Chaos of Ming 1628

In the Botou affair, everyone in the county government knew Sun Qing. Without needing to announce his arrival, as soon as Sun Qing reached the county government gate, someone immediately invited him in.

The front gate of the county government office was tightly closed, while the back gate was wide open. Box after box of valuables were being transported out like a flowing river.

Zhou Ji stood under the eaves of the backyard, holding a small teapot in his hand, urging the people below to move more quickly.

"Lord Zhou, are you busy?" Sun Qing deliberately raised his voice to greet him.

"Oh dear, Young Master Sun." Zhou Ji only then realized that a distinguished guest had arrived. He quickly put down the teapot he was holding and stepped forward to greet him respectfully, "I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner!"

After saying that, he glared at the gatekeeper and scolded him, "You have no manners! You didn't even announce Young Master Sun's arrival."

The gatekeeper stood aside, unperturbed. His face remained proud; being able to guide the chosen one was enough to earn him praise.

Instead of apologizing, he was filled with respect and hurriedly said, "Young Master Sun is chosen by the Dragon King. He can go wherever he wants, up or down the Jiaohe River."

Zhou Ji's face instantly darkened.

He felt truly aggrieved in Jiahe County. When Li Weilin was in power, he relied on the eunuch faction to boss people around in Jiahe and always put him in a superior position.

Now that this man is finally dead, even those who come after him dare not act recklessly. They originally thought that he would be the local tyrant from now on, and that the common people would treat him the same way they treated Li Weilin back then.

Who would have thought that Sun Qing would transform himself into the backbone of Chenghe County?

"Young Master Sun is truly someone we can only look up to now." Zhou Ji chuckled twice, then quickly cupped his hands in flattery, "As expected of a descendant of Grand Secretary Sun, you've truly made a name for yourself when you finally do!"

"Not at all," Sun Qing waved his hand modestly, "It's just following the will of Heaven."

A single sentence sent a chill down Zhou Ji's spine. Wasn't this a blatant admission that he was the chosen one?

Feeling displeased, he deliberately brought it up: "Speaking of which, I should really thank Young Master Sun. If you hadn't informed me beforehand, I'm afraid the government office's money would have been completely looted by that imperial guard."

Sun Qing's gaze slowly swept over the pile of boxes. "Lord Zhou is joking. Even without my reminder, even if the imperial guards searched the place, it would eventually return to you, sir."

Zhou Ji was taken aback. The backyard was piled high with treasures, all of which were looted from the city by the imperial guards. Half of them had already been transported to the boat at Botou, while the other half was still at the county government office and had not yet been moved.

And knowing that Sun Qing had just happened to see this, Zhou Ji hurriedly said, "Young Master Sun is my benefactor, please come inside and talk."

"Someone, prepare some tea."

As he led people inside, he touched his face and sighed, "Those damned bastards deserve to be punished by heaven."

"You have no idea how badly he beat me; it hurt so much I couldn't sleep."

The two sat down, and a small table was set with top-quality Longjing tea.

Sun Qing just smiled and didn't say anything more.

"Young Master Sun," Zhou Ji continued, seemingly oblivious, "you don't know, but the people who took you to Botou for interrogation this time were none other than Guard Tian's men."

"To be honest, they were really audacious, actually ordering their subordinate Zhang Yinglong to arrest people across provinces. They had no regard for the law and were extremely arrogant."

Although he knew he was changing the subject, Sun Qing immediately thought of this person.

This man was truly renowned. As the leader of the eunuch faction known as "Biao Wu," he was also called "Big Son Tian Ergeng," all of whom were Wei Zhongxian's dogs.

These were people who specialized in fabricating charges against Wei Zhongxian and framing loyal officials. It wasn't surprising that they were his subordinates. But this news did give Sun Qing a jolt.

Sun Qing was already thinking about what might happen next, and this slow reaction was interpreted by Zhou Ji as him being intimidated by Tian Ergeng's name.

A smirk played on his lips, and Zhou Ji sighed, "Fortunately, Young Master Sun is very clever; Jiahe County is now a rare haven of peace."

When Jiahe County is mentioned, how can Sun Qing not think of Li Qingshan, whom he met last night?

Before coming to the county government, he went to Botou again, where no fewer than twenty houses had been flooded. If the situation wasn't addressed, many more families would be displaced.

Sun Qing's intention was to save people and settle matters; he did not intend to harm anyone.

The air around the county government office seemed to reek of money.

Sun Qing did not mention who deserved the most credit or ask for any reward; he simply petitioned on behalf of the people: "Lord Zhou, it is naturally good that there are no Eastern Depot agents harming the people."

"But the houses in the shallow waters of Botou were flooded, leaving the people with nowhere to go, and many even fell ill as a result."

As soon as Sun Qing opened his mouth, Zhou Ji's brows furrowed into a knot.

He waved his hands repeatedly, stating without a doubt: "That's fate! Everyone's saying it, hasn't they? It's divine punishment. If the Dragon King wants to send a great flood, they can only blame their bad luck!"

Human nature is cold and indifferent, especially since Zhou Ji was originally a lackey of the eunuch faction.

Sun Qing's voice turned cold: "Lord Zhou, according to the laws of the Great Ming Dynasty, whenever the people encounter disaster, this county must immediately go to investigate, report the facts, open the reserve granaries to release grain to rescue people, and then, based on the disaster situation, request His Majesty to distribute money and grain."

"Young Master Sun, you're joking. You didn't write that in your memorial to me," Zhou Ji said smugly. "Besides, when Young Master Sun became the main figure in the Heavenly Warning, he didn't even think about the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

Sun Qing's smile remained unchanged, but his attitude hardened: "Everything in this courtyard is made from the people's hard-earned money, and it is indeed cumbersome to report to the court."

"In that case, why not take some of the filth from the courtyard, enough for the refugees on the shallows to start a new life?"

"Ridiculous!" Zhou Ji's voice suddenly rose, his gaze sharp. "Who said this is filth?"

"Since it's in my residence, it's my money. Taking someone's money is like killing their parents. Young Master Sun, how could our friendship lead to such a deep-seated hatred?"

I never imagined that there could be such shameless people in the world.

Sun Qing laughed angrily: "Are you comfortable taking this money?"

"No need for Young Master Sun to worry about this." Zhou Ji raised his chin and let out a cold snort from his nostrils: "I must say, Young Master Sun is incredibly insightful."

"Heaven has issued a warning, and the Eternal Life Stele has been broken. Not to mention what the people under the Eastern Depot would dare to do, I'm afraid even Lord Wei is trembling with fear right now. I heard that Lord Wei went to the Emperor last night to resign."

"Wei Shanggong's power is gone. At least, my Jiahe County is the first to be at peace."

Wei Zhongxian entered the palace to request his resignation?

A careful calculation revealed that yesterday was the first day of the ninth lunar month. It was also the second time Wei Zhongxian had feigned resignation before Emperor Chongzhen. Little did he expect that it would all be because of him.

Historical records indicate that Emperor Chongzhen rejected Wei Zhongxian's resignation in person, citing the late emperor's dying wish that Wei Zhongxian be deemed worthy of important positions.

The palace was a stronghold of the eunuch faction; how could the news have leaked out without Wei Zhongxian's approval? Zhou Ji only knew the beginning, not the end. Could it be that Wei Zhongxian did this intentionally?

"Something's not right," Young Master Sun said, needing Zhou Jichu's help and needing no further explanation: "I'm afraid the information isn't complete, and Wei Zhongxian is planning to settle scores later!"

"Oh?" Zhou Ji deliberately drew out his words. "According to what Young Master Sun said, I can't touch this money; I can only sit and wait for my doom, or even hand it over with both hands?"

"Not exactly."

Sun Qing pondered for a moment: "What is taken from the people should be used for the people. Before Wei Zhongxian arrives, we should gain prestige among the people and increase the morale of the people of Jiahe County in resisting the eunuch faction."

"And then?" Zhou Ji smiled, but his face was cold.

Sun Qing remained outwardly calm, but he knew in his heart that a change was taking place in the capital. The eunuch faction's days were numbered.

When faced with the question, the reply was: "With the people united, no one, no matter who they are, would dare to act rashly. But the other side will certainly not be content, so they will keep feeding them until they can no longer sustain themselves."

"The key lies in the feeding method; whoever comes, dies!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Sun Qing's eyes; he had already laid out a comprehensive plan in his mind.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Ji slammed his teacup on the table: "Young Master Sun, are you the only one in this world who is intelligent, and everyone else is a fool?"

"I don't care if you're greedy or acting in the people's interest; if you're thinking of coveting the money I offer, dream on!"

Having said that, he directly called to the yamen runner beside him: "Go and fetch one tael of silver for Young Master Sun."

He then stuffed the silver into Sun Qing's hand, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Young Master Sun, we Japanese officials are always warm and hospitable, which is why we've invited you to stay a few more days."

"Now that the official document has been approved, please set off as soon as possible, young master. We will send someone to escort you back to Gaoyang."

Sun Qing's expression changed drastically: "For such a small amount of money, you're willing to disregard the consequences?"

"Ridiculous," Zhou Ji waved his hand, "Don't say you're just fantasizing. Even if it were true, I've been in officialdom for decades, am I not as good as you?"

"Young Master Sun, it's still early. You should go back and pack your luggage as soon as possible."

"Out of respect for Grand Secretary Sun, I will prepare a carriage for you."