Huangming

Chapter 182 Imperial Envoy Inspects the Grain Transport, Imperial Edict and Imperial Axe Hang in the Sky

The turmoil in the imperial court gradually began to stir.

Meanwhile, a grand spectacle is slowly unfolding on the Tongzhou Canal.

February 15th, the first year of the Tianqi reign.

Imperial Commissioner Yang Lian led a group of several hundred people to Shanyang County, Huai'an Prefecture.

This place, as the residence of the Governor-General's Office for Grain Transport, is located at Qingkou Hub, where the Yellow River, Huai River and Grand Canal converge, making it a vital passage for grain transport ships heading north.

Grain from the south had to be inspected here and then transported by shallower boats suitable for the complex water conditions of the northern section of the Yellow River before it could continue its northward journey.

Wow~
The water was surging.

The official boat slowly sailed into the waters of Shanyang County. Yang Lian stood at the bow, looking at the familiar waterway hub, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"finally reached."

He muttered to himself, his voice carrying both the relief of a long journey and a hint of solemnity.

Tong Zhongkui, the military commander of the Beijing garrison beside him, also sighed and echoed, "We've finally arrived."

Even this seasoned general could not hide his weariness. The long journeys of the past few days had made his shoulders feel slightly heavy, but he still straightened his back and scanned the riverbank with alert eyes, fulfilling his duty.

The spring breeze, carrying the unique moist scent of the canal, swept across the water, stirring up layers of fine ripples, causing the moored warships to sway gently with the waves.

The turbid canal water, carrying silt, flows eastward, gleaming with a dim yellowish light under the sunlight.

On the river, official boats and merchant ships shuttled back and forth, and the shouts of the canal workers and the sound of oars striking the water blended together, showing a busy scene unique to the canal transport hub.

Just a few miles away from the Qingkou Hub, Yang Lian suddenly raised his hand to signal the ships to stop.

He stood at the bow of the ship, gazing intently into the distance in the direction of the Grand Canal Governor's Office, his robes fluttering in the wind.

"General Tong, your few hundred elite troops will remain here for now. Once the main force of three thousand arrives, they will be ready to follow my orders."

He deliberately lowered his voice to explain, "This investigation requires surprise. If the entire army arrives, it might alert those corrupt officials in the canal transport office. Therefore, I ordered the main force to proceed slowly and keep its distance from your troops."

Tong Zhongkui clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, but could not hide his worry: "Lord Yang is venturing into that dangerous place, the Grand Canal transport office, alone with only two attendants. I am truly worried about him. Those officials have been entrenched in the area for years; they might do something desperate."

Yang Lian sneered upon hearing this, his right hand unconsciously stroking the imperial envoy's seal at his waist, the gilded seal knob gleaming coldly in the sunlight:
"I hold the imperial insignia and am acting on behalf of the emperor to patrol the land. Unless they want to give His Majesty a pretext to clear his name with blood, they wouldn't dare to lay a finger on the imperial envoy even if they had ten lives."

He lowered his voice and continued, "Besides, General Tong, have you considered that if someone really dares to be so audacious, that would actually be a good thing? His Majesty is just worried about not having a pretext to reorganize the canal transport, and at that time the elite troops of the capital garrison can legitimately enter Qingkou."

Yang Lian sighed and said, "If my death can bring about the smooth flow of the Grand Canal, then it will be a worthwhile death."

"Master Yang, this..."

Seeing that Tong Zhongkui still looked worried, Yang Lian softened his tone: "Don't worry, what I just said was only the worst-case scenario. When I went undercover to investigate earlier, I had already planted twelve spies at each gate."

He pointed to the canal workers on the distant canal boats and said, "Even among those laborers carrying loads, three of them are my men."

Upon hearing this, Tong Zhongkui took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Lord Yang's foresight is truly remarkable; I have been overthinking things. Please allow me to send a detachment of elite troops in disguise to follow. If red lanterns are raised at the government office, I will immediately lead my troops to provide support."

Yang Lian nodded slightly, straightened the imperial envoy's seal at his waist, and stepped onto the shaky plank with two trusted followers.

The three figures quickly disappeared into the winding reed path along the bank, with only the faint sound of their official boots treading through the mud audible.

Tong Zhongkui watched them leave, then immediately turned to the commander of his personal guards and whispered, "Select fifty clever and capable men, have them change into canal worker uniforms, and secretly follow them."

He took off his waist tag and handed it over, instructing, "Send a fast horse to report every half hour. If you see red lanterns being raised at the yamen, immediately send out a signal arrow."

"I accept my order from my humble position!"

After the guards left to carry out their orders, Tong Zhongkui stared in the direction where Yang Lian had disappeared, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He knew that he had a dual mission on this trip: on the surface, he was to cooperate with the imperial envoy in investigating the case and ensure the safety of this important official of the Censorate; on the other hand, he was to monitor Yang Lian’s every move and submit secret letters to the emperor at any time.

If Yang Lian were to suffer any mishap at the Grand Canal Transport Office, not only would he lose his own head, but the entire Grand Canal transport system would likely be implicated and punished.

"Go and turn the cannons on the warships around and aim them at the main gate of the Grand Canal Administration Office."

This seemingly extreme deployment is actually the most direct warning to any potential villains—behind the imperial envoy stands three thousand fully armed soldiers, ready to go.

Once ashore, Yang Lian walked briskly along the bank.

suddenly.

goo goo~
Three partridge cries echoed from the depths of the reed marshes.

Yang Lian stopped and raised his hand, and the accompanying guards immediately disappeared into the bushes by the roadside.

A slender figure wearing a straw raincoat emerged from the shadows of the trees, his bamboo hat pulled low, only the faintly visible silver pattern of the Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist revealing his identity.

"This humble servant, Zhao Hanxing, a junior officer of the Northern Garrison, pays his respects to Lord Yang." As the man knelt on one knee, the distinctive cloud-patterned brocade of his flying fish robe was revealed through the gaps in his raincoat.

His gesture of handing over the wax-sealed bamboo tube carried the decisiveness characteristic of the Imperial Guards.

"In the past two weeks, the General Commander of the Grand Canal has replaced the guards at the Twelve Locks with his own personal troops under the pretext of flood control. Yesterday, twenty grain ships sailed north overnight without inspection, and their waterlines were unusually shallow."

Yang Lian unfolded the secret report with his fingertips, glancing at the tiny characters in the moonlight, and suddenly sneered: "As expected, they are manipulating the deficit."

Yang Lian tapped his fingertips heavily on the secret report presented by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The wax-sealed bamboo tube rolled halfway on the table, revealing a tattered account book inside, covered with crumbs of grain.

His eyes flashed with a cold light, yet his voice was extremely low, as if each word was chilled to the bone:

"During the three months I was on duty inspecting the grain transport, those corrupt officials in the grain transport office didn't even dare to leave a stitch short on the grain sacks. But I've only been gone for half a month? And they dare to tamper with the grain scales and even embezzle the rations of the river workers!"

really!

A bloodless patrol is useless.

We still need to see blood!
Guided by the secret intelligence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Yang Lian did not delay any longer. He was led by a local who was familiar with the terrain and quickly made his way along a hidden path.

After traversing the reed-covered riverbanks and winding alleys, the three quickly arrived outside the Grand Canal Governor's Office.

In the darkness, the government office with its high brick walls lay dormant like a giant beast, its vermilion gates tightly shut. Only two pale lanterns under the eaves swayed in the wind, reflecting the faded and mottled gold characters of "Governor-General of the Grand Canal" on the plaque.

"Go call the door!"

Upon hearing this, the attendant immediately stepped forward and knocked on the gate of the Grand Canal Governor's Mansion.

bang bang bang~
Bang bang bang!
"Who is it! Why are you making noise in the middle of the night instead of sleeping!"

"Which guy gave birth to a child without an anus?"

The old gatekeeper, wearing only a thin robe, opened the side door, cursing under the dim light of the lantern. His face, covered in acne, showed impatience, but he suddenly froze when he caught sight of the eight large vermilion characters on the gilded name card: "Yang, Imperial Inspector of the Grain Transport."

"I deserve to die! I deserve to die! I'll go and inform them right away!"

The old official's knees buckled and he almost knelt down; the name card rustled in his trembling hands.

"Don't make any noise!"

Yang Lian's attendant reminded him from the side.

"I understand."

The old gatekeeper turned and ran towards the second gate. His keychain fell to the ground with a clatter, but he didn't bother to pick it up. He was only concerned with calling the Grand Canal Governor, Li Yangzheng.

In the warm pavilion of the inner residence, Li Yangzheng, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, was fast asleep, embracing his newly acquired Yangzhou concubine.

The maid on night duty scrambled into the inner room, startling the canopy of the bed into a violent tremor. "Master! Yang Yang is here to behead again!"

The maid's tearful cries jolted Li Yangzheng awake. The concubine in his arms cried out in pain, but he pushed her away.

Li Yangzheng's sleepiness vanished instantly, and he was jolted awake.

"Quickly, bring me your official robes!"

Li Yangzheng walked barefoot on the cold blue bricks, his inner clothes soaked with cold sweat.

Li Yangzheng hurriedly fastened his official robes and jade belt, his fingers trembling slightly with panic. He nearly knocked over the black gauze hat that the maid brought him, and the face reflected in the mirror was completely bloodless.

"Master, tea..."

The concubine nervously offered him ginseng tea, but he waved it away, and the porcelain cup shattered on the blue bricks.

"Fool! What are you doing drinking tea at a time like this!"

He hissed in a low voice, his mind racing with calculations.

Half a month ago, I clearly saw Yang Lian's official ship leave port and return to the capital. The canal transport accounts were also balanced overnight. Why would he suddenly turn around and make a surprise return?

The sound of urgent wooden clappers came from outside the window. The midnight drum, mixed with the distant barking of dogs, added to the eeriness of the scene.

Li Yangzheng suddenly pressed his hand on the official seal at his waist, his fingertips touching the secret letter from the salt merchant hidden in a concealed pocket. He was instantly struck dumb: "Could it be those twenty grain ships smuggling salt..."

Li Yangzheng staggered into the hall, and as the candlelight flickered, Yang Lian stood with his hands behind his back before the official desk.

The imperial edict, as sharp as a blade, was held in his hand. The black iron hilt of the imperial sword gleamed coldly, and the scarlet tassels on the royal command flag hung down like blood.

Upon seeing this, Li Yangzheng was so frightened that he knelt down, his official hat tilted to the side, his forehead pressed against the cold blue bricks, and cold sweat dripped down his nose.

The lobby was eerily quiet, with only the golden bells on the flags jingling softly as the breeze swept through.

Yang Lian's voice descended from above, each word like a nail:
"Governor Li, do you recognize this?"

Li Yangzheng swallowed hard and immediately said, "Imperial edict, imperial sword, royal command flag—how could I not know them?"

Yang Lian snorted coldly and said, "Since you know what this is, then accept the decree!"

Li Yangzheng trembled all over, but he could only respectfully accept the imperial decree: "Your subject, Li Yangzheng, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, accepts the imperial decree."

Yang Lian slowly unfurled the bright yellow silk, his chilling voice like cold iron falling to the ground:

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have received the Mandate of Heaven and govern all the lands. The Grand Canal is the lifeblood of the nation. It has now been discovered that Li Yangzheng, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, has been corrupting the country and harming the people despite his important duties."

The vermilion imperial seal on the edict was glaringly bright under the candlelight, each word and phrase seeming like a guillotine falling:

"First, he condoned his subordinates' embezzlement of grain transport quotas, leading to widespread starvation along the riverbanks; second, he accepted bribes of 280,000 taels of silver from salt merchants to secretly release grain-carrying ships; third, he arbitrarily altered the grain registers, falsely reporting the sinking of grain transport ships to cover up the deficit."

Li Yangzheng's legs began to tremble violently beneath his official robes. When he heard the fourth charge, "colluding with the Huai'an garrison to smuggle military equipment," he suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Yang Lian's boots, crying out, "Lord Yang, please see the truth! I'm innocent!"

Yang Lian kicked him away, and the gilded imperial edict clattered as it was unfolded to the end: "Immediately dismiss him from his post, arrest him, punish his entire family, and confiscate all his property!"

Boom~
Upon hearing this, Li Yangzheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"

Li Yangzheng kowtowed and cried out for justice.

Yang Lian's gaze was like a knife. He slowly pulled a stack of secret letters from his sleeve, unfolded them in the candlelight, and sneered:

“Governor Li, since you are crying foul, then I will let you die knowing why.”

He tapped the letter lightly with his finger, his voice chilling:

"This secret letter not only bears Yang Guodong's signature, but also your handwritten approval of the grain allocation document—'Approved for release, do not verify'—is that your handwriting?"

Li Yangzheng's pupils contracted sharply, and his face turned deathly pale instantly.

He looked up abruptly, staring intently at the document, his lips trembling: "This...this is impossible! I never wrote this..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Lian pulled out another tattered page from an account book and slammed it heavily onto the table:

"Last October, why did the twenty 'empty ships' you approved for Yang Guodong have a waterline of three feet deep when they left port? Yang Guodong reported them as 'transporting grain northward,' but when they reached Tongzhou, they became 'returning empty ships'—where did the grain go in between?"

Li Yangzheng's forehead was covered in cold sweat as he gritted his teeth and said, "This was Yang Guodong's doing! He relies on his position as the Grand Canal Transport Commander, wielding military power, and I have no control over him!"

Yang Lian's sneer deepened, and he took out a secret letter from his robes, unfolding it in front of him:

"Then how do you explain this letter you wrote to Zhou Wanguan, a salt merchant in Yangzhou? 'Twenty ships of grain are ready, which can be exchanged for 30,000 salt permits'—could this handwriting and seal also be forged by Yang Guodong?"

Li Yang was struck as if by lightning, his whole body trembling violently, and despair finally appeared in his eyes.

He lunged forward, hissing, "Lord Yang! Lord Yang, please see the truth! Yang Guodong forced me to write all of this! He... he has something on me!"

"I'm innocent! I'm more wronged than Dou E!"

bang bang bang~
Li Yangzheng kowtowed repeatedly.

“I believe in the Governor’s character; you have been wronged,” Yang Lian suddenly interjected.

"I'm innocent, huh?"

Li Yangzheng was about to protest his innocence, but upon hearing this, he was completely stunned.

"Does the imperial envoy believe I am innocent?"

Yang Lian knew, of course, that this guy was not clean.

However.
Few parts of the entire canal transport system were clean.

At this point, it's not about distinguishing right from wrong, but about winning one faction over another and eliminating the other in a short period of time.

Li Yangzheng's tenure as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner was short, but not too bad.

Now it's just what I need!
Thinking of this, Yang Lian sneered and said, "Whether you are innocent or not depends on your performance next."

Say it.

Yang Lian slowly unfurled the second imperial edict, his voice still cold and stern, but his tone had subtly softened:
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have heard that Li Yangzheng, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, although he had committed a minor offense, was able to repent and assist the Imperial Commissioner in thoroughly investigating the abuses of the canal transport system and eliminating long-standing malpractices. His merits are invaluable. Considering his meritorious service in atonement, I hereby pardon him, allow him to remain in his original post, and bestow upon him one hundred taels of gold and ten bolts of brocade as a reward."

Li Yangzheng was startled and looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

His lips trembled, and he was unable to speak for a moment.

Yang Lian looked down at him and said calmly, "Governor Li, His Majesty is benevolent and gave you this opportunity because he thinks you still have some use. You must not fail to live up to His Majesty's grace."

Li Yangzheng pressed his forehead to the ground and kowtowed heavily, his voice choked with emotion: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace! I will repay your kindness with my life!"

Yang Lian nodded slightly, a deep meaning flashing in his eyes: "In that case, Governor Li, you should understand what to do next, right?"

Li Yangzheng immediately understood and gritted his teeth, saying, "Rest assured, Lord Yang, I will do my utmost to cooperate and root out all the corrupt officials in the Grand Canal Administration!"

In order to keep his official position and his life.

To his other colleagues, Li Yangzheng could only offer an apology.

Especially Yang Guodong, the Grand Canal Transport Commander who dared to stab him in the back.
If you don't die, then I'll be the one who dies!
(End of this chapter)