novelAbuy Chapter 328 Provincial Hall
Chapter 328 Provincial Hall
On the 18th, a ship belonging to the Changqiao Navy, the Haixianheshao, slowly sailed out of Liujiagang.
Not long after, a sea bream came down the Loujiang River and stopped right in the berth it had vacated.
Surrounded by a crowd, Shao Shuyi left the Zuanfeng Haiqiu and headed to Liujiagang to purchase horses, while Yeerjini boarded the Haixianheshao boat and headed east towards Hangzhou.
On the 24th, it was already evening when Yeljini disembarked at the dock.
After sending someone ashore to inform him, a sedan chair soon came to fetch him.
The sedan chair was ordinary and inconspicuous. Two attendants led the way with lanterns, while several guards followed on foot behind.
The streets and alleys of Hangzhou were damp and narrow, with rainwater accumulating on the stone slabs from the daytime rain. The sedan chair bearers walked carefully, trying their best to make the official feel as little sway as possible.
It is unknown how much time passed before the sedan chair stopped in front of the Jiangzhe Provincial Government Office.
The gate tower is majestic, with two lanterns hanging under the eaves, illuminating the golden characters "Jiangzhe Provincial Administration".
He alighted from the sedan chair, straightened his clothes, and stepped up the stairs.
The hall was brightly lit.
Duo'er, the Left Chancellor of Jiangzhe Province, sat behind his desk with a book spread out in front of him. Judging from the cover, it looked like the "Zizhi Tongjian" (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government). The title "Left Chancellor" was not "Left Chancellor" (Second Rank), but rather the title "Assistant to the Provincial Councilor" (First Rank). However, when a province had a Chancellor or Left and Right Chancellors, the Chancellor was the highest-ranking official, and the Provincial Councilor was ranked below him.
Dor was a member of the Mongol Zhalar clan, a sixth-generation descendant of Muqali, and his father, Toqto'a, shared the same name, but was not Toqto'a (a Merkit), the Left Chancellor of the Central Secretariat. He was tall and robust, with the typical broad face of a Mongol, and a neat short beard. His official robes looked somewhat tight on him.
Hearing the commotion, he abruptly raised his head, gestured for the guards to offer Yeljini a seat, and said, "Shangwen, you've come a long way. You arrived so impatiently with your urgent message. What, have you uncovered something?"
Yeljini clasped his hands in a salute, but did not sit down. He directly pulled out the scroll of confession from his sleeve, presented it with both hands, and said, "The case of the murder of Yu west, the patrol inspector of Tongzhou, has been confirmed."
Duo'er only took it and scanned it once.
"Is this it?" He placed the confession on the table, his tone indifferent. "Two sailors talking nonsense while drunk, and that's considered evidence?" "More than just nonsense." Yeljini pulled out another piece of paper from his sleeve. "We also investigated in Yangzhou. The number of archers killed by the Yuxi Patrol Inspectorate that day matches the number given by the criminal. On the day of the incident, there were indeed ships in the vicinity, and their type matched the one described by the criminal."
"Who is Shao Shuyi?" Duo'er asked.
"A seafarer from the Chongming Thousand-Household Office of the Caofu Kunshan Prefecture," Yeerjini replied. "He started out selling smuggled salt, and he employs a group of outlaws. He has deep connections with the Jiangyin Prefecture government. The previous attack on Lüsichang was most likely related to him."
Duo'er didn't reply. She picked up the teacup and realized the tea was cold. She frowned and put it back.
"Anything else?" he asked.
Yeljini paused, took a deep breath, and said, "Some people claim that he is the leader of the Red-Headband Bandits, who bought smuggled salt from various salt fields under the jurisdiction of the Liangzhe Transport Office, showing utter disregard for the law and being extremely arrogant. Furthermore, there are also many accusations that he was responsible for the murder of the monks at the Ganming Guangfu Zen Temple in Jiangyin Prefecture. As for his acts of bullying and monopolizing the market on the Grand Canal, they are countless. This scoundrel is truly a notorious bandit."
The guards standing by the pillars nearby couldn't help but glance at him; this fellow had committed quite a few offenses.
Duo'er listened, then slowly leaned back in her chair. After a long while, she asked, "Is there any concrete evidence of the attack on Lüsichang, the bribery of smuggled salt, the murder of monks, and the monopolistic practices in the market?"
Yeljini's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "I'm investigating. There are witnesses for two of them, namely..."
"Enough." Duo'er waved her hand, interrupting him, and said, "In August, Luo Tianlin and Chen Jiwan, the bandit leaders of Tingzhou, rebelled. Huduhu (same name, Right Vice Minister of Jiangzhe Province) and Tulu (Right Vice Minister of Jiangxi Province) joined forces to suppress them. They only recovered the lost territory last month. Now the bandits are scattered and the remnants have not been quelled."
After speaking, he paused, then added, "Before that, there was the Huashan bandit incident, which caused quite a stir. Hmm, I've also heard that the Xiang Army is causing trouble in Changzhou. The province is not peaceful at all."
"The Prime Minister's intentions..." Yeljini had a bad feeling.
The man before me had served as the Left Chancellor of the Henan-Jiangbei Province and was responsible for handling the aftermath of Fan Meng's false imperial edict. At that time, he felt pity for the thousands of people implicated and did not want to execute them. However, the Chancellor Na Lin was dissatisfied, saying that he only knew how to appease the people and that his heart was with the Han people.
This time, Luo Tianlin's main force was defeated in his rebellion, leaving only scattered followers. He should have eradicated the evil completely, but instead, he sent people to offer amnesty, giving official positions to everyone, including the rebel leader and his generals.
Could it be that he wants to win over Shao Shuyi?
"We can't spare any troops right now," Duo'er said. "How many soldiers do you think we need to mobilize for just one Shao Shuyi? And where do we get the money and supplies?" Ye'erjini hesitated for a moment, then said, "But this bandit is rampant along the Yangtze River. If he cuts off the grain transport, it will shake the foundation of the nation. We must eliminate him." Duo'er seemed somewhat convinced by this reasoning, but after thinking for a while, she shook her head and said, "Wuxi and Jiangning are already accumulating autumn tax grain. Next month, it will be distributed in batches to various granaries along the Yangtze River, continuing until the end of January. If he rebels at this time, Wuxi and Jiangning will be thrown into chaos, and the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Does the Prime Minister mean we should just leave it at that?" Yorgini asked.
Duo'er stared at him for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "Keep those two seafarers locked up for now. As for Shao Shuyi..."
He paused for a moment, walked up to Yeljini, and said, "You should investigate first and gather more evidence before making any decisions."
Yeljini opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but was stopped by Dor.
"Isn't he still behaving himself? He clearly knows that rebelling now will lead to his demise." Duo'er simply said, "I'll send someone to meet this man in a few days and see if he can be of use to the court. Right now, the Yao rebels are causing trouble and have repeatedly captured cities. If Shao Shuyi is willing to go to Huguang to help the court suppress the rebels, then he won't be beyond redemption."
Another attempt at appeasement! Yeljini was helpless.
"I know you're not convinced." Duo'er glanced at him and continued, "But have you considered this? The world is in turmoil, and the court is in dire need of capable people. Wouldn't it be a good thing to let these powerful people fight among themselves? If we mobilize the army, it will not only be a long and wasteful expenditure of supplies, but it might also affect the grain transport, preventing the delivery of taxes from the southeast to the capital. Who can bear that responsibility?"
Yeljini remained silent.
"That case from two years ago has dragged on until now." Duo'er walked back behind the desk, sat down again, picked up the confession, and read it over once more. She said, "Since you in the south refuse to release it, and I can't persuade you otherwise, let's proceed according to the rules. These two seafarers can only be considered circumstantial witnesses. What if they're just making baseless accusations? You need to verify the facts first. Witnesses and physical evidence are both essential. With concrete evidence, no one can say anything."
"Does the Prime Minister really think this is just wild speculation?" Yelgini couldn't help but ask.
This time, Duo'er remained silent.
His silence clearly indicated a lot. It was almost certain that Shao Shuyi had committed a crime; the only difference was that the provincial and imperial censors on both sides had different opinions on how to handle the situation.
"What if Shao Shuyi doesn't agree to the offer of amnesty?" Yeerjini pressed.
"If you refuse to surrender, then you shall die a righteous death," Duo'er said in a deep voice.
At this point, Yeljini's mood improved considerably. He then said, "Your Excellency, this man is quite prestigious among the seafarers, porters, and boatmen. Even if we appease him for now, he will still threaten the grain transport if he rebels again in the future. I believe that a short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one. If it is not appropriate before the New Year, then we should wait until the Spring Festival transport fleet has set sail, then mobilize a large army and carry out a thorough arrest."
He did not mention taking action now, because there were indeed practical difficulties.
This year, too many troops have been mobilized. First, three provinces joined forces to suppress the bandits of Huashan, then two provinces formed an allied army to suppress the bandits of Tingzhou, and now there is the Xiang Army uprising in Changzhou and Zhenjiang. Not to mention that Cai Luantou is also running rampant at sea, intercepting and killing cargo ships and merchant ships. In order to deal with these tasks, the Jiangzhe Province has done its best.
At this critical juncture, if Shao Shuyi were to incite the seafarers to rebel, seize Jiangyin, Wuxi, and Liujiagang, take away the imperial court's accumulated tax grain, and destroy the grain transport ships, it would indeed be a major problem.
Therefore, he suggested taking action after the Spring Festival travel rush fleet departs next year, so as to capture and kill this scoundrel in one fell swoop with overwhelming force.
Duo'er listened to these words but did not immediately object.
Yeljini, observing the expressions on the man's face, became even more reassured.
It's really not easy to get things done. Even a bandit with only a few hundred men has to be handled with such care. It's all the fault of Prince Boluo Buhua of Zhennan, who made the people of Jiangnan think that the government troops were useless.
"You should stay in Hangzhou for a while," Duo'er suddenly said. "At the end of the month, I will have Inspector Li Yi and Judge Zhang Duan of Haiyan Prefecture accompany you to Jiangyin for an inspection."
"The Prime Minister is wise," Yeljini exclaimed with delight.
"If there's nothing else, you may leave." Duo'er simply waved her hand and said, "You've only just arrived in Hangzhou and you've come to see me. Han Daya might not be pleased. Go back and report to him first."
"Yes." Yelgini didn't seem to care much and simply replied.
As we left the provincial hall, a cool night breeze swept over us.
The lanterns in the courtyard swayed in the wind, like several hunched people whispering to each other.
Yeljini felt inexplicably annoyed; the Yuan Dynasty had too many petty people, which was why the country was so weak.
These unhealthy trends and practices must be thoroughly corrected.
On the night that Yeljini met with Dorji in the provincial hall, Shao Shuyi, who had already selected five mares, did not leave.
By this time, he had received many messages and met with several people.