Chapter 289 Emergency Meeting of Local Officials

No words were spoken that night, and the next day.

The aftermath of the battle between Buddhism and Taoism was still spreading in the capital, and people on the streets were hotly discussing the heroic deeds of "Zhao Yanwang" yesterday.

In the literary circles, many poems were circulated at the "Zhangtai Banquet" last night.

The most commendable one is the one written by Zhao Duan when he was drunk.

"Zhao Duan actually has such a talent for poetry... Was it really written by him? Or was it written by someone else?" Some people were jealous.

"Haha, this poem clearly describes yesterday's experience. Who can hold a pen like that? Besides, when one is in high spirits and inspiration strikes, it's not uncommon to occasionally come up with something...

"What's more, I feel like this poem is missing something, its spirit and charm are not fully realized, and it has serious flaws. It can't be considered a masterpiece." Someone commented.

More people still enjoy talking about the line "The emperor's beauty is my youth".

What he appreciates is not poetry, but gossip.

"Bah, you dog mistress! What are you showing off for?"

Readers are collectively as jealous as lemons.

In the higher-level officialdom, the empress's imperial edict sending Zhao Duan as an imperial envoy to investigate the corruption case in Taicang Silver Mine triggered deeper turmoil.

…

Li Mansion, in the study.

The then Prime Minister Li Yanfu sat at the long table and wrote a letter:

"... Zhao Duan... you must... make sure not to lose him..."

A moment later.

Li Yanfu, who was already showing signs of old age and was quite shrewd, sealed the envelope with his own hands. With his right hand with bulging veins, he picked up a small hammer and gently struck a delicate little clock beside the table.

The study door was quickly pushed open, and Li Yinglong walked in, bowing and saying:

"Father."

Li Yanfu took shaky steps, walked around the long table piled with calligraphy, paintings and official documents, handed over the written letter, and said lightly:

"Send a retainer to secretly deliver it to Taicang and hand it over to the Linfeng Governor."

Li Yinglong raised his head suddenly, his eyes lit up:

"Father, have you finally figured it out? Are you going to deal with Zhao Duan?"

"Ask less and do more." Li Yanfu's eyes were cold, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Li Yinglong shuddered, not daring to say anything more, and left.

The old prime minister, with messy hair and beard and stubble as sharp as a hedgehog, stood with his hands behind his back in the crack of the study door, letting the autumn sun outside shine on his face.

In those narrowed eyes, there was a hint of worry and a hint of cruelty:

"Taicang..."

All of a sudden, an imperial edict and several letters floated towards the small town of Taicang like snowflakes.

…

…

A few days later.

Linfeng Road, inside a government office.

The doors and windows were closed, and sitting at the long "conference table" were the temporarily appointed provincial governor, the provincial judge... and many other ministers, including the local prefect.

“Pah.”

The governor who held the power of a province threw a memorial on the table, leaned back in a high-backed chair, and glanced coldly at the officials in the room, saying in a cold voice:

"Tell me, the imperial envoy is coming. How should we respond?"

How to deal with it?

In a room with closed doors and windows, beside a heavy table with blue and white tea cups placed on it, there were a handful of local officials, all with serious expressions.

They looked at each other, but no one spoke first.

"Governor Gao," finally, it was the third-rank Censor who spoke first among the people sitting at the table.

This old man, who was nearly sixty years old and held the power of inspection, but had a kind face, said slowly:

"The Taicang Silver Mine incident has alarmed the Emperor, who has even dispatched an imperial envoy. This matter is no longer a matter of my own, Linfeng Dao, but a major matter for the imperial court, a matter for the Emperor himself, and even more so, a matter concerning the new policies of Dayu and even for every household..."

The old man spoke in official language before finally speaking the truth:

"In my opinion, wait for the imperial envoy to arrive and explain everything truthfully. We will do our best to cooperate."

He finished speaking without waiting for the governor to speak.

Sitting opposite the old man, the Taicang prefect, who was about fifty years old, thin and dark as iron, and wrapped in the scarlet official robe of the fourth rank, seemed to be very emotional.

His iron-like fingers tapped the table, attracting everyone's attention, and he said in a deep voice:

"The imperial envoy from the capital should, in theory, cooperate. But... everyone here knows the current situation well. This isn't something that can be brushed aside!"

The prefect Sun Xiaozhun raised his voice three degrees, his eyes dark:

"Liu Anchashi asked for an explanation, but how can we do that? The imperial court ordered us to arrest the person before the imperial envoy arrives. Okay, but where is the person? He's gone!

Not only is the Taicang County Magistrate gone, but even the Mining Tax Supervisor who we were asked to protect is gone!

"Master Liu, tell me, how are you going to explain this to the Imperial Envoy? Or are you guys colluding to chop off my head and report it to the Emperor?"

"Lord Sun!"

Gao Lian, the "Governor" appointed by the six ministries and in charge of the political power in Linfeng, sat at the head of the table. He was holding a blue and white porcelain tea bowl in his hand. His face darkened when he heard this:

"Be careful with your words! Don't get emotional..."

"I have no emotions!"

Sun Xiaozhun, the prefect who had just completed a year of being transferred to Taicang for his outstanding achievements, waved his hand and said unhappily:

"Master Gao, it seems that the Taicang Silver Mine is not under your direct management. The fire didn't burn you and Liu Anchashi, so you are talking without any worries?

I have to remind you that this memorial clearly states that the imperial envoy is the infamous 'King Zhao'. Although you have never met him, you should have heard of his style of doing things.

Sir Liu, do you really think that everything will be alright if you just tell the truth?

Don't forget, you are in charge of criminal supervision. If something happens to an official, you can't escape.

And Governor Gao, aren't you afraid that this Zhao guy will set us on fire and wipe us all out?

I heard that Zhao Duan is in the capital, and he's not on good terms with the Prime Minister. He even dismantled the sedan chair of the young cabinet minister..."

This fourth-rank prefect, who lacks calmness in his style of doing things but is a down-to-earth doer, spoke madly.

Spit was flying everywhere.

He showed no fear or cowardice towards his two superiors.

The old provincial governor of the third rank and the governor of the second rank were speechless for a moment.

In the room.

The other two officials were also sweating profusely and busy trying to smooth things over.

Gao Lian, the governor who controls the financial affairs and personnel appointments of Linfeng Province, has a fair complexion and a calm temperament.

At this moment, he is sitting in the main seat, with the half white hair under the official hat combed meticulously, with every strand clearly visible.

After Magistrate Sun finished complaining, he glanced at Liu, the scowl on his face, sighed, and softened his voice.

He stood up and handed the blue and white tea bowl to Sun Xiaozhun:

"Lord Sun, moisten your throat."

"...Hmph." Seeing this, Magistrate Sun took it reluctantly, but did not drink it and just threw it in front of him.

Gao Lian sighed:

"Liu Ancha and I are aware that this is an unprovoked disaster for you, and there is no reason to abandon a colleague. I have summoned you all today to discuss this matter."

He turned his head again and looked at the old censor who looked like a good man, with a hint of reminder in his voice:

"Sir Liu, we are all officials in the same dynasty, just like riding on the same boat. When the wind and waves start, no one will be spared, whether it is the first one to fall into the water or the last one to fall into the water.

What Lord Sun said is true. Now that the new policy is coming to the court with great momentum, silver will be of paramount importance. At this moment, this kind of thing has happened, and His Majesty will definitely make an example of him to scare the monkeys.

What's more, the performance evaluation system is about to be implemented gradually, and many people are watching to see who will be the first to be sacrificed.

Your Majesty sent Zhao Duan here on official business instead of anyone else. This is obvious. Everyone!"

His elegant face suddenly turned sharp like a knife:

"This is no longer a matter of Taicang County or one prefecture, but a sword hanging over the heads of the entire Linfeng officialdom!

We should all work together, otherwise, countless officials will be implicated to satisfy Zhao Duan's greed."

Everyone in the room was moved.

When Magistrate Sun saw Gao Lian actually speaking up for him, he was overjoyed. He straightened his seat and said respectfully:

"Master Gao, what exactly do you want to do? Don't beat around the bush. Just tell me directly."

The old censor also pricked up his ears.

The others looked over, waiting for what would happen next.

Bu Zheng, with his elegant temperament and distinct white hair, had fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and smiled slightly:

"As long as we all speak with one voice and limit the blame to the Taicang County Magistrate alone, I can be assured of my safety in the officialdom..."

"Besides, what does it matter if he's an official from Beijing? He's alone and this Taicang is under our jurisdiction."

"As the saying goes, a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake... When he arrives, we will first suppress the arrogance of this imperial envoy."

Gao Lian gave instructions one by one.

In his mind, he recalled the secret letter that the servants of the Li family had sent from the Prime Minister's Mansion at full speed yesterday.

That was a secret letter, also called a "magic bag".

Prime Minister Li Yanfu was in charge of the capital from afar.

Between the lines, the different responses that Zhao Duan might take have been determined.

…

…

The third day after the battle between Buddhism and Taoism.

The people from other places who came to the capital to watch the excitement left with satisfaction.

The capital, which had been bustling for a whole summer, finally enjoyed a brief moment of peace with the cool autumn breeze.

However, few people know that Zhao, who had taken away the glory of both Tianshi Mansion and Shenlong Temple, came out with a small entourage and followed the crowd.

On the official road.

The carriage was shaking and was far less stable than the streets in the city.

In the carriage.

Zhao Duan opened his eyes from his meditation, exhaled deeply, and looked helpless:

"It still doesn't work."

It had been several days since he had obtained the "Six Chapter Sutra", but he still had not seen the beauty of this "second picture".

However, with the practice of breathing meditation and advancement to the Divine Chapter Realm, the empty and restless Qi in the Qi Sea became increasingly stable.

Whenever he practiced, waves appeared in his Qi Sea, making faint tsunami sounds, which was incomparable to the profound skills of the mortal realm.

"You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, take your time."

Zhao Duan silently warned himself not to be impatient.

From outside the shaking curtain of the carriage came the voice of Qian Kerou, the "confidential secretary":

"Sir, we're almost at Taicang. I imagine a bunch of officials are already waiting at the city gate. There's a tea stall up ahead. Should we stop there?"

"Stop, I'm thirsty."

Zhao Duan stretched and smiled:

"As for those officials, just let them wait. Do you think you're going to let me enter the city with a dry mouth just for their comfort?"

"Okay."

On the official road, four carriages stopped at a small teahouse set up on the side of the road for passers-by to rest.

Zhao Duan opened the curtain, stepped out of the carriage, and took a deep breath of the autumn air. He heard the snorting of horses from the carriage next door and a woman's voice:

"Why did Master Zhao stop?"

Zhao Duan, with his hands on his hips and dressed in gorgeous clothes, turned his head to glance at the exquisite and beautiful face of the Jiangnan woman who was just peeking out of the carriage, and sneered:

"If the princess wants to leave, she can just go on her own. Why must she follow me?"

Xu Junling, supported by his maid Lushui, stepped on a small stool and walked out of the carriage. He wrinkled his nose and smiled charmingly:

"Master Zhao has a cruel heart."

(End of this chapter)