The prince asked to recall Yan Shang.
Mu Wanyao agreed with this suggestion.
In her opinion, Yan Shang had offended too many interested parties in Shu and was no longer safe, so he really needed to be brought back. However, since this suggestion was made by the crown prince, Mu Wanyao's political sensitivity made her pause and she did not agree on the spot.
Mu Wan frowned and said, "Wait two more days."
She didn't believe that the prince would care about Yan Shang's safety. Yan Shang was not Yang Si, so how could the prince care about Yan Shang so much? The prince must have other purposes.
The prince said earnestly: "Yaoyao..."
Mu Wan shook his head firmly: "Wait two more days."
She looked at the prince and said worriedly, "If there is no better news from Shu in the next two days, I will let him come back. Maybe he can handle the current situation. It's not good for me to pretend to be sick and lie to him."
The prince wanted to persuade her again, but seeing Mu Wanyao's expression, he frowned and finally suppressed his words of persuasion. Mu Wanyao was no longer the same as before. The prince could no longer force her to do something she didn't want to do as he did at the beginning.
The prince came in the rain and left in the rain. He left Princess Danyang's mansion in a bad mood. When he returned to the East Palace, the prince ordered the Minister of Revenue to come to Mu Wanyao to persuade him to let Yan Shang come back.
If Mu Wanyao refuses to cooperate in the end... the prince would rather forge evidence that Mu Wanyao is sick, and the prince wants Yan Shang to come back.
Within two days, the Crown Prince was extremely anxious, and Mu Wanyao also summoned the Minister of Revenue. As a senior official from the Princess's residence, the Minister of Revenue was always available to Princess Danyang. The Minister of Revenue stood under the eaves waiting for the Princess's instructions, and Mu Wanyao asked him to come in for tea.
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue took a seat opposite Mu Wanyao. He took a sip of the fragrant tea brewed by the maid in the princess's mansion and did not dare to drink more.
Mu Wan shook her head and stared at him: "It was you who suggested to the prince that Yan Shang come back?"
The Minister of Revenue lowered his eyes and said, "Yes."
Mu Wan shook her hand and knocked on the table, thinking for a moment. She asked: "Is the situation in Shu really dangerous?"
The Minister of Revenue: "Yes. If Yan Er doesn't come back, he might die in Shu. Please help me, Your Highness..."
Mu Wanyao interrupted his nonsense: "I have read the memorial submitted by the Ministry of Revenue, and I am almost clear about these things. But I still don't understand why you insist on Yan Shang coming back? It is true that it may be dangerous for Yan Shang to stay in Shuzhong, but I think none of you should worry about the life of a seventh-rank official. And I believe Yan Shang has the ability to handle the affairs of Shuzhong, and he will not challenge a situation he cannot handle.
"Although I am also worried about his safety, I also trust his abilities. You have known Yan Shang for more than a day or two and have worked with him for such a long time, so you should know his abilities better. Why are you so anxious to get him back when there are changes in Shu? What is the inside story behind this?"
The Minister of Revenue was speechless.
Mu Wan shook his head coldly: "Tell me! If you don't tell me, how can I help you?"
After a while, the Minister of Revenue smiled bitterly: "Your Highness should have known by now that officials in Shu protect each other and collude with businessmen, which can easily lead to a major case. Yan Shang is young and hot-tempered, and I am afraid he will make a big deal out of the case. If it gets big, where will we get so many officials to fill the gaps? Moreover, our interests will also be damaged. Isn't Your Highness afraid?"
Quiet for a moment in the evening.
He whispered, "You mean the Ministry of Revenue is also involved. Is it possible that the incident will affect us?"
She slammed the table and said, "How brave you are!"
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue smiled bitterly, "Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue is a very wealthy ministry, how could it not have some collusion with the officials below? To be honest, I'm afraid the Ministry of Personnel is not clean either. But this disaster relief was initiated by the Ministry of Revenue, and has nothing to do with the Ministry of Personnel. If Yan Erlang investigates further, it will only affect us... Your Majesty will not allow it to affect too much. Your Highness and the Crown Prince's foundation is in the Ministry of Revenue, how can there be any mistakes?"
Mu Wan paused for a while, and then his voice became even softer: "Then let's leave the matter in Shu and solve it in Shu."
The Minister of Revenue looked up and said, "Your Highness, we all want the matter to be resolved in Shuzhong. We are just afraid that Yan Erlang will not agree."
Mu Wan shook his head and gritted his teeth: "What a joke! Why wouldn't he agree? Does he really want to force us to death? I know him, he wouldn't do that!"
The Minister of Revenue: "What if the Governor of Yizhou is one of my cousins?"
The expression in Mu Wanyao's eyes suddenly became empty.
Her voice was cold: "What did you say?"
The Minister of Revenue stood up, waved his sleeves, and knelt down to Mu Wan, saying bitterly: "Today's Governor of Yizhou is a cousin of mine. Although I don't have much contact with him on a daily basis... but after all, we are from the same family, how can there be no connection? I'm afraid someone will easily link the Governor of Yizhou to me. If they link it to me, the Ministry of Revenue will be in danger."
Mu Wanyao said nothing. She held the teacup in her hand and poured out a cup of hot tea without hesitation.
“Boom—”
The white porcelain teacup fell on the ground, but because the ground was covered with carpet, it did not break, but the teacup made a dull sound. The Minister of Revenue was doused with scalding hot tea and tea stains, and the hot water dripped down his collar. He knelt on the ground in fear, not daring to get up.
Mu Wan looked at him with eyes as if she wanted to eat him.
She gnashed her teeth and said, "How dare you! You knew this, and you dared to let Yan Shang go to Shuzhong? What were you thinking at the beginning? How dare you let Yan Shang go?"
The Minister of Revenue: "None of us thought that he would not go to provide disaster relief, but go to investigate the matter behind the scenes... We didn't expect that he would really find out and not stop! Now we are in a dilemma, so we can only ask Your Highness to help and let Yan Erlang come back. If Yan Erlang continues like this, I am afraid that my official position will be lost..."
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is a great general in Mu Wanyao's hands. How could Mu Wanyao be willing to lose him?
She was so angry that her face was bloodshot and her eyes were bloodshot. She wanted to strangle these rubbish to death. Even she was usually very careful to avoid having different opinions with Yan Shang because of such things. The Minister of Revenue and the Crown Prince actually dared to let Yan Shang investigate! Didn’t Yan Shang’s shooting the head of the Zheng family without hesitation teach them a lesson?
Don’t they realize what kind of person Yan Shang is?
People who are wholeheartedly devoted to the public are naturally different from those who benefit from class interests. People like them will not consider issues from their perspective!
So most of the time, Mu Wanyao tried to avoid letting Yan Shang know too much about her affairs. She didn't even dare to reveal the truth, but the Ministry of Revenue actually dared to do so.
However, the Ministry of Revenue was a bunch of idiots... Mu Wanyao paced around the room, finally understanding why the prince was suffering. Mu Wanyao was also worried. She was afraid that Yan Shang would offend the officials in Shuzhong if he investigated, and he would never come back. She was also afraid that he would really investigate the Ministry of Revenue and become enemies with all the officials in the Ministry of Revenue...
She can't let Yan Shang harm her interests!
Her position was supported by these officials, and what she got might not have been plundered by these officials... She couldn't let Yan Shang ruin everything.
Mu Wan shook his eyes and closed them, making up his mind: "Xia Rong, come in! Send a letter to Shu immediately, saying that I am seriously ill and will not live long, and that Yan Shang must come back!"
She looked at the Minister of Revenue again and said coldly: "You can send other officials to Shuzhong to replace him.
"Also! Make up your accounts for me! Especially you! Don't let your cousin get involved in any trouble. If necessary, kill your cousin! Let Shuzhong be the final outbreak point. Don't come back to Chang'an! You actually want me to fill in the gaps for you... If you make any more mistakes, you might as well die to pay for your sins."
Xia Rong hurried out and wrote a letter as the princess instructed.
The Minister of Revenue nodded repeatedly and promised to remedy the situation. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that as long as Her Royal Highness the Princess agreed to help, Yan Shang would definitely come back, right? Everyone in the court said that Yan Erlang and Her Royal Highness the Princess had a close relationship. Even if Yan Shang didn't give them face, he would give the Princess face, right?
-----
It hasn't rained in Shuzhong.
The county where Yan Shang lived was in panic because of Yan Shang's impeachment of officials.
On the other hand, Yan Shang had already learned that "the governor of Yizhou was actually a cousin of the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue in the imperial court."
Even a servant like Yunshu realized that the case his master was involved in was very serious. Yunshu was worried: "Master, if we continue to investigate, I'm afraid it will spread to Chang'an. If that happens, things will get serious...Your official position may even be lost."
The words are still silent.
He was afraid of this kind of thing from the beginning, but he didn't expect that the prophecy would come true in the end. Thinking of Chang'an... he was a little hesitant, knowing that if the case was brought back to Chang'an, he would offend not just one or two people, but an entire group. He was a low-ranking official, and it was probably difficult for him to protect himself.
Yan Shang sighed softly and whispered: "I also hope that things can come to a conclusion in Shuzhong."
Seeing that the young master did not overestimate his own abilities and insist on making a big deal out of it, Yun Shu breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that if the young master insisted on doing it, he would fall out with the princess... To be honest, the young master's current situation was largely due to the princess's protection. If it weren't for the princess's protection, Erlang's promotion would not have been so smooth.
It's best not to offend the princess.
Yan Shang said, "Let's go see the governor of Yizhou and talk to him."
Yan Shang and Yun Shu led some servants and left the barren county town where they were, heading for Shu County. There were ten counties in Yizhou, and Shu County was the seat of Yizhou Prefecture, and it was also the base camp of the Yizhou governor's power. Yan Shang had almost sorted out these small counties, so naturally he had to meet the most important official in Yizhou.
This place in Yizhou has been through mountains and ridges since ancient times, and the roads are rugged. Yan Shang and others were walking in the mountains. In order to prevent encountering thieves, they hired rangers to protect them. But even with such caution, when the group was walking in the mountains and was extremely tired, bandits still fell from the sky and surrounded Yan Shang and others.
The bandits were extremely arrogant and their faces were ferocious.
Yun Shu nervously stood in front of Yan Shang and shouted: "How dare you! Do you know who we are..."
The other party laughed wildly: "Aren't you just dog officials? Bah, you've forced us into a corner. Today, we will enforce justice on the behalf of heaven and kill you!"
The guards on Yan Shang's side all drew their swords, watching the bandits surrounding them rush down in disorder. The fight continued, Yun Shu was terrified, and he grabbed Yan Shang and begged him to run away quickly.
Yan Shang smiled bitterly, he looked around, saw the enemy surrounded them, and saw the bandits sitting on the rocks high up, staring at them. Yan Shang knew that the enemy had been prepared, and he couldn't escape.
What’s more…
Yan Shang murmured to himself: "It turns out that the household registration that doesn't match is here."
Yunshu didn't understand what Langjun was talking about for a moment: "What household registration?"
Yan Shang stared at the bandits and raised his voice so that the bandit sitting on the rock could hear what he was saying: "After the disaster, the population of Shuzhong dropped suddenly. According to the disaster data of other counties in previous years, it should not have been possible for so many people to drop all of a sudden. I have always wondered if a drought could kill so many people... Now I understand, it turns out that they were not dead, but the original civilians who went up the mountain to become bandits!"
The fighting bandits froze.
The bandits sitting on high ground stared at them fiercely with murderous intent in their eyes.
Yan Shang stared at them and said calmly, "You are ordinary people who mainly farm, but you were forced to go up the mountain to become thieves. Do you want to be thieves forever from now on and don't want to return to normal life?"
He said: "After farming for decades, if the world changes, will you start fighting and killing from now on, give up your household registration, be forgotten by the court, and become a bandit to be exterminated? Even if you are willing, do your children and grandchildren want to be bandits?
"If I die here today, a court official will die in your hands, and you will never have the possibility of regaining your status as a good official!"
The bandits sitting on the high ground suddenly stood up, and many bandits were in an uproar, and even many bandits who were fighting stopped. They looked around in panic, after all, they were not real bandits, but were forced to this point by the world, so when they heard Yan Shang say that there was no possibility of them regaining their status as good people, they hesitated for a moment.
The leading bandit cursed loudly, "Brothers, don't listen to his nonsense! It's officials like him who forced us to go up the mountain and become bandits. His words cannot be trusted..."
"Nonsense!" The bandits could not agree on anything. When the leader gave the order, another voice came from behind the mountain. The officials and guards looked over with the bandits and saw a burly man coming with angry eyes.
The man shouted, "How dare you come and kill an official appointed by the imperial court?"
When the bandits saw the man, they were all excited: "Second in Command..."
The original leader was naturally the big boss. He snorted lightly, but did not object to the intervention of the "second in command".
Yan Shang's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he looked at the second in command thoughtfully... The second in command turned around and saw Jun Yi, who was wearing a long robe and jade belt below. His eyes were filled with excitement. He ignored his brothers, jumped off the hill, and knelt in front of Yan Shang.
The man looked up and said excitedly, "My dear!"
Yan Shang looked at the man kneeling in front of him, smiled in surprise, bent over to help him stand up: "Han Shuxing? How did you end up like this?"
The bandits were dissatisfied: "Second Master, how come you know this dog official..."
Han Shuxing was humble and excited when facing Yan Shang, but turned around and faced the bandits with a cold face: "How dare you do this in front of Yan Erlang! I tell you, even if all the officials in this world make mistakes, Yan Erlang will not go along with them. There must be a misunderstanding..."
The bandits were indignant: "But he brought his guards with him, didn't he come here to suppress the bandits?"
Yan Shang raised his eyebrows and said, "I think it would be more appropriate for you to come and kill me."
As a couple, both sides were stunned and realized that there was a discrepancy in the information and they might have made a mistake.
-----
Originally, these bandits had heard a secret report that a high-ranking official from the imperial court was going to suppress the bandits and kill these good people who had turned into bandits, so as to make the household registration clean and leave no trace. They were indignant and naturally did not want to be killed.
Now that we have received the news, we must take action in advance.
After leaving Chang'an, Han Shuxing wandered aimlessly and by chance came to Shuzhong, where a severe drought hit. Han Shuxing saw that the people had lost their fertile land and could not make a living, so they had to go up the mountain and become thieves. Han Shuxing felt sorry for them and helped them.
From then on, Han Shuxing was relied upon and inexplicably became their second in command.
That night, Yan Shang stayed in the mountains and listened to the bandits' explanation. After comparing the information, Yan Shang knew that the people who wanted to use these bandits to get rid of him were probably officials from the entire Yizhou. Yun Shu was stunned and terrified: If the entire Yizhou wanted Yan Erlang to die here, how could Yan Erlang escape?
What's more, there are these bandits.
Han Shuxing knelt in front of Yan Shang on behalf of these thieves and pleaded: "My dear, they are not evil people. They are forced into this world by the law. If they can be restored to good status..."
There was a fire burning in the dark cave, and the bandits were standing in a mess. The boss led his brothers and looked at this side vigilantly. They didn't believe that Yan Shang, as an official, would not care about their crimes and help them restore their status as good people.
Yan Shang sat in the darkness, watching them. His eyes swept across the faces of these bandits one by one. He saw from them the unruly and desperate ferocity. He saw that their weapons were in a mess, and some even went up the mountain with long plows for farming...
For a moment, he thought of the disaster victims, refugees, and displaced people he saw when he was a child and traveled with his parents in the south of the Yangtze River.
They saw so many people starving to death on the roadside, and so many people chasing their carriage, but his parents did not dare to stop, fearing that the refugees would swallow them up...
When he was young, Yan Shang asked his parents: "Is it always like this?"
His mother put her arm around his shoulders and sighed softly, “It’s always like this.
"So Erlang, if you really become an official, you might as well help these people..."
The past is still fresh in my mind;
Everything that happened before my eyes is still vivid in my mind.
In the silence, amid the doubts and panic of the crowd, Yan Shang closed his eyes and wondered what kind of world could force people to this point.
-----
When he opened his eyes again, Yan Shang helped Han Shuxing up and said softly, "I will restore your status as a good person."
The bandits were in an uproar.
The bandit leader stood up straight and asked in a tense voice: "Do you want us to pay a price?"
Yan Shang looked at them, feeling uncomfortable, and said, "You don't have to pay any price."
Some bandits were uneasy: "But we killed someone after all..."
Yan Shang said softly: "There are too many people who have been killed. You are killing people, and the officials of Yizhou are also killing people. How can I possibly count them all?"
-----
The governor of Yizhou thought that if he leaked the news and let the bandits who hated the officials kill Yan Erlang, he could rest assured and serve as an official.
But two days later, the governor of Yizhou saw Yan Shang alive.
Not only did Yan Shang arrive, he also kidnapped a tall bandit and called all the officials from Yizhou over.
-----
The governor of Yizhou was in a state of panic and looked at each other in bewilderment with all the officials standing in the garden.
When they saw the bandit Han Shuxing kneeling at Yan Shang's feet and tied up by the guards, they were terrified, wondering if their plan had been exposed and Yan Shang was going to settle accounts with all of them?
But how can I calculate it?
-----
The weather was gloomy in the afternoon. Yan Shang sat in the courtyard of the Yizhou governor, waiting for all the officials to arrive and take their seats.
When all the officials were uneasy, Yan Shang spoke up: "Everyone, I have been in Yizhou for more than two months, and I have been dealing with you for more than a day or two. You also know that I have never trusted you and have been suspicious of you... Recently, I was assassinated by bandits. Thanks to my good luck, I did not die in the hands of bandits.
"And I interrogated these bandits and finally found out who wanted to kill me."
The grass in the yard turned yellow and was wilting due to lack of water.
In the hot and humid air, everyone was sweating. They kept wiping their sweat with their sleeves, and when they heard Yan Shang's words, they sweated even more. They looked at each other, and a fierce feeling surged in their hearts——
If Yan Erlang really dares to bring all of them down, he will be killed here today!
Yan Shang looked at their expressions and felt bitter. He knew what these people were thinking, but he really couldn't let everyone fall. He could only select the most heinous ones and negotiate with them.
Yan Shang's gaze fell on the face of the Yizhou governor who kept wiping his sweat.
All the officials followed Yan Shang's gaze and fell on the face of the governor of Yizhou. Some were confused, some suddenly realized, some were horrified, and some were excited.
-----
On that sultry afternoon, Yan Shang secretly negotiated terms with these officials.
All the blame was put on the Governor of Yizhou. No matter how the Governor of Yizhou said he was innocent, these officials all stood on Yan Shang's side and supported the official appointed by the court.
Yan Shang wanted to write a letter to the court to remove the governor of Yizhou from his post and bring him to the capital to be punished. The officials of Yizhou nodded one after another and said that the young man had worked hard.
In return, they cooperated with Yan Shang and began to recompile the household registration of Yizhou, and began to ask the bandits hiding in the mountains to return home. They also began to contribute money and voluntarily help these people resettle and redistribute land.
Everyone in Yizhou was waiting for water to be diverted from other places, or for rain to fall from the sky to relieve the drought in Yizhou.
-----
In early September, Yan Shang finally got along well with the officials of Yizhou. The officials of Yizhou were willing to let go and let Yan Shang take the governor of Yizhou back to the capital to punish the criminals. They got Yan Shang's guarantee that as long as they settled the people, Yan Shang would not let their official positions change drastically...
It was at this time that Yan Shang received a letter from Chang'an, saying that the court had sent a new official to replace him and come to Shu to wait for the rain. Princess Danyang was seriously ill, and it had been half a month since the people in the princess's mansion wrote the letter. Yan Shang was extremely anxious, wondering what condition Mu Wanyao was in that required him to write the letter.
The mission was handed over in such a hurry, and the officials slowly escorted the Governor of Yizhou to Chang'an. Yan Shang took the lead and rode back to Chang'an at full speed.
-----
Just ten days after Yan Shang left Shu, heavy rains hit the country and the drought was finally alleviated.
Five days later, fierce bandits appeared in Shu, and the real bandits came down the mountain and killed civilians. The people who came down the mountain and returned to the good family that day had a narrow escape from death. They survived the drought, but they could not survive the bandits' looting.
Yizhou defined this incident as an accident, and no new governor of Yizhou was appointed. These officials then led the troops to suppress the bandits in a chaotic and haphazard manner, but they did not achieve any results.
-----
In late September, after Han Shu buried all his brothers, he went up the mountain to challenge the bandits.
Later he learned from the bandits who really wanted to kill those people.
Han Shuxing sat in front of his brothers' graves in the mountains all night, drinking in silence.
The next day, he smashed the wine jar and left. He took his sword and went to Chang'an, wanting to get an answer from the murderer.
-----
At the same time, Yan Shang returned to Chang'an. He was exhausted and had no time to wash up. He went to visit the princess's mansion first and asked about the princess's illness.
The princess was not at home.
The maid in the mansion stammered, "Our prince's illness? It's already healed."
Yan Shang stood in the courtyard of the princess's mansion, quietly looking at the maid in front of him who had flickering eyes and didn't dare to look him in the eye.
The heart is as cold as ice and the human heart is extremely cold.
In autumn, maple leaves spread all over Chang'an. Under the red-leafed tree, Yan Shang suddenly had a guess - maybe she was not sick at all.
Just tricked him back.
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