Chapter 167 There are coal mines in Hewan County
The person who appeared before Duan Wu was Li Yao, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Good lad!" Duan Wu stood up and grabbed Li Yao's arm, scrutinizing his official robes. "I heard from the fairy that you made many great contributions when you returned to the capital with the emperor, helping him first eliminate Lao An and then defeat Situ Wei, and then being appointed as the Minister of Justice of Qingyou Terrace by the emperor! You're really something!"
Duan Wu and Li Yao grew up together and later became generals at Xitun Pass.
Now that he sees his childhood friend becoming the emperor's right-hand man, he is genuinely happy for him.
Li Yao laughed and said, "You're quite capable too. You helped the Emperor solve a major case. Your contribution is no less than mine."
"By the way, what brings you here?" Duan Wu asked excitedly. "Once I finish what I'm doing, let's drink until we drop tonight!"
"Tonight might not be possible. His Majesty ordered me to bring men from Qingyou Terrace to interrogate those Xiao nobles..."
"Aren't you going to bring them back to the capital for investigation?"
"Yes, to prevent other princes and nobles from interfering with the investigation, His Majesty wants to take this opportunity to thoroughly reorganize the Great Xuan from the bottom up."
"And... what about Grand Censor Xue?"
"I've come here for two reasons. First, to deal with the case involving the Xiao family nobles. Second, it's for Lord Xue. His Majesty ordered me to check the intelligence gathered by Qingyoutai in the past to see if there's anything about him. If so, please send it over."
"Found it?"
"Hmm." Li Yao nodded and patted Duan Wu on the shoulder. "Have lunch first. This is what His Majesty asked me to bring to you. It's also a way for us to meet first. I still have to report to His Majesty."
"Hehehe, alright! Take care, Lord Li!" Duan Wu grinned broadly.
Li Yao was both amused and exasperated by the address "Lord Li," and punched Duan Wu on the shoulder before leaving.
——
Inside a room in the county government office.
Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli listened to Li Yao's report together.
Li Yao said, "According to the intelligence collected by Qingyoutai in the past, the Imperial Censor has been an official for eighteen years and is still poor at home. He has an old mother, a wife and a son. He has never taken a concubine. His mother and wife often weave cloth to sell to supplement their family income, and his son is a farmer and has not entered the officialdom."
"In addition, I have checked them one by one and found the benefits that the Prefect of Longyuan had given him over the years in the Imperial Censorate."
He then had his men bring in a basket.
The basket contained a pile of handicrafts that were as black as ink and had a jade-like luster.
There are decorative items, hairpins, and some jade pendants and other ornaments.
Xiao Qidi picked one up and looked at it, saying, "The craftsmanship is quite good. Although it's not as good as jade, it's still a relatively valuable item. Since his family is poor and his mother and wife have to help with household expenses, why didn't he sell these?"
Li Yao said, "I asked his wife, and she said that although she didn't know where these things came from, he wouldn't allow them to be used."
"That's all?" Xiao Qidi asked incredulously.
If a mere magistrate of Hewan County could amass so much wealth, the amount handed over to the governor of Longyuan Prefecture would only be much greater.
Was the gift from the Prefect of Longyuan to the Imperial Censor so meager?
"Yes, that's all," Li Yao said with a complicated expression. "In my humble opinion, if it weren't for his involvement in the case of the Prefect of Longyuan, Lord Xue would be a truly honest and upright official."
Xiao Qidi fell into deep thought.
"Huh? Isn't this just coal ore?" Ning Jinli looked at the black ornament and said in surprise, "I thought it was some kind of black jade."
“Fairy, this is jet,” Li Yao explained. “It’s a specialty of the Hewan County area. Coal is very common here, but you can only find one piece of jet among thousands of coal stones. However, it is still far inferior to jade.”
Ning Jinli slapped her forehead. "Oh! I remember now, you guys still haven't discovered the true use of coal mines!"
According to historical records, the use of coal as fuel and industrial energy began in the next dynasty after the fall of the Da Xuan Dynasty.
Even the Great Xuan Dynasty had not yet been established, which meant that most people at this time did not know the correct way to use coal.
This is precisely the key reason why bronze ware was widely used during this period.
Because smelting bronze only requires a temperature of 1200 degrees Celsius, which can be achieved with charcoal, but smelting iron requires an even higher temperature, which can only be achieved with coal.
Therefore, before mastering coal combustion technology, it was very difficult to make ironware, and even some pig iron that was made by making do was a rare item.
"What's it for?" Xiao Qidi asked hurriedly.
“Use it as fuel for iron smelting!” Ning Jinli’s eyes lit up.
She then explained the key differences between smelting bronze and smelting iron.
Xiao Qidi asked in surprise, "So, does that mean the Yu Kingdom is already using coal to smelt iron?"
“No, no, no,” Ning Jinli continued to explain, “Yu Kingdom has only developed the efficiency of charcoal combustion to the extreme, barely reaching the threshold of burning coal. In addition, Yu Kingdom has a large amount of iron ore, so it can enable the Yu Kingdom’s army to use pig iron equipment. In addition, with its unique forging technology, it can also make some fine iron weapons. But if we want to further popularize its use, we still need to use coal!”
"In addition, coal, like oil, is also a very important industrial energy source in the future. Besides iron smelting, it can be used in countless other areas."
"Since Hewan County is rich in coal, we must not waste it!"
Hearing this, Xiao Qidi was extremely excited.
This means that as long as they conquer Yu Kingdom and obtain a large amount of iron ore, combined with the coal resources here, Da Xuan will definitely be able to achieve a breakthrough in metal smelting in the future.
Moreover, Ning Jinli can impart advanced technologies and tools from over two thousand years later to help with breakthroughs.
"Bring the Imperial Censor here," Xiao Qidi ordered.
Before long, Lord Xue, dressed in prison clothes and with bronze shackles on his hands and feet, staggered into the room.
In just a few days, Lord Xue seemed to have aged more than ten years.
His already gray hair had turned completely white, and his cheeks and eye sockets were sunken, making him look almost like a skeleton.
"This sinful subject... pays his respects to Your Majesty..." Lord Xue knelt on both knees.
“Look up,” Xiao Qidi pointed to the baskets beside him, “Do you recognize these?”
Lord Xue looked up tremblingly, and when he saw the coal artifacts, his face was filled with fear. He hurriedly kowtowed and said, "This sinful subject... recognizes them. These are all things that the former governor of Longyuan County bribed this sinful subject over the years. This sinful subject... deserves to die!"
“I ask you,” Xiao Qidi said in a deep voice, “is your salary as Imperial Censor not enough to cover your family’s expenses? Why do your mother and wife have to weave cloth to sell and supplement their income?”
Lord Xue lowered his head and did not answer immediately, as if he was hesitating about something.
"The emperor is asking you a question, why don't you tell the truth?" Li Yao said deliberately, "Are you hiding something?"
Lord Xue took a deep breath and slowly began to speak, "This sinful subject... since assuming the position of Imperial Censor, has used most of his salary to help the poor and needy..."
Li Yao asked again, "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"
Lord Xue replied, “This sinner knows that the mistake I have made is unforgivable and has accepted the inevitable death penalty. This sinner… does not wish to mislead Your Majesty into thinking that I am still hoping to use this matter to gain Your Majesty’s mercy in order to survive… therefore, I hesitated.”
Xiao Qidi slowly said, "Then tell me why you didn't sell the things that the Prefect of Longyuan gave you? Although they are not top-quality treasures, he gave them to you every year, so they should be equivalent to your annual salary."
Lord Xue gritted his teeth and said with grief and indignation, "Those were all bribes he gave to this sinful subject, they were all... filthy things! This sinful subject really didn't want to use them!"
"Why don't you throw it away?" Li Yao asked.
Lord Xue gave a bitter smile, “Perhaps even Lord Li and the Emperor wouldn’t believe it if I told you… This sinful subject kept those things hoping that one day, when this sinful subject is no longer constrained and has no more scruples, I can hand them over to the court as evidence of the bribery by the Prefect of Longyuan…”
Although he did not explicitly state what kind of constraints he was facing or what kind of concerns he had.
But now, Xiao Qidi is well aware that the Xiao clan nobles behind him are a mountain weighing down on Lord Xue.
"Your Majesty, if there is even the slightest falsehood in what I have said, may my entire family be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!" Lord Xue kowtowed again.
Xiao Qidi was deeply moved. A man who begged until his death not to implicate his family now dared to swear on his family's name. What reason did he have to doubt him?
"Do you still want to be an official?" Xiao Qidi asked, softening his tone.
Lord Xue was taken aback. "How dare this sinful subject have such a presumptuous thought? This sinful subject... only wishes to atone for his sins with his death!"
Xiao Qidi laughed, "Death is easy, but atonement is not. I want you to spend the rest of your life atoneing for your sins. Are you willing?"
Lord Xue was completely stunned. He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock.
Li Yao said, "His Majesty is giving you a chance to live. Aren't you going to thank him?"
"Your Majesty...this sinful subject..." Lord Xue stammered, "This sinful subject...thanks Your Majesty for sparing my life!"
Xiao Qidi nodded slightly. "The entire county government of Hewan County has been wiped out, and we are short of officials who can manage the situation. I have decided to demote you to the position of magistrate of Hewan County. If you fail to govern well, I will still have you beheaded."
"Your Majesty..." Lord Xue's lips trembled, tears streaming down his face, and he kowtowed several times, "This sinful subject will remember!"
Xiao Qidi gave Li Yao a wink.
Li Yao left in a hurry, and soon returned with three other people.
"Lord Xue, look who this is!" Li Yao exclaimed.
Lord Xue hurriedly looked up, his old eyes wide and trembling, "Mother... Madam... Son! You... why are you here?!"
The three of them quickly walked up to him, knelt on the ground, and embraced him, weeping bitterly.
Li Yao explained, “This is all His Majesty’s arrangement. Before interrogating you today, His Majesty had already decided how to deal with you, and thus ordered me to bring your family along. Lord Xue, I hope you will not disappoint His Majesty’s good intentions in the future.”
At this point, Lord Xue completely lost his composure and knelt on the ground, wailing and crying.
"You should have a good chat with your family," Xiao Qidi said as he stood up. "I won't disturb you any longer. When you're ready, I'll appoint you as the county magistrate. There are still many things waiting for you to do."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Lord Xue kowtowed deeply.
Afterwards, Xiao Qidi, Ning Jinli, and Li Yao arrived at the backyard of the county government office.
Li Yao also brought intelligence about the Yu Kingdom this time.
Since Xiao Qidi put him in charge of Qingyoutai and changed his duties to investigating news from various countries, he has selected people and secretly infiltrated Yu Kingdom.
By now, we have a general understanding of the conscription situation in Yu Kingdom and the movement of its troops.
He also drew up a map of the Yu Kingdom, showing it to Xiao Qidi while explaining it to him.
The territory of Yu Kingdom is the smallest among the seven major vassal states in the Central Plains. Apart from the capital city, it only has three prefectures, and each prefecture only has four counties under its jurisdiction.
The fortresses, passes, cities, and major garrison areas are all marked on the map.
“The Yu Kingdom has now assembled an army of about 300,000, which will arrive outside the Da Xuan Xitun Pass in about seven days,” Li Yao said, pointing to several locations. “These locations are still recruiting soldiers, and it is estimated that they can replenish another 100,000 to 150,000. This time, the Yu Kingdom has pulled out all the stops.”
Xiao Qidi said calmly, "The Great Xuan Army of Linxian City is also ready. Duan Wu must be getting restless these past few days in Hewan County. He must be eager to lead his troops to conquer Yu Kingdom and make a big splash."
Li Yao almost couldn't help but laugh when he recalled Duan Wu's resentful expression when he saw him in the county government's study.
After a moment's thought, Xiao Qidi instructed, "Li Yao, you and your men will remain in Hewan County to keep an eye on those Xiao family nobles. It's not time to kill them yet. During their imprisonment, no one is allowed to contact them."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Li Yao then took his leave.
Ning Jinli held Xiao Qidi's hand and said, "The people of Hewan County have been exploited for so many years, shouldn't we compensate them?"
Xiao Qidi said softly, "Of course."
Ning Jinli then mentioned the valuables that had been taken from the magistrate's house in Hewan County. Since they were all things that the magistrate had extorted from the people, she suggested that they be returned to the people.
It's worth noting that there were over four tons of gold alone, which would be worth three billion yuan in modern times.
Xiao Qidi pondered, “Based on the investigation over the past few days, about 40% of the River Bay County Magistrate’s wealth was obtained by extorting local people, 30% by exploiting passing outsiders and participating in human trafficking, and another 30% by embezzling military and livelihood funds allocated by the imperial court. It would be extremely difficult to return all of it through the original channels.”
Ning Jinli asked without hesitation, "Then let's put it all into the Great Xuan Kingdom's treasury?"
“No need,” Xiao Qidi shook his head. “The property confiscated from the home of the Prefect of Longyuan is several times that of the Magistrate of Hewan County. In the future, I will also confiscate the private treasuries of my aunt and uncle, which will surely replenish the national treasury.”
Ning Jinli chuckled, "You wouldn't be thinking of giving it to me, would you?"
Xiao Qidi said solemnly, "Giving it to you is the best way. Instead of wasting time and effort to return those valuables, you can use them to produce goods in the factory and then give the products to the people. Compared to silver, the various items that your world can provide are more useful to the people. They can not only improve their lives but also help with development and construction. This is something that no amount of silver can buy."
“Oh, so this is where you were waiting for me,” Ning Jinli poked Xiao Qidi’s cheek. “Okay, let’s do it this way.”
It was past noon, so Ning Jinli didn't linger. She returned to Xinghan City through the time portal inside the county government office because her oil processing plant was scheduled to officially open at 2 PM, and she would be holding an opening ceremony at the plant.
The oil fields in Linxian City have been able to provide crude oil in a preliminary and stable manner. At present, the output is still very low, but it can be put into production.
Meanwhile, in the top-floor office of the Ning Group building.
The group secretary reported to Ning Yao that Ning Jinli would be holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the oil processing plant in two hours.
Ning Yao, holding a makeup mirror and applying lipstick, asked, "Have the arrangements been made with the reporters?"
The secretary said that everything was arranged and everyone would be there on time.
"Alright, I should get going too." Ning Yao put down the mirror, a cold smile curling at the corners of her bright red lips. "This time, Ning Jinli is definitely going to jail."
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