Chapter 76 [Your Majesty, I deeply miss you, and I only wish...]
Inside the Imperial Study, the charcoal fire burned brightly, keeping out the chill and filling the room with warmth.
The three high-ranking officials of the court, Zhao Qiming, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, Zheng Boyuan, the Chancellor, and Zhou Wenfang, the Minister of Personnel, stood respectfully with their hands at their sides, looking down at their noses, their hearts filled with trepidation.
Today, after court, His Majesty sent Li Defu to summon the three of them to the Imperial Study, without revealing the reason for their meeting.
Xiao Che sat upright behind his desk, his dragon robe accentuating his stern face. He held a report that had just been sent back from Luozhou by express courier, but did not speak immediately. Instead, he calmly glanced at the three people below him.
"Li Defu, please take a seat," Xiao Che said after a moment.
The three thanked him and carefully took their seats, their hearts finally settling back into their stomachs.
His Majesty even offered them seats, so it seems he wasn't looking to cause them any trouble.
"The case of Chen Boyuan, the magistrate of Luozhou County, for embezzlement has been concluded. In five years and seven months, he embezzled nearly 90,000 taels of silver."
This short sentence contains a huge amount of information and is shocking.
Zhao Qiming, Zheng Boyuan, and Zhou Wenfang were all startled, and they looked up abruptly, their faces filled with disbelief.
Ninety thousand taels! For a mere county magistrate?!
This is utterly outrageous corruption!
Xiao Che took in their shock without getting angry. He simply pushed the report forward gently and said, "The detailed evidence is all here. It is truly shocking."
Zheng Boyuan, the most senior official, was trembling with fear. He bowed first, his heart filled with remorse: "This old minister...this old minister is terrified! We have failed to prevent such parasites from taking hold of the land and harming the people. We beg Your Majesty to punish us!"
Zhao Qiming and Zhou Wenfang also immediately apologized.
“I summoned you here not to hear your apologies.” Xiao Che raised his hand and gestured for the three to sit down. “A peaceful and prosperous administration is not something that can be achieved in a day, nor is it the responsibility of one person. Chen Boyuan has been sentenced to death and his entire family has been exiled. This matter can be considered an explanation to the people of Luozhou.”
The three breathed a slight sigh of relief, but their hearts remained heavy. His Majesty would never summon them merely to announce the death of a corrupt official.
Sure enough, Xiao Che changed the subject: "The fact that this case was quickly investigated and Luozhou was stabilized is largely thanks to Hanlin Academician Lin Yan."
When he mentioned the name "Lin Yan," his tone softened almost imperceptibly, but everyone present was astute and immediately noticed this subtle change.
"Scholar Lin is young and promising, loyal, brave and decisive; he is truly a pillar of the court," Zhou Wenfang immediately followed up, his tone extremely sincere.
As the head of the Ministry of Personnel, he was most sensitive to the evaluation and promotion of officials, and he had already sensed the direction of the wind.
Zhao Qiming and Zheng Boyuan echoed this sentiment, praising Lin Yan's outstanding talent and the Emperor's discerning eye.
Xiao Che was quite satisfied with their reaction, nodded slightly, and finally revealed his true intentions: "Lin Yan has done a good job and deserves to be rewarded. In your opinion, how should he be rewarded to show the court's favor without making him arrogant?"
So that's why the three of them were summoned to the Imperial Study.
But His Majesty's questioning was clearly not an inquiry. He had already made a decision. Calling them here was just a formality to make the reasons for the promotion sound more respectable, so that no one would criticize Lin Yan for being promoted too quickly or speculate that His Majesty was acting unilaterally.
Zhou Wenfang, as the Minister of Personnel, was the first to speak after a moment of contemplation: "Your Majesty, Academician Lin has made great contributions this time, and his promotion is only right. In my humble opinion, although the position of Hanlin Academician is prestigious, it is ultimately somewhat... detached. Since Academician Lin has practical talents, it would be better for him to transfer to a practical office, where he can better realize his ambitions."
He glanced at Xiao Che's expression discreetly, and seeing that the Emperor was not displeased, he continued, "Currently, the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is vacant among the Six Ministries. Scholar Lin has demonstrated exceptional courage and meticulousness in matters of finance and economy while investigating cases in Luozhou. If he were to take charge of the Ministry of Revenue, he would be able to make the best use of his talents. Moreover, this position is of the fourth rank, and Scholar Lin has been promoted from the fifth rank of Hanlin Academician to this position, so no one can criticize him."
Zhao Qiming immediately replied, "Minister Zhou is absolutely right. The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the nation's finances and is of utmost importance. It needs a young official like Scholar Lin who is upright, incorruptible, shrewd, and capable."
Zheng Boyuan stroked his beard and nodded slowly, with a look of deep agreement: "This old minister also believes that Lin Yan is capable of this position. Young people should shoulder more responsibilities. Your Majesty's promotion of him demonstrates the court's clear distinction between rewards and punishments and inspires those who come after him."
They were all old guys who had served in the court when the late emperor was still alive, so they could guess a bit about Xiao Che's thoughts.
The three of them, one after another, praised Lin Yan to the skies, as if the position of Vice Minister of Revenue was a trap tailor-made for him, and that it would be a loss for the Great Yu Dynasty if he didn't take it.
Xiao Che sat upright, listening to the three senior officials below solemnly "analyzing the advantages and disadvantages" and "unanimously recommending" him, and the corners of his lips curved almost imperceptibly.
Excellent, the process went perfectly.
He pondered for a moment, as if he had given it much thought, and finally nodded in agreement: "Since all of you ministers believe that Lin Yan is capable of this task, then let it be decided and the decree be drafted."
"Yes!" the three replied in unison, all knowing perfectly well what His Majesty was waiting for.
Xiao Che personally spread out the bright yellow imperial edict paper, picked up the vermilion brush, pondered for a moment, and then began to write.
[To Lin Yan, a Hanlin Academician, who is intelligent and insightful, prudent in conduct, and of impeccable character, loyal and diligent in his duties, upholding the integrity of a noble scholar, and who previously investigated the case in Luoyang with impartiality, alleviating suffering and bringing peace to the people, for which his merits are greatly appreciated. Therefore, he is hereby specially promoted to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, granted the rank of Fourth Grade, and bestowed this imperial edict upon him! This generous favor is a fitting reward for his outstanding service; this commendation of his merits will further encourage his diligence and dedication. This is the imperial decree.]
After writing, he put down his pen, blew on the ink to dry it, picked up the heavy "Emperor's Treasure" jade seal, and steadily stamped it on.
Looking at the bright red seal, a satisfied smile flashed across Xiao Che's eyes.
Once Lin Yan returns to the capital, the imperial decree can be issued.
However, things in life are rarely as one wishes.
Just as Xiao Che was clutching the newly issued edict of promotion, pondering how to "casually" let Lin Yan know when he returned, and then enjoy the rich array of expressions he might have—from shock to ecstasy to feigned composure—new information arrived through the Golden Shadow Guard's channels.
On their way back to the capital, Lin Yan's carriage was stopped by the magistrate of Qingyuan County, a neighboring county of Luozhou.
The magistrate of Qingyuan County said that there was a band of mountain bandits entrenched in the county. They were originally ordinary people who couldn't make a living. He couldn't bear to kill them and wanted to recruit them. But no matter how much he talked, the bandits didn't believe him. They heard that Imperial Envoy Lin was swift and decisive in Luozhou, punishing corrupt officials and bringing peace to the people. His reputation had spread to them, so they dared to come and ask Lin Yan for help.
Lin Yan, despite his seemingly lazy and nonchalant nature, was actually very soft-hearted and couldn't bear to see the people suffer. Upon hearing the situation, he immediately ordered his parents and sister to take most of the servants back to the capital first, while he himself, along with Jin Jiu and the imperial guards, turned the carriage around and headed to Qingyuan County with the county magistrate.
When Xiao Che received the news, he was quite helpless, but he could only put aside the imperial decree to promote Lin Yan for the time being.
At the same time, Xiao Che felt very proud. This was the person he liked—capable, responsible, and with the people of Da Yu in his heart.
However, Xiao Che was still worried about Lin Yan's safety, so he asked Jin Yi to send a message to Jin Jiu, requesting that the nearby Jin Yingwei guards be secretly protected by Lin Yan, and that Lin Yan must not be injured.
In a fairly clean inn in Qingyuan County, Lin Yan was finally able to collapse.
After a long day of running around, listening to the county magistrate explain the situation, checking the topographical map, and learning about the bandits, my mind was constantly racing.
After washing up, Lin Yan forced himself to sit at the table and spread out the letter paper.
Although he knew that the Golden Shadow Guard must have already passed on his message to Xiao Che, he still wanted to write a letter to Xiao Che to let him know that he was safe.
I originally thought that we would meet again in a month at most after parting during the first month of the lunar calendar, but now it's almost been two months.
Your Majesty, I miss you dearly. I only wish you good health and that you await my return.
Lin Yan has gone from being too embarrassed to tell Xiao Che that she missed him when she first wrote to him, to now writing down her longing without batting an eye.
Indeed, thick skin is something you develop through practice.
After finishing the letter and handing it to Jin Jiu, Lin Yan threw herself onto the bed, rolled around in the blanket, and sighed as she looked at the unfamiliar canopy ceiling.
Mountain bandits, I wonder if they'll be easy to deal with.
They are all people from Qingyuan County, so it shouldn't be difficult, right?
Well, how should I put it? This is a classic tragedy, a combination of natural disaster and man-made calamity.
Last year, when the cold wave was the worst in decades, Xiao Che reacted quickly and allocated disaster relief funds in no time.
According to Lin Yan's observation, Magistrate Zou of Qingyuan County was not a particularly outstanding or capable official, but he was certainly not the same kind of person as Chen Boyuan.
After receiving the silver, he immediately organized people to buy grain and make clothes, and prepared to distribute it in a great mood.
The problem lies in the unfortunate terrain of Qingyuan County.
The area around the county town is fine, but there's a place called "Aozi Village" nestled deep in the mountains and forests. Normally, it takes half a day to get out of the mountains, but after a once-in-decades blizzard, it completely blocks out the area.
What does it mean to say "All birds have vanished from the mountains, and all human tracks have disappeared from the paths"?
This is what is meant by "birds have vanished from a thousand mountains, and human tracks have disappeared from ten thousand paths."
The road is blocked, and supplies can't get in.
Magistrate Zou was so anxious that bubbles were forming at the corners of his mouth. He immediately organized the able-bodied men and laborers to brave the cold wind and rush to repair the road.
But it seemed like God was deliberately working against us. Just when we cleared a little bit, a snowfall that night buried it all again, making the progress so slow it was despairing.
The project was arduous, and there were injuries. The county was also short of money and food. With all aspects to consider, Magistrate Zou was overwhelmed. He could only urge the road construction while praying that the villagers of Aozi Village could hold on until the road was completed.
Unfortunately, the despair of people living in the mountains is something that outsiders can hardly fully comprehend.
The people of Aozi Village watched their grain reserves dwindle day by day, their firewood dwindle, and their elderly relatives succumb to the cold, falling ill and passing away...
The fear of being abandoned by heaven and earth, of being utterly helpless and desperate, is enough to devour all reason.
They didn't know that the county magistrate was working desperately to repair the roads. All they knew was that the promised disaster relief had never materialized. Had the corrupt official forgotten about them? Or did he simply want them to fend for themselves?
Suspicion and anger festered in despair and spread like wildfire.
Finally, one day, after yet another elderly person froze and starved to death, the villagers' emotions erupted.
With red eyes, they vented all their resentment on the village headman—"It must be you who colluded with corrupt officials to embezzle our life-saving funds and grain!"
The enraged villagers attacked the village head, and then, having already committed so many crimes, decided to go all the way. Since they were going to die anyway, they simply robbed the village head's meager food reserves and fled up the mountain. They occupied the easily defensible Tiger's Mouth and became outlaws. At least there were plenty of trees on the mountain, so they could cut firewood for warmth. Occasionally, they would risk going down the mountain to "borrow" some food, which would allow them to survive for a few more days.
When Magistrate Zou finally cleared the road and arrived at Aozi Village with supplies and a heart full of guilt, he found the village deserted, in a state of utter devastation, and the village headman beaten to the point of near death.
Magistrate Zou almost spat out a mouthful of blood at that moment.
Even though the people had become bandits, Magistrate Zou was unwilling to send troops.
Those were people under his rule; they only came up the mountain because he was useless. How could he bring himself to harm them?
Magistrate Zou's consistent stance has been to appease and recruit the government.
He tried it; he personally ran down the mountain and shouted, explaining everything he could, promising to give him grain and land and not hold him accountable for his past actions.
But the villagers on the mountain didn't believe it at all, saying, "Who knows if Magistrate Zou tricked them into going down there and taking them all away?"
The situation remained at a standstill.
Magistrate Zou was caught in a dilemma; he couldn't suppress them, nor could he recruit them. He was so worried that several strands of his hair turned white.
It wasn't until they heard that Lin Yan, an imperial envoy from the neighboring county of Luozhou, had arrived and swiftly dealt with Chen Boyuan, using the confiscated silver to compensate the people, that they gained great prestige among the populace.
Magistrate Zou then set his sights on Lin Yan.
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Author's Note: Xinmei will have to wait several more days before his wife comes home. [doge emoji]
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