Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 30: It's unfair, my Lord. (Please give me monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and support, thank you!)
The next day
Provincial Administration Office
"What? They were attacked by bandits. Over ten people were killed or injured. Another officer, He Jiuhua, was abducted. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 200 taels of silver. Otherwise, you can expect to collect the body."

hear the news
The old face of the Governor Elong darkened, the flames in his heart surged upwards, and he shouted angrily:
"In broad daylight, in the open, the bandits are so rampant. This is simply outrageous! What are the people in the Dubiao Battalion doing? Take my name tag and go find them..."

Speaking of here
Governor Elong was suddenly stuck. He had never told anyone about the embarrassing incident of being threatened in the mansion.

If someone were to go to the Governor's Camp with his name tag and Zheng Guohui, that troublemaker, brought it back, and word got out, it would be a disgrace to the emperor.

Then Elong changed the subject and said;
"Go to the Jinling Prefecture and order them to immediately dispatch their best detectives to apprehend the bandits within a specified timeframe. Do not shirk responsibility, or I will report you to the court without mercy."

"As you command, Lord Governor."

Seeing his men running away after receiving the order, Governor Elong's face looked increasingly grim, with some vague suspicions in his mind.

Could it be that this is directed at me?
Although the Governor Elong is not much more capable than Fuzhu Hong'a, it does not mean that he is stupid.

Some things can still be figured out to some extent.

It was he who secretly ordered these Jinling Prefecture yamen runners to go to Maigao Bridge outside the city to inspect taxes. They were met with such a swift counterattack, which made Elong panic.

This madman is so arrogant?
When Elong thought of this possibility, he paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back in a restless state. The more he thought about it, the more confused and uncertain he became, and he began to feel a little scared.

The problem is that
This is just his guess, and there is no way to say it publicly because there is no evidence at all.

"Reporting to the governor, Zheng Yufang, the salt merchant from Weiyang, wants to see you. He has brought a secret letter from Du Zhongtang." Wu Jianchuan, the councilor of the prefecture, said with a bow.

He was an official of the fourth rank, belonging to the "fenshoudao" department under the provincial government, which was responsible for conveying and urging official business to various prefectures, autonomous prefectures, and counties. He was equivalent to the director of the provincial general office.

"Du Zhongtang?"

When the Governor Elong heard this, he was shocked. This "Du Zhongtang" must be Du Han, the former Minister of the Grand Council, a key official in the central government.

Although you have lost the favor of the emperor, you must never slack off.

The ancestor of the Du family was the teacher of Emperor Daoguang. During the Daoguang and Xianfeng periods, the court produced many important officials from generation to generation. How do you know when he will rise up again?

"Please invite Mr. Zheng to the back hall to chat. I will be right here."

"As you command, Lord Governor."

soon
The third son Zheng Yufang, dressed in a moon-white brocade fur coat, and his aide Chen Ping'an were led by Wu Jianchuan to the back hall and met the Governor Elong who was sitting there.

"I am honored to meet the Governor. I wish you a long and healthy life with many blessings." Zheng Yufang and Chen Pingan bowed deeply and said.

Both of them have made great achievements, so they don't need to kneel down when meeting officials.

Lord Elong did not take the salt merchants seriously. These people were just fat sheep raised by the imperial family. They could be eaten or slaughtered as they pleased. What was there to take seriously?

"Do you have Du Zhongtang's handwritten letter?"

"Your Excellency, this is exactly... This is a private letter from Du Zhongtang to Mr. Wang, and it contains many words of friendship and protection. The Wang family and my Zheng family have been relatives by marriage for generations, and we are close friends..."

"No need to say more, just present it."

"Oh... As you wish."

The third young master Zheng Yufang was talking animatedly, but his face froze when he was interrupted. He could only awkwardly take out the envelope from his pocket and present it with both hands.

The governor was equivalent to a high-ranking official in later generations. In front of big salt merchants like Zheng and Wang, he was like a towering mountain and had to be treated with caution.

It is said that money can make things happen.

The strong financial resources of the big salt merchants can directly connect them to the central government, but it does not mean that they can act with authority in front of important officials at the central government. Their real role is to be a blood bag for offering.

I'll protect you when it's convenient, that's all.

Elong unfolded the letter and took a look. It was not long, only a few dozen words. It was probably just some lighthearted words, a slight nostalgia for the old friendship, and nothing else.

These former senior officials at the central government were all old-fashioned and their behavior was shrouded in mystery. It was impossible to tell anything from the letter.
If you can understand it, then understand it.

If you cannot understand it, it only means that your cultivation is not enough.

It would be a huge joke to expect to see words like "I have received your 20 taels of silver that you have escorted to Beijing. I am deeply grateful" in such a letter.

I looked at the signature date and it was already a year and a half ago.

Elong had a plan in mind. Du Han was one of the "Eight Ministers of State" during the Xianfeng period, and his time was long gone.

In November 1861, the Empress Dowager launched the "Xinyou Coup", dismissed eight ministers from their posts, and executed Zaiyuan, Duanhua and Sushun.

Du Han was lucky enough to escape. He was first dismissed from his post and exiled to Xinjiang, but was pardoned before he could leave. From then on, he stayed indoors.

This means that
Du Han can give face and get things done, but what is the matter? Is the benefit enough?
"What do you want?" Elong asked directly.

Chen Ping'an, the staff advisor standing in the hall, felt a pang in his heart when he saw the Governor asking the question without showing any expression. He turned his head and glanced at the third son Zheng Yufang with some concern, meaning "be careful with your words".

The third young master Zheng Yufang didn't care at all and gave him a look that said "you're at ease".

I am a young master from a noble family, well-educated, and come from a wealthy family with a wealth of gold and silver. I am not afraid of any high-ranking officials in the court. Why are you, a legal advisor, so worried about me?

"Let's start with the feudal lord;
My Zheng and Wang families have been salt merchants for generations, dating back one hundred and thirty years. We have always strictly abided by the laws of the court, built bridges and roads for our neighbors, and performed charitable acts to help others...

......"

Zheng Yufang talked a lot, but he didn't get to the point. Seeing that the governor, Lord Elong, looked impatient, Chen Pingan quickly poked him with his hand. He whispered quickly, "Don't talk about useless things, let's talk about business."

This third young master actually has the potential to be a chatterbox.

Zheng Yufang was enjoying himself in his eloquent talk, praising the two major salt merchants Zheng and Wang like flowers, almost saying that they were the reincarnation of Buddha who saved all living beings and he was reluctant to step on even an ant.

Being interrupted by Chen Ping'an, he glared back at him with great dissatisfaction. When he looked up again, he saw the impatient look of the Governor Elong, which was already very obvious.

Zheng Yufang then realized that something was wrong and quickly changed the subject, saying;

"Jiangnan has been devastated by war, and the salt supply has been cut off for more than ten years. The people are suffering terribly.

Fortunately, God bless our dynasty!
The imperial court sent heavenly soldiers to strike with a thunderbolt, which cleared up the world and conquered the city of Jinling and the surrounding prefectures and counties. We, the sons of salt merchants, ran around to tell each other the news, and we were all delighted.

Our two salt merchants, Zheng and Wang, were well aware of the suffering of the common people, so we immediately reported to the Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, paid the taxes, and obtained salt permits for 15,000 shi, which were then shipped to Nanjing.

Who would have thought?
After entering the Qinhuai River, the soldiers of the Jinling Governor's Battalion, without asking any questions, brazenly accused us of "smuggling salt, deceiving and causing trouble in the market" and arrested us and brought us to justice along with the goods.

When darkness comes, the whole world mourns.

This is truly more unfair than Dou E's. I ask the great judge to uphold justice, clear up this enormous injustice, and restore the clean reputation of my salt family.

Yufang begged with tears and blood, begging the Lord to investigate.

When the third young master Zheng Yufang said this, he knelt down in the hall and kowtowed repeatedly.

Chen Pingan had no choice but to kneel down with him and kowtow together.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Lord Elong, who was sitting at the top, had a changing expression and did not say anything for a long time. He let Zheng Yufang and Chen Pingan kowtow continuously as if he did not see anything.

Wu Jianchuan, the councilor of the district who was standing aside, felt anxious and coughed lightly.

This caught Lord Elong's attention. When he turned around, he saw the man take out the large silver bills from the envelope and use his sleeve to cover it to show him.

There was a thick stack of banknotes, all with a face value of one thousand taels. The total amount seemed to be at least forty or fifty thousand taels. This should be enough to prompt the governor to take action.

There are rules in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty. How much money is spent to accomplish a big thing?
After seeing the banknotes, Elong finally made up his mind to investigate this "smuggled salt case".

It’s not that “Du Zhongtang” has a great reputation and this letter is just a stepping stone, but the silver note is too tempting.

"Okay, get up." Elong finally spoke.

He was really a little scared of Zheng Guohui, that troublemaker, who would overturn the table at any time, didn't abide by the rules of officialdom at all, didn't know the hierarchy, and was a complete jerk.

But so what?
It is normal for local officials to compete with each other secretly, but it is not an easy task to bring down an official who has strong connections with higher-ups.

If you don't handle it well, you will get yourself into trouble.

So after Zheng Guohui offended him, Elong wisely chose to endure it, which was the simplest and cheapest method.

It's just a matter of getting angry, but is it really a good idea to make both sides suffer?
For the sake of the silver note, he can intervene in this "smuggling salt case", which is part of his job responsibilities.

But to what extent?
That's worth discussing.

Elong has a wide range of options in his hands. He can either play the game of compromise and take advantage of both sides, or he can handle the matter impartially.

There are different levels of impartiality in this handling of the matter. The most drastic measure is of course to return the seized salt, ships and people. That is equivalent to completely breaking off relations with the Du Biao Camp, and Zheng Guohui, the captain of Jinling City, must be impeached.

The charges were ready-made, accusing him of "arrogance, greed, embezzlement of wages and bribery, supporting troops and allowing bandits to invade, and deceiving and causing mistakes." Once the evidence was solid and the higher-ups were supportive, it would not be a problem to take Zheng Guohui's head off.

Guaerjia Shengbao, a former important military official of the imperial court, was executed for this crime, and now the grass on his grave is more than a foot high.

The issue is

The salt merchants Zheng and Wang were not worth Erlong's risk of risking his life and fortune. Even if the silver bills increased tenfold, it would be enough.

Don't think that the Jinling City Guard with a large number of troops is a joke. Elong knows it very well; Zheng Guohui is crazy. If he is forced into a corner, he will wipe out his entire family in a matter of minutes.

If a group of bandits can appear outside the city, why can't they appear inside the city?

The world is in turmoil these days, with bandits and robbers everywhere. This makes sense, doesn't it?

The second best solution is to release the people and the ship but not the cargo, so that the Du Biao Camp can get enough benefits and the two sides will not completely fall out.

The second solution is to release the people, but not the ship or the goods. As long as the people come back, they can make money later, and everyone can laugh and forget their grudges.

The next solution is to make the Zheng and Wang families bleed heavily. Anyway, Zheng Guohui must be satisfied. As long as the two young masters are rescued, the matter will be over.

The basic logic is to verify the "smuggling of salt", and considering that the person has repented well, the crime was attempted, and no deception or harm was caused, the punishment will be temporarily reduced.

The plan is already made up in my mind
Lord Elong asked the two people who were kowtowing in the hall to stand up. When he looked at them again, he saw that both of them had bruises on their foreheads.

Zheng Yufang no longer lived up to the image of a handsome young man. He looked extremely embarrassed. He felt dizzy when he stood up and almost stumbled and fell down.

Poor Chen Ping'an also kowtowed for a long time. Fortunately, he retained some strength, so there were some slight bruises.

This matter involving the court officials is so difficult to handle!

(End of this chapter)