No words were spoken that night.
The next morning, Xu Yan got up and washed up at daybreak.
In order not to disturb his sleeping father, he quietly changed his clothes, tied up his scarf and left the house.
The governor's office was not far from the Chen residence. Xu Yan had already inquired about the exact location and walked straight there.
The northern part of Hangzhou was home to many of the various government offices. Xu Yan passed by the Qiantang County Office, the Hangzhou Prefecture Office, and the Provincial Governor's Office. Xu Yan had a clear goal, so he naturally wouldn't be distracted. However, he soon stopped in front of a magnificent mansion with arched brackets and soaring eaves.
I saw that the mansion was surrounded by a lot of people, and judging from their attire, they should be ordinary people.
Xu Yan was a little curious and took a few steps forward to find out what was going on.
"Mr. Chen is innocent. He didn't embezzle any money. We can all testify to that."
"Master Chen treats us weavers very well. He pays us our wages on time every month and never deducts any money from us."
"We can testify that Mr. Chen is innocent!"
Xu Yan finally squeezed in, and when he looked up, he realized that this was not the Hangzhou Weaving Office!
Hangzhou's weaving industry can be roughly divided into two parts: the Weaving Yamen, a government office managed by a eunuch who oversaw weaving production, and the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, a factory.
During the Hongwu and Yongle reigns of the early Ming Dynasty, the weaving and dyeing bureaus were divided into several halls or branches. Each bureau had a three-person supervisor, known as the "Suoguan." Under them were technical and administrative staff, such as the chief master, master, and foreman, responsible for supervising the craftsmen and weaving. Under the weaving bureaus were three looms: the supply loom, the Japanese satin loom, and the imperial silk loom. The division of labor was highly specialized, with various artisans, including dyers and brushers, reelers, warp pullers, thread beaters, and weavers, performing various tasks according to the process. Generally, the artisans were assigned shifts.
But by the Jiajing period, although the craftsman register still existed, the shift system had long been in name only.
To complete the task, the weaving yamen had no choice but to select loom craftsmen from the public to serve as official craftsmen. Of course, this work was not done directly by the officials of the weaving yamen, but was instead handed over to imperial merchants like the Chen family. In short, the task was outsourced.
It was obvious that the people in front of him were the machine operators and mechanics hired by the Chen family.
Seeing this scene, Xu Yan felt a little warm in his heart. It seemed that his grandfather was a good person, otherwise these craftsmen would not have gathered outside the weaving office to petition for him.
Despite this, Xu Yan, who had already made plans, would not waste time here, but turned around and headed towards the governor's office.
The Governor's Office is located in the center of the north of Hangzhou City and is very majestic.
Xu Yan arrived in front of the yamen, straightened his clothes and stepped forward.
"Xu Yan, an old friend of the Governor-General, from Dinghai County, Ningbo Prefecture, has come to pay a visit. Please inform him of this."
The official on duty at the yamen saw Xu Yan dressed like a scholar and thought he must be a scholar. Hearing that he was an old friend of the governor, he did not dare to neglect him. He nodded slightly and said, "Sir, please wait here for a moment. I will go and inform him."
Although Xu Yan had prepared in advance, he still used this time to go over his draft in his mind.
The matter involves the eunuch Sun Qing, the commander-in-chief of textile production, and he must find a reason to let Zhu Wan intervene.
After about a cup of tea, the official returned and said to Xu Yan with a smile, "Mr. Xu, please follow me."
Xu Yan clearly felt that the official's attitude had improved a lot, and nodded slightly, saying, "Thank you."
Led by the yamen official, Xu Yan entered the governor's office smoothly. Compared to the Dinghai County Yamen, it was several times larger. Flowers, plants, and trees were planted throughout, creating a delightful scene. However, Xu Yan walked quickly and didn't have much time to stop and take in the scenery.
He walked along the corridor, passed through a hanging flower door and a moon door before arriving at the backyard.
Xu Yan looked around and saw that the courtyard was filled with rockery, flowing water, pavilions, and towers. The scenery changed with every step, and it was so beautiful that it was no less beautiful than those famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River that were renowned throughout the world.
Tsk tsk, no wonder everyone wants to pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official. Power and status can greatly improve the quality of life.
"Mr. Xu, please make yourself at your own convenience."
The official brought Xu Yan in and then left.
Xu Yan looked closely and saw Zhu Wan sitting in a pavilion about ten steps away, reading.
Xu Yan took a deep breath, straightened his robe and strode towards him.
When they reached the pavilion, Xu Yan bowed deeply to Zhu Wan and said, "I pay my respects to the Governor."
Seeing Xu Yan coming, Zhu Wan put down the book in her hand, picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"Xu Xiaoyou, the county exam is approaching. Why are you coming to Hangzhou Prefecture instead of studying at home?"
"Your Excellency, I came to Hangzhou to rescue someone."
Xu Yan did not hide anything and directly pointed out his purpose.
"oh?"
Zhu Wan was obviously a little surprised. He pressed down with his right hand and said, "Sit down and talk."
How could Xu Yan dare to be rude in front of his elders? Although he sat down, only half of his buttocks touched the stone bench, his back was straight, and his hands were placed on his knees.
Xu Yan had already prepared a plan, and when Zhu Wan asked him the question, he recounted the whole story in detail.
Of course, it was slightly exaggerated.
Zhu Wan couldn't help but frown after hearing this.
"Are you saying that the eunuch Sun Qing, the head of the textile industry, falsely accused your grandfather of embezzling funds allocated by the Ministry of Works?"
"Exactly."
At this point, Xu Yan had nothing left to hold back.
"To be honest, on my way here, I saw quite a few weaving mill owners and craftsmen outside the weaving yamen, protesting for my grandfather's grievances."
Zhu Wan tapped his fingers lightly, then stroked his beard and said, "I know about this matter. Please be patient. If you are wrongly accused of renting out your property, I will definitely clear your name."
Xu Yan was very confident in Zhu Wan's character, and he couldn't help but feel overjoyed when he heard him say that.
"Thank you, Your Excellency!"
The two were chatting among themselves when suddenly an official came with an urgent report.
"Report to the Governor, something happened at the weaving office!"
Zhu Wan was shocked when she heard this: "What happened?"
"In reply to the Governor, a group of weavers and artisans gathered in front of the weaving office to petition, which angered Lord Sun. Lord Sun ordered them to be driven away, but he accidentally killed someone."
"How can this be possible!"
Even though Zhu Wan was very well-mannered, she was still so angry that she slammed the stone table.
It took him a long time to calm down his anger and asked, "What do the Qiantang County Government and the Hangzhou Prefecture Government say?"
"Since the matter involves the Weaving Yamen, the two gentlemen probably dare not intervene. That's why the victim came to the Governor's Yamen to complain."
Zhu Wan was a Jinshi graduate, and served as the magistrate of Jingzhou, the magistrate of Kaizhou, the deputy minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, the former envoy of the Sichuan Military Preparations, the left governor of Guangdong, and the right deputy censor-in-chief. He was a first-class clean official.
People like him inherently looked down on eunuchs. If everything was peaceful, it would be fine, but when Eunuch Sun ordered his men to kill civilians, as he did today, it touched Zhu Wan's bottom line.
"If they don't dare to intervene, I will take care of it!"
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