Chapter 2605 Yu Zhishi
Lord Tang took Bai Shan and Censor Ren to investigate the situation, but they had only ridden halfway down the street when they ran into Governor Yu and his entourage who were returning in a mighty procession.
Censor Liang's face was very dark, but he just suppressed his anger and kept silent in front of everyone.
Governor Yu had a thick back and slim waist, a beard on his face, and a gaze as sharp as a knife. Although he was just sitting quietly on his horse, he gave people the impression of being as sharp as a half-sheathed sword.
Lord Tang reined in his horse and lowered his voice to Bai Shan, "He's really tough. He holds a higher official position than us, but we're on an inspection tour under imperial orders, and we have the Imperial Censor with us. There's no need to be intimidated. Just follow me."
Bai Shan nodded slightly.
The two sides met face to face. Lord Tang smiled and, sitting on his horse, clasped his fists with the person opposite him and said, "Is this the newly appointed Yu Governor?"
Governor Yu also smiled and clasped his fists in return, saying, "It's me, Yu. But is this Lord Tang from the capital?"
Tang He replied "yes", and then both sides dismounted, saluted, and then returned to the governor's mansion together.
Lord Tang glanced back and found that Governor Yu had brought quite a few people with him. Apart from the people who went to greet him, there were about a hundred people left, all wearing military armor.
He smiled and nodded to Governor Yu, then rode back alongside him.
After entering the hall of the Governor's Mansion, Lord Tang asked, "When did Lord Yu arrive in Qizhou?"
"Last night." Governor Yu sat on a chair with a dignified look, unfastened the sword from his waist and placed it aside. He then smiled and said to Lord Tang, "When we arrived outside the city last night, the gates were already down. I couldn't ask for them to open them, so I camped outdoors with my men."
"Then why didn't you go into the city early this morning?"
"Before dawn today, I encountered tenants who were seeking justice in the city. Upon closer questioning, I discovered they were instigated. I wanted to speak with the person behind this, but they stubbornly resisted and even attempted to harm me. Fortunately, the personal soldiers I brought with me were effective and killed these three thieves in one fell swoop."
Censor Liang couldn't stand it any longer and stood up, saying, "Governor Yu, Your Majesty wanted to deal with these people with gentleness, but you killed people the moment you took office, without even going to court or having the case reviewed by the Ministry of Justice. How is this any different from tyranny?"
Yu the governor said, "I was defending myself."
"Whether it was self-defense or not is not up to you alone to decide. When I return to the capital, I will definitely report you and tell the truth to the gentlemen and His Majesty."
Governor Yu said, "You weren't there, so how do you know it's not the truth?"
"you--"
"Alright, alright," Lord Tang quickly stepped between the two men. It was hard to believe he'd ever have to play the role of peacemaker. He said, "The most pressing matter right now isn't accountability. We can talk about that later. The most important thing right now is how to deal with the land that needs to be redeemed, and how to properly manage the relationship between the government and these powerful families."
Lord Tang turned to look at Governor Yu and said, "Lord Yu is not new to being an official. He has also served as a governor. You should know how important these local clans are. Since you dare to kill them, I think you have already thought of a way to deal with them. You are the governor of Qizhou, and we have no intention of interfering."
Censor Liang disagreed, "Master Tang—"
Tang He held out his hand to suppress what he was about to say, and said, "Censor Liang, it is your responsibility to supervise the officials, not mine."
Governor Yu's eyes lit up slightly and he looked at him with a sharp gaze.
Lord Tang said, "I have been ordered to come to Qizhou only to deal with the redemption of farmland and the settlement of the tenants involved. All other matters are local affairs of Qizhou and should be handled by the Qizhou Governor."
Upon hearing this, Governor Yu burst into laughter and stood up. He stepped forward, grabbed Lord Tang's hand, and said, "Lord Tang is very insightful. For these words, I should offer you three bowls of wine. Come, tell the kitchen to prepare the wine and food. I will host a banquet in the Governor's Mansion today to entertain Lord Tang... and these three gentlemen, as a welcome to you."
Bai Shan and the other three: ...Who is going to welcome whom? They have been here for ten days.
Never mind, if there’s something to eat, just share it.
Bai Shan touched his stomach and thought that he had eaten his work meal too early. He should have avoided it.
He secretly glanced at Censor Ren, but Censor Ren was frowning and didn't care about the food.
Lord Tang felt that Governor Yu's style of doing things required them to change some of their strategies. Mainly, they had to reach a consensus on some things, otherwise it would be difficult to carry out future work.
Although they have been here for ten days and have temporarily appeased the tenants who are currently causing trouble, the problem has not actually been completely resolved.
As long as the land is not completely redeemed and the formal division procedures are not completed, the matter will not be over.
Before this, although Lord Tang and his men used both kindness and force, they were actually more concerned with appeasement, relying mainly on inducement and persuasion, supplemented by threats.
As soon as the governor Yu arrived, he directly killed three people, completely overturning all the strategies they had previously implemented.
But they also have a legitimate reason. Tang He doesn't want to fight with the people in the governor's mansion while fighting with the local big families outside, so he plans to have a good talk with this Governor Yu.
After hearing what he had just said, Governor Yu also felt that Lord Tang was very sensible, unlike the censor next to him who wanted to scold him to death.
So I'm willing to talk to him.
As soon as their eyes met, they made their own decisions and avoided the censor and got together.
Well, he used the excuse that Governor Yu was taking a bath and changing clothes, and Lord Tang also said that he had been busy with official business all day and needed to rest.
Of course, they were not the only two there. Lord Tang brought Bai Shan with him, and Governor Yu also brought his deputy general.
The two sides successfully met in the main courtyard of the governor's mansion.
Censors Liang and Ren were no fools. When they went to discuss the next steps with Lord Tang and Bai Shan, they discovered they were not in the room. They guessed they had gone to see Governor Yu privately, and became a little angry. "What do they mean? Does Lord Tang approve of Governor Yu's actions?"
Censor Ren was also very angry. "When we left the capital, Lord Wei and Old Lord Tang repeatedly reminded us that Qizhou had lost a lot of land and many people were involved, so we should be gentle to avoid causing a big chaos. Qizhou is not far from the capital, and if chaos breaks out..."
Censor Liang was still a little angry. "The four of us have lived and died together, and they just left us like that?"
Censor Ren: That’s right, they lived and died together.
Lord Tang and Governor Yu introduced Bai Shan, "This is Bai Zhishan, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat serving Your Majesty."
Before arriving, Governor Yu had naturally inquired about the team that was leaving the capital on this mission. He knew that Tang He was the main commander, while Bai Shan was young and inexperienced. Although his official rank was not low, he seemed to be here to gain experience and make achievements. Therefore, he smiled and said, "Master Bai is truly a young and promising man."
Bai Shan smiled and said, "I have long heard that Governor Yu is brave and skilled in battle. This time I see that his reputation is well-deserved."
Governor Yu raised his lip slightly in amusement. After asking them to sit down, he said, "Lord Tang has been in Qizhou for ten days now. How are things going?"
Censor Liang and Censor Ren: It was a wrong choice after all.
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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