Chapter 99: Following closely, he died suddenly

Huguang was the seat of the provincial government and the meeting place of Huguang.

Today is the second day of May. The Grain in Ear season just passed two days ago. It is the time to plant rice in the south and harvest wheat in the north.

In Huguang, which occupies 35% of the country's farmland and has more than 2 million hectares of arable land, people would have already started sowing in full swing at this time of year in previous years.

But this year is different, simply because the weather is not good - Huguang has had heavy rain for several days this year, and the sun was not visible for most of April.

Especially in Yuezhou, Jingzhou and other prefectures and counties, dikes have been breached frequently for years, resulting in floods in recent days and people have been drowned.

After measuring with rulers, it was found that no less than tens of thousands of acres of farmland were flooded.

The flooding has delayed the sowing process, not to mention the planting process. We even have to consider the issue of disaster relief.

"Councilor Feng, this flood destroyed the dikes and flooded the fields. The total length of the damaged dikes is more than 100,000 feet!"

"If we don't repair the dam and save the rice seedlings, I'm afraid it will cause a big disaster later!"

The officials in charge of the region anxiously reported the cause of the flood to Councillor Feng Shiyu.

There have been severe floods in the province recently, and many places have been affected.

The dikes were destroyed and fertile farmland was submerged. If not dealt with in time, the province would inevitably face annexation and famine.

But at this critical moment, all the senior officials in Huguang Province who should have come forward to coordinate the matter remained indifferent.

Governor Zhao Xian stayed indoors and did not come out.

Chief Secretary Chen Rui went to the mine every day.

Even those who participate in politics and council meetings don't know what they are busy with.

Only today, the officials in charge of guarding the road came to see the returning Councillor Feng Shiyu.

Feng Shiyu was silent for a long while before he slowly said, "Use the fines first. If it's not enough, keep some of the money sent to Beijing. That should be enough to repair the dike."

"I'll go talk to the governor."

The silver collected from stolen goods and fines was the basis of local treasury reserves. Roughly eight-tenths of the silver collected from stolen goods and fines was paid to the stolen goods and fines treasury, and two-tenths was retained in the local provincial government or direct-controlled prefecture treasury.

There has been a turbulence in Huguang in recent days, and naturally there are quite a few officials who have been imprisoned for their crimes, and the amount of money deposited in the stolen goods and fines treasury has increased dramatically.

However, even if the money is used, it still needs to be reported to the central government.

The governor Chen Rui and the governor Zhao Xian were in trouble themselves and didn't want to get involved in this matter at all.

After sending the guard away, Feng Shiyu got up and went to the back hall to look for Chen Rui.

As soon as he stepped into the back hall, Feng Shiyu felt a wave of anxiety coming over him before he even saw anyone.

He raised his head and saw Chen Rui, who was sitting in the court, with dishevelled clothes and a rather decadent look.

Feng Shiyu said cautiously: "Prefect, the governor just told me that there have been a lot of floods recently, which have destroyed the dikes and flooded the fertile fields. The situation is so serious that it is time to deal with it!"

"He petitioned the governor to curb the situation, otherwise he might be guilty!"

"What I mean is that we can use the money from the treasury to repair the dam."

The Chief Secretary's affairs have been somewhat neglected in recent days.

Feng Shiyu could only make the matter sound more serious so that Chen Rui would take it seriously.

After that, there was a brief silence in the courtroom.

The Governor Chen Rui seemed unaware and did not move.

After a while.

Chen Rui finally looked at Feng Shiyu and murmured, "Feng Huazhi, count the time, the imperial envoy from the capital is probably on the way."

Calculating the time, it took almost half a month for the news to reach the capital.

No matter how slow the central government moves, the imperial envoy should be on the way.

Chen Rui didn't listen to what Feng Shiyu said at all. He was only thinking about how his career would end.

Feng Shiyu was silent for a moment, skipped over the matter of the flood in Huguang, and said, "It should be only seven or eight days."

The road from Northern Zhili to Huguang is even farther than that to Southern Zhili.

Chen Rui had a bitter look on his face and forced a smile, "I'm afraid our official positions will only last for seven or eight days. You still have the mood to care about people's livelihood. I can't compare with you in this kind of character."

Chen Rui naturally knew about the flood in Huguang.

But he no longer had the heart to deal with it.

They say that you should do your job well, but how many people can really do that?
What Chen Rui loves is only the official career and official life. He has no time to look at the people under his feet.

Feng Shiyu bowed respectfully and said, "Prime Minister, it may not be the end of the road. As long as I clear myself of Zhang Chucheng's crime, I may be able to make a comeback."

Dismissal from office is certain, but the situation is not hopeless.

Chen Rui shook his head: "It's easy to say, but I'm sitting here, and I can't pick it all off easily just because I want to."

Feng Shiyu suddenly raised his head, took two steps forward, and said in a deep voice: "Isn't it because the governor is afraid of the consequences?"

"We have been investigating the mines these days. Although the people have left and the furnaces have been extinguished, aren't the clues lying in front of us?"

"If the governor wants to get away with it, why is he complaining about it here?"

"Shouldn't we just head straight to Prince Yueyang's Palace?"

This is not a crime story. As long as the provincial government wants to investigate a case, there is no case that cannot be solved.

After visiting a few mines, we will know who is mining in secret.

In the past, the provincial government just didn't ask about it, but now that they have paid attention to it, it is impossible to hide the words "Yueyang Palace" from others - as for whether it is related to the matter of Zhang Chucheng and Tang Bin, we will just have to continue investigating.

It’s just that after finding out this much, Chen Rui didn’t dare to take any action.

Chen Rui was silent.

Chen Rui also understood what Feng Shiyu said.

But since this matter involves clan members, how could he dare to act rashly!

What if he checked wrongly? How much would the vassal resent him?
Is it an act of usurpation for the Chief Secretary to do the work of the Censor?

To take a step back, if he really confirmed the act of burning the imperial envoy, would the emperor thank him or be secretly resentful of him?

Even more so, since they dared to do something like burning the imperial envoy, would they just jump over the wall in desperation and raise the flag of rebellion! ?
If the truth is truly revealed, the outcome may not necessarily be better than doing nothing.

Now what he has in hand should be handed over directly to the imperial envoy. At least this can show his attitude and clear away some of it.

Chen Rui waved his hands helplessly: "Let the money from the stolen goods and fines warehouse be used by those below. I'll approve the note for you later."

"Let's leave Zhu Yingyan from the Yueyang Palace to the imperial envoy."

After saying that, he leaned back in his chair, his head tilted back, without saying a word.

Feng Shiyu has advised Chen Rui several times in the past two days, and seeing Chen Rui's attitude, he is helpless.

The former bowed and was about to leave.

At this moment.

An experienced person walked in quickly, looking a little anxious.

Feng Shiyu immediately stopped and cast a concerned look.

The officer stood still and saw that there were only two superiors in the hall. He bowed and said, "Prefect, Councillor, someone just came down and told me..."

"It is said that Governor Zhao Xian just ordered his personal guards, left the government office, and went to the Commandery to invite Commander Zhan En, and went straight to Yuezhou Prefecture!"

Chen Rui stood up suddenly, his expression changed drastically: "Leading the troops!?"

"Did you say what you were doing?!"

His tone was hurried and his face flushed.

The officer hurriedly replied, "The governor said he was going to Yuezhou to inspect military affairs, and asked all the departments to do their jobs and not to act on their own."

Feng Shiyu was also moved when he heard this.

Inspection?

He brought his personal guards and invited the commander-in-chief, and it was still an inspection! ?

I'm afraid he went there because of Zhang Chucheng's matter!
Chen Rui and Feng Shiyu looked at each other at the same time - Governor Zhao Xian must have found out about Yuezhou, so he rushed over in such a hurry, but... to this extent, he was even more anxious than them, and his ass was probably even more dirty.

The former immediately stepped out and ordered, "Go, prepare the carriages and horses, I want to go to Yuezhou Prefecture to inspect the government!"

Everyone can stay still, but since Governor Zhao Xian has taken action, he cannot fall behind.

After saying that, he walked out quickly, followed closely by Senator Feng Shiyu.

After moving, it started to drizzle outside the Governor's Office and even in the entire Wuchang Prefecture.

……

On the official road from Wuchang to Yuezhou Prefecture, the rain was getting heavier, hitting the pedestrians and carriages with crackling sounds.

The closer we get to Yuezhou Prefecture, the darker the sky becomes.

heavily clouded.

Commander-in-chief Zhan En sat in the carriage with a grim face, staring at the Governor Zhao Xian in front of him.

The former said in a hateful voice: "Governor Zhao, I am also a second-rank official of the imperial court! You are not insulting me by forcibly dragging me like this, but insulting the dignity of the imperial court!"

He was working in the Commandery when the governor, who was usually suave and well-mannered but was irritable today, rushed into his office and dragged him into the carriage without saying a word.

He is so disregarding of dignity, and I don’t know what’s wrong with him!

Zhao Xian has an elegant face. Although he has no expression on his face, he appears to be intimidating without even getting angry.

His tone was cold, and he spoke word by word: "Official body?"

"Commander-in-Chief Zhan had better have nothing to do with Yuezhou's affairs. Otherwise, not only will he lose his official position, but he may even lose his life."

Zhan En's face changed. If he hadn't been in the carriage, he would have almost stood up in shock.

He looked anxious: "Governor Zhao, please stop making nonsense here! The matter between Zhang Chucheng and Tang Bincha has nothing to do with me!"

As for the so-called Yuezhou affairs, Zhan En naturally understood what they meant.

I don’t know what’s wrong with Governor Zhao. He actually said such nonsense!
Zhao Xian looked at him coldly: "Really?"

"The five thousand households of Yuezhou Guard stopped their routine patrols that day. Didn't you know about this?"

Mine thief?

Without the permission of Yuezhou Guards, the miners would never have the ability to attack the county government office!
Zhan En also came back to his senses immediately and his scalp went numb.

He suppressed the throbbing in his heart and said with a little surprise: "The minister said that the Yuezhou guards deliberately let the bandits go that day!?"

Zhao Xian watched Zhan En's reaction closely, unable to miss a single detail.

Seeing that Zhan En did not reveal any flaws, Zhao Xian spoke again: "So Commander Zhan didn't know..." He changed the subject: "I heard that the officials of Commander Zhan have close relations with the officials and eunuchs of the major palaces?"

Zhan En's heart sank, but he didn't show it on his face. He shook his head repeatedly: "What the minister said is biased. The officials in the government office need me to ask about official matters, but I have no right to ask about their private affairs even if I am the commander. As for who they interact with and how close they are, it is not something I can care about."

After hearing this, Zhao Xian nodded and said no more to him.

The carriage fell into silence for a moment.

Zhan En looked at the heavy rain outside the window and the direction he was heading. He tilted his head and asked tentatively, "Are you going to take me to Yuezhouwei?"

Since Zhao Xian said that Yuezhou Wei was involved in Zhang Chucheng's affairs, he must have known something.

Now he went straight to Yuezhou, his destination was too obvious.

Zhao Xian turned his head and glanced at Zhan En, with an ambiguous meaning: "I am going to inspect Yuezhouwei, but..."

"Inspector Shu Ao asked us to go somewhere else first, saying that he had something to discuss."

Zhan En asked carefully: "Could you please tell me clearly? What other place?"

Zhao Xian stared at Zhan En for a long time before uttering four words: "Yueyang Palace."

Zhan En nodded thoughtfully and nodded politely to Zhao Xian, ending the conversation.

Only the hands tucked into the sleeves were trembling slightly.

……

It had been raining heavily in Yuezhou Prefecture for days, and it was still pouring down like a bucket.

White raindrops fell like beads on the court of the government office.

The plaque that was hanging high up like a bright mirror was smashed into a blur.

Under the plaque was the Inspector General Shu Ao, sitting in the government office.

The prefect of Yuezhou Prefecture, Zhong Chongwen, sat at the bottom, while the associate prefect, the assistant prefect, the prosecutor and others stood on both sides, without even a place to sit.

Don’t underestimate the Inspector-General, who is only a seventh-rank official.

But when it comes to showing off one's power, even the prefect of the fourth rank dare not breathe a sigh of relief, let alone the other minor officials.

The imperial court has repeatedly stressed that inspectors and censors are not allowed to beat local officials without reason, but today it seems that this is of no use.

Shu Ao sat in the hall, closed his eyes and rested, not saying a word.

The officials in the hall were trembling with fear and didn't know what to do.

This scene has been going on from morning till now.

Prefect Zhong Chongwen exchanged glances with his colleagues in the government office and communicated secretly.

As if urging or requesting, Zhong Chongwen finally nodded with a sigh.

He glanced around at his colleagues in the hall and the soldiers standing outside who had been transferred from somewhere.

Zhong Chongwen then looked at Shu Ao who was sitting in his usual seat, and said cautiously: "Shu Yushi, you said you had something to discuss and called us here. Now that everyone has arrived, half a day has passed. Why don't you say it now?"

Although he is an inspector, not only is he not allowed to leave for meals, but he even has to send someone to watch over him when he goes to the toilet. This is too much.

Inspector Shu Ao slowly opened his eyes, which had been tightly closed for rest, and looked at the person who was speaking.

Seeing that it was the prefect, he nodded politely and smiled before comforting him, "Prefect Zhong, please be patient. I am still waiting for someone from Huguang Huicheng to come."

"When the people arrive, you can leave."

He invited Governor Zhao Xian to the Yueyang Palace for a talk, and naturally he had to control the people in the government office first.

It is to prevent the information from being leaked, and also to prevent the group from colluding and doing something desperate.

Zhong Chongwen felt powerless and was about to speak out to argue.

Just then.

There was a commotion outside.

The prefect Zhong Chongwen, the co-prefect, the magistrate and others, some turned their heads to look outside, while others looked at each other in confusion.

The captain who was accompanying the inspector strode in, holding the hilt of his sword, and then whispered something in Shu Ao's ear.

Shu Ao quickly stood up and walked out in a hurry.

As soon as I walked outside the government office, I saw the governor's ceremonial procession.

Zhao Xian lifted the car curtain and walked out, and Shu Ao walked forward quickly.

The two sides greeted each other.

It was raining heavily, and even though the attendants were holding umbrellas, their clothes were inevitably wet.

But the two of them didn't care at all.

Zhao Xian grabbed Shu Ao's arm and asked urgently, "Shu Yushi, how is the Yueyang Palace now?"

Shu Ao didn't dare to be arrogant, and hurriedly said: "I have sent people to guard the surroundings, not even a fly can fly out!"

Zhao Xian asked: "Where are the Yuezhou guards? Are they absolutely safe? "

At this time, Commander-in-Chief Zhan En also bent down and walked out of the carriage. Hearing this, he couldn't help but look at Shu Ao.

Shu Ao nodded confidently: "General Liu Zhen arrived earlier than the minister and has already gone to Yuezhou Guard."

As the top military officer in the province, the general will have no problem keeping the Yuezhou Guard under control and preventing any trouble.

Zhao Xian let out a long sigh.

This Imperial Inspector is much better than the useless people in the Governor's Office and the lackeys of the Jinyiwei.

He raised his head to glance at the Yueyang Palace in the distance and snorted coldly.

Then he grabbed Shu Ao's arm and quickly pulled him towards Yueyang Palace.

As he walked in front, he said, "Imperial Censor Shu, is that miner really inside the Yueyang Palace now? "

Although the miner Shi Chaofeng surrendered, other leaders still escaped.

It was precisely because Shu Ao wrote in a letter that if he went to Yueyang Palace at this time, he could catch the person red-handed that he rushed here in such a hurry!
There was no way out. The seal was stolen, and he would basically not be able to escape punishment for this matter. He also couldn't just sit back and watch like Chen Rui.

If he didn't risk his life to fight, it would be more than just dismissal.

Shu Ao nodded: "No mistake!"

He did not elaborate on how he found out, in order to avoid being credited, and just stopped there.

Commander-in-chief Zhan En also followed reluctantly.

As the two were talking, suddenly a few fast horses broke through the rain and ran towards this side, neighing.

Before I could see who it was, I heard the urgent voice of the Provincial Governor Chen Rui coming from afar: "How could such a coincidence happen? The Governor, the Imperial Censor, the Commander-in-Chief, and the General are all gathered in Yuezhou?"

"I don't know why such a large force was mobilized, and why this station was not informed."

Chen Rui dismounted and walked quickly towards the group of people.

He was dissatisfied with several people, and even spoke with arrogance, calling himself "this station".

If he asked these people to finish the matter before the imperial envoy arrived, and only one person was missing, how would the central government view him?

This is putting yourself in an unjust position!
Zhao Xian was too lazy to pay attention to him.

Shu Ao, the imperial censor, said indifferently: "The governor is in a high position and has a lot of power. How dare I disturb him?"

Chen Rui had been holding onto the manuscripts of Zhang Chucheng and Tang Bin and refusing to show them to anyone, which had long made Shu Ao dissatisfied, so Shu Ao only invited Chen Rui and did not write to invite him.

Feng Shiyu, who followed Chen Rui, greeted everyone respectfully.

Curious, "Are you all going to the Yueyang Palace? The provincial government is conducting an inspection and found out that the province is still short of several months of salary from the Yueyang Palace."

"But now there is a flood and the province is short of money. I am just about to go there to explain the situation. It will take a few months."

"If it's on your way, why not go together?"

There is always a reason.

Anyway, as long as you follow, you are participating.

Zhao Xian snorted coldly and took a step forward.

Shu Ao looked indifferent, but he could only nod and said kindly: "It is a good thing that the governor and the councilor want to go together, but I am afraid that the rain will be heavy and the road will be slippery, and you two will fall."

After that, he turned and left.

Chen Rui turned a deaf ear to the sarcasm in his words and followed him quickly and silently, with Senator Feng Shiyu following closely behind.

Commander-in-chief Zhan En watched the scene silently and walked at the end.

Although the rain was heavy, it did not stop many people from moving forward.

The location of Yueyang Palace is also conspicuous enough so you don’t have to go to the wrong place.

It took only a quarter of an hour for several senior officials from the province to arrive outside the Yueyang Palace.

Before the few people arrived, there were only subtle secret lines guarding inside and outside the palace.

After a few people arrived, the soldiers surrounded the palace tightly.

The accompanying assistant hurried forward to knock on the door, but was stopped by Governor Zhao Xian, who went forward to knock on the door himself.

The door opened in response, and a man dressed as a eunuch walked out. Seeing the soldiers at the door, he was startled: "Who are you...?"

Zhao Xian said bluntly: "I'm here to see Zhu Yingyan, the assistant lieutenant of your palace."

After all, he is a relative who has not been convicted yet, so we should give him some superficial treatment.

Shu Ao behind him also followed and nodded.

Chen Rui and Zhan En just watched coldly.

The eunuch suddenly realized something and said, "Oh, you got the news and came to attend the funeral of Lieutenant Fuguo?"

"You may as well tell us your identities so that we can make a list first."

Knowingly, he had just finished speaking.

Zhao Xian's face changed drastically, and Shu Ao opened his mouth in surprise.

Chen Rui and Feng Shiyu looked at each other, frowned and said nothing.

Only Commander-in-Chief Zhan En, who was standing behind him, breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Xian grabbed the eunuch by the collar: "What did you say!? What happened to Zhu Yingyan!?"

Faced with Zhao Xian's reaction, the eunuch was at a loss.

He said in a daze: "Yes, Lieutenant Fuguo passed away last night!"

(End of this chapter)