged for so many years?"

Xiong Tingbi was silent for a moment, and finally said, "Your Majesty was not in power in the past, and now you can't use strong medicine to cure a serious illness. You can harvest some good fruits, and then use the grace of the academic administration, water conservancy, roads and bridges to nourish the country. What you want is the long-term. Isn't it better to take it slow in state affairs? If it weren't for the incident of Chu Fan this year, Your Majesty would have intended to nourish the country for three years. Didn't Your Majesty clearly indicate what the academic supervisor should do first and what to do next in these three years? Your Majesty has his own grand plans and great undertakings in his heart, but this is the only way. Brother Yue Ke should not be so stubborn."

"...Now I understand why people like me who are upright are always called blockheads." Xie Tingzan sighed in frustration, "My dear brother, your insight is beyond my reach."

"Your Majesty is far-sighted." Xiong Tingbi cupped his hands, "Major reforms to Confucianism, respect for the knowledge of all schools of thought, this is the foundation for all ages. The provincial education officials and supervisors are of the utmost importance, brother Yue Ke, don't underestimate yourself. Just do this one thing well, and it will be a great merit for the people of Zhejiang."

Xie Tingzan gritted his teeth and said, "Even if many people escape this time, if they still refuse to repent, don't blame me for being ruthless next year!"

He didn't know that Xiong Tingbi had already anticipated the emperor's attitude and policy, and that he was actually working on Zhejiang "together" with Shen Yikuan.

The Zhejiang Academic Supervisor naturally became an important part of it because of his unique influence - the privileges of the Primary School and the Hundred Schools were not a joke.

Classifying acts that were not actually treason as treason showed that the emperor was not really going to carry out a major purge. He just wanted to slaughter the pigs that had been fattened for so many years and suppress them so that they would be timid and not hinder the court's progress in many national affairs.

The preferential treatment and exemption must be strictly enforced. The style of scholars must be corrected. Learning must be integrated into the new Confucianism.

If not, even a purely conciliatory centrist like Shen Shixing would not be suitable to continue jumping around in this new era.

In the name of treason, the emperor raised his sword and wanted to kill the heart!
(End of this chapter)