Chapter 338 Dismissal of He Yan from His Post

He Yan was furious.

He couldn't hear what Magistrate Shen was saying at all.

He struggled to raise his hand, pointed at Magistrate Shen's nose, and cursed, "Shen Dongming, you're just a lowly seventh-rank official, how dare you try to teach me how to do things? Who gave you the guts! Guards, hold Shen Dongming down and give him thirty lashes. We'll let him go when he realizes he's wrong!"

"Let's see who dares to touch the magistrate!"

Wang Yongcheng led dozens of patrolmen over, forming an impenetrable wall between Magistrate Shen and the officials.

He Yan was furious. These unruly people dared to openly challenge him; they had really gone too far!

"puff--"

His lungs burst open, and he spat out a mouthful of dark red blood, nearly fainting.

"Attack! Attack him for me!"

He used his last breath to give the order.

The dozen or so constables didn't move. In front of them were seventy or eighty patrolmen, each holding a hoe and a shovel, their faces full of fearlessness. They couldn't defeat them.

Magistrate Shen was deeply moved. What had he done to deserve such devotion that these villagers would risk their lives to protect him?

Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff.

Suddenly, dust billowed up on the main road as two horses and a carriage came galloping towards them.

"Imperial edict arrives—"

The messenger's voice came from afar.

These three words seemed to give He Yan a shot of adrenaline, and he sprang up from the sedan chair.

The imperial edict has arrived! The imperial edict arrived so quickly!

It must be an imperial edict to dismiss Shen Dongming from his post!

However… He Yan was slightly puzzled. Was it really the Emperor himself who issued an imperial edict to dismiss a mere seventh-rank official?

Well, in any case, Shen Dongming's time as county magistrate has come to an end!

At this moment, the carriage gradually approached. In addition to the messenger responsible for reading the imperial edict, the prefect also arrived and slowly stepped down from the carriage.

Generally, imperial edicts were read aloud by the chief eunuch of the emperor's side, but this was limited to the capital. For places a little further away, messengers would be sent to handle the matter.

Some messengers might serve at the post station for decades and never receive an imperial edict, but these two messengers from Huzhou were only here twice to read one.

The two men dismounted, exuding an imposing aura.

"All of you, heed my decree—!"

Everyone present, including He Yan who was lying in a palanquin, was helped down to kneel and receive the imperial decree.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Today, the world is at peace, and the people live in contentment. I hereby appoint He Yan as Salt and Iron Commissioner to mine coal in Ping'an County, Huzhou. However, He Yan has been corrupt, lawless, and disregards human life... He has engaged in empty talk that has harmed the country and poisoned the people... He has deeply failed my grace. Therefore, I hereby dismiss He Yan from his post as Salt and Iron Commissioner and send him to the capital for further judgment! This is my decree!"

He Yan suddenly looked up!

Wasn't the plan to dismiss Shen Dongming? Why him? What did he do wrong?!

He scrambled to his feet: "Nonsense...cough cough cough, utter nonsense! I am a member of the He family in the capital. His Majesty favors the He family and would never dismiss me! You have falsely conveyed the imperial edict! You all deserve to die...Pfft! Cough cough cough..."

He fell backward, but was caught by several officers.

The prefect stepped forward and said coldly, "If you weren't a member of the He family, His Majesty wouldn't have written an imperial edict to dismiss a mere sixth-rank salt and iron commissioner. He Yan, I wrote a three-page report on your misdeeds in Dahe Village and sent it to the capital. I originally needed witnesses and physical evidence for further investigation, but who would have thought that your He family would run into trouble? Second Master He was accused of corruption and bribery, and the Prime Minister obtained the evidence and threw him directly into the imperial prison..."

Second Master He was He Yan's biological grandfather.

His eyes were wide open, almost popping out of their sockets.

He Xiao, who was hiding in the crowd, was also slightly stunned. Although the Second Master He was born out of wedlock, he was good at business and was the savior of the He family patriarch. Therefore, he had a fairly high status in the He family... He was actually arrested for embezzlement.

Then he smiled.

With the downfall of Second Master He, the He family lost a branch of the family. One wonders what He Ling's feelings are at this moment.

"Guards, tie He Yan up!" the prefect ordered coldly. "And arrest all his accomplices!"

The yamen runners behind the prefect immediately stepped forward.

The officials tried to struggle, but Wang Yongcheng immediately led his patrol team to help tie them up. They used thick hemp ropes to bind them tightly and then threw them aside.

"Insolence! How dare you!" He Yan tried to dodge, "I will not let you unruly commoners get away with this... Ugh!"

Wang Yongcheng took off his socks and used them to gag He Yan, immediately silencing the surroundings.

"Continue to await orders—"

The messenger took another yellow imperial edict from his horse and began to read it aloud.

"Lady Sui, please heed my decree!"

Zhao Dashan crawled forward on his knees, the honest man choking back tears as he said, "Madam Sui is critically ill and will not live much longer. As Madam Sui's eldest son, I humbly request that you receive the imperial decree on her behalf!"

Generally speaking, imperial edicts are not allowed to be received by proxy, but the two messengers in Huzhou had heard some rumors that Lady Sui was so angered by Lord He that she was on the verge of death.

This Lady Sui received two imperial edicts in just six months, which shows she is no ordinary person, so they naturally wanted to befriend her.

The messenger nodded and began reading the imperial edict: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Last winter, refugees from the south fled in disarray, gradually approaching the north, bringing with them a plague. The people suffered greatly, their misery unbearable, and I could not sleep day or night… Fortunately, Lady Zhao Cheng of Sui proposed a method for controlling the refugees, and even tested the poison on herself to develop a cure for the plague… Lady Zhao is a blessing to our Great Yu Dynasty and a fortune to countless people…"

The villagers present knelt on the ground, nodding repeatedly.

If it weren't for Aunt Dashan's discovery of a cure for the plague, the entire village would have been infected and wiped out. Aunt Dashan saved not only a few sick people, but an entire village, a city, and countless other people...

"...Lady Zhao Cheng of Sui is of noble character and wisdom, beautiful in appearance and intelligent in spirit, and concerned about the country and its people. She is hereby promoted to the rank of Eighth-Rank Lady and is specially granted one hundred taels of gold, one hundred bolts of brocade, and one hundred acres of fertile land...So be it!"

The entire village was stunned.

In less than half a year, Da Shan Niang was promoted from the ninth rank to the eighth rank. This was an immense blessing and good fortune...

He Yan, whose mouth was gagged, was also stunned. He had been stripped of his official position, while that woman had been promoted. Why? Why was she promoted?!

He was furious and spat out another mouthful of blood, but his mouth was blocked, so the blood couldn't be spat out and choked back up into his throat. He coughed so hard that he fainted.

"Thank you for your imperial grace! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhao Dashan raised his hands above his head and reverently received the yellow imperial edict.

"There is one last imperial edict." The messenger read the edict again, "...The fourteen prefectures of the North all produce coal. Coal benefits the court, but it has failed to benefit the people...I was greatly shocked when I heard about honeycomb briquettes. This is a meritorious deed that benefits the country and the people...Consort Zhao Cheng of Sui has devoted herself to the country and the people...She is hereby promoted to the rank of seventh-grade consort, and is specially granted one hundred taels of gold, one hundred bolts of brocade, one hundred acres of fertile land, and one seventh-grade consort seal...So be it!"

The villagers could all tell that although the two imperial edicts arrived at the same time, they were not written at the same time. The first edict came after the plague and snow disaster, while the second edict must have been sent by express courier in the past few days. It was a two-level promotion on the same day.

Such a thing has never happened before in the history of this dynasty.

Even the county magistrate and the prefect were stunned. They were not only shocked by the promotion of two ranks, but also astonished that the emperor had bestowed upon Lady Sui a seal, which meant that Lady Sui had the authority to write memorials to the court. What an honor this was!

The Emperor's high regard for Lady Sui truly exceeded their expectations...