Chapter 172 Many hands make light work
As soon as Xie Wenjie returned to his room, Xie Wuying came in with Zhang Dayi.
As soon as they entered the room, they saw that Xie Yuchuan and Xie Wenjie had strange expressions on their faces.
"What's wrong?"
Xie Wuying has always been outspoken and says whatever he thinks.
Seeing that Xie Yuchuan seemed to be thinking about something, Zhang Dayi did not disturb him and sat down on the plank bed where he would rest tonight.
Xie Yuchuan saw Zhang Dayi coming back and turned to ask, "Sir, do you know this person called Pang Jiming?"
Since he was asked, Zhang Dayi concentrated and thought for a moment.
"I don't know much about the grassroots river officials sent out by the Ministry of Works, but Zheng Qiming, the former Water Conservancy Commissioner in charge of water conservancy construction in Jiangnan Province, and I studied under the same teacher. My mentor, the headmaster of Taishan Academy, highly regarded his character and often mentioned his hard work to us younger generations. I heard so much about him that I became familiar with him, but I didn't interact with him that often."
Zhang Dayi thought for a moment, "Oh, two years ago, at the end of the year, it was my teacher's birthday. Zheng Qiming was too busy with construction to return to Beijing, so he sent a gift back to the capital. My teacher loved the gift and even praised him in public during the banquet. I heard that Pang Jiming was Zheng Qiming's student. Based on my understanding of Zheng Qiming's personality, his students shouldn't be too bad."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yuchuan nodded slightly.
"How did he end up in the exile group, sir? Do you understand?"
Zhang Dayi shook his head. "I've only heard a little bit, I don't know much. Life in a prison is tough, so I don't have the energy to inquire about other people's affairs."
On the side, brothers Xie Wenjie and Xie Wuying also agreed and nodded frequently after hearing this.
When they were thrown into jail, they were only focused on protecting their own families and had no time to inquire about others.
"However, I did hear a little about it in the two days before the exile."
Xie Yuchuan: "Oh? Sir, could you please tell me more about it?"
"What's the inconvenience?" Zhang Dayi smiled.
He stood up from his original position. Xie Wuying quickly gave his stool to Zhang Dayi and ran to the side, standing against the wall with his arms folded, to watch.
Xie Yuchuan personally poured a cup of warm tea for Zhang Dayi.
Zhang Dayi, fingertips pinching the rim of the cup, recalled, "The floods in Jiangnan were severe, with heavy losses. I don't know how the relief efforts were handled, but I heard that officials from all levels of Jiangnan colluded and embezzled relief funds, causing a large influx of refugees into the capital. There were so many impeachment memorials that the Hanlin Academy was overwhelmed with work. Later, I heard that the emperor was furious and ordered the Ministry of Justice to arrest Zheng Qiming and to conduct a joint trial with the Dali Temple and the Metropolitan Censorate."
The three Xie Yuchuan brothers listened attentively.
"How was the trial?"
"This is quite intriguing." Zhang Dayi seemed to find this matter odd as well. "Regarding the joint trial of Zheng Qiming, he shouldn't be executed this autumn, no matter how soon. The Ministry of Justice also has procedures for sentencing officials, so it might take three to five months at the shortest, or next year at the slowest. Furthermore, with so many officials in Jiangnan Province, even checking the accounts takes considerable time. Yet, the Hedao case was sentenced without delay. The Ministry of Justice said the evidence was irrefutable, and Zheng Qiming pleaded guilty. The case was reported to the Emperor, and His Majesty personally sentenced him to death."
When Zhang Dayi heard about the haste and severity of this matter, he was surprised for a long time.
"Now he's dead, his family and servants have been confiscated and enslaved. I don't know much about the subsequent events of the case, but I heard that the other officials involved were sentenced to exile, and a new governor was appointed to the Jiangnan River."
"Pang Jiming is one of these people." Xie Yuchuan said.
“Yes.”
Xie Yuchuan pondered for a moment, "Among those exiled this time, are there any water officials who were exiled with Pang Jiming?"
"I don't want to know about that." Zhang Dayi smiled and said, "If the young general is interested, he can ask Pang Jiming. Wouldn't that be more convenient?"
Although Zhang Dayi didn't know why Xie Yuchuan suddenly became interested in Pang Jiming, but when he put himself in the position of an exiled prisoner, he thought that it would be a good thing if the Xie family could give Pang Jiming some protection in his situation.
But he won't say much.
The Xie family has no responsibility to take care of others, and he and his mother are deeply indebted to the Xie family. They are currently in financial difficulty and have no time to repay the family. How could he embarrass himself by giving random advice to Xie Yuchuan?
But Zhang Dayi was still quite curious about why Xie Yuchuan suddenly noticed Pang Jiming.
Xie Wenjie saw the confusion on Zhang Dayi's face and explained on behalf of his sixth brother, Xie Yuchuan, "I just went downstairs to get something. When I came back, I saw Pang Jiming helping the officials with their work. His wife and children were standing by with terrified expressions. I brought this up with my sixth brother, and he then asked the teacher about it."
Zhang Dayi suddenly realized: "Oh, so that's how it is. I thought the Major General had some thoughts about Pang Jiming."
Xie Yuchuan raised his eyes, pondered for a moment and said, "Sir, you are not wrong. I am indeed a little curious about Pang Jiming."
Now, not only Zhang Dayi was curious, but even the other two brothers couldn't help but look at Xie Yuchuan.
"The Major General wants to meet him?" Zhang Dayi thought for a moment and then offered, "If the Major General is interested, I think since I'm from the same school as his division commander, I should be able to have a say."
Xie Yuchuan asked cautiously, "What do you think of Pang Jiming, sir?"
Zhang Dayi finally came to his senses. He thought that there must be something outstanding about Pang Jiming that caught the eye of the major general of the Xie family.
The Xie family has the support of the gods, so there is no guarantee that Xie Yuchuan will not have any other ideas in the future.
It is difficult to go to Laozhou, and we don’t know what it will be like there. Does Xie Yuchuan want to make some preparations in advance?
Zhang Dayi thought quickly and said frankly, "I think he is at least a man of virtue and talent. He protected his wife and children all the way, which shows that he has a strong sense of responsibility and does not bully the weak. Survival in exile was difficult, but he did not go along with those people just to make ends meet. I even saw him help an old woman who was about to fall. It shows that he has a bottom line in his heart. A gentleman who is cautious and self-disciplined in difficult situations is rare. What do you think, Young General?"
"It's indeed rare." Xie Yuchuan agreed after hearing this.
"Pang Jiming is a talent for flood control. I've heard that talent is dwindling in the north. If someone like Pang Jiming can reach Laozhou safely, who knows, he might be able to put his talents to good use."
Zhang Dayi said it casually, seemingly casually, but in fact he was speaking well of Pang Jiming.
Traveling with the Xie family all the way, Zhang Dayi secretly felt that even if Xie Yuchuan was exiled, given the status of the Xie family, they must not take it lightly.
Many hands make light work. If the Xie family can gather some talented people, their lives and property will be more secure when they arrive in Laozhou.
Xie Yuchuan opened his lips slightly, and naturally heard the hidden meaning in Zhang Dayi's words.
"If it's not too much trouble, sir, please introduce us to each other. Yu Heng is interested in getting to know each other."
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