Chapter 44 044 "Write it. If you dare to write, I dare to accept it."...
After leaving Ganquan Town, Xiao Yu instructed Qingchuan to run eighty li southeast of the capital and carefully investigate every village and town they passed on the way back. If there were beggars, he should try to find out their origins without arousing suspicion. If they came from the four counties that had been affected by floods, he should inquire about the disaster relief efforts in those counties.
Having explained everything, Xiao Yu took out one tael of silver and handed it to Qingchuan: "Find a shop to exchange it for copper coins. Give ten coins to each beggar. If they have families with children, give them more depending on the number of people. Be careful."
Qingchuan felt a pang of sadness seeing his master take out money, because no one knew better than him how frugal his master was, whether it was because he was stingy or disliked spending money recklessly. Hearing his master still concerned about him, Qingchuan's throat tightened, and he said after a moment, "You too, don't go near groups of beggars. Getting robbed of your money is a small matter, don't let them steal your horse or even beat you up because you're being kind."
Almost every beggar has their own pitiful story, but not every pitiful person is a kind person.
They agreed to meet here around 5 PM. Qingchuan rode his mule southeast, while Xiao Yu headed towards Yanshi County, eighty miles east of Luoyang.
On his day off, Xiao Yu went to visit his father-in-law in the suburbs. He didn't need to prepare any documents, only his official badge as a Censor. With this badge, Xiao Yu could enter Yanshi County, but the title of Censor was too conspicuous. To avoid attracting the attention of the Yanshi County officials, Xiao Yu stopped in a village five miles away from Yanshi County, turned his horse around, and began to look for beggars to ask for information.
From morning until dusk, Xiao Yu rode his horse, asking questions as he went, passing through four towns and thirteen villages of varying sizes. The further the village was from the capital, the more beggars lingered there, and all those Xiao Yu asked were refugees from the four prefectures.
"Why are there disaster victims starving to death? Didn't the government distribute relief grain?"
"Yes, they did. For the first month, you could go and get two meals a day. They were just thin porridge that you could see the bottom of every sip, cooked wild vegetables and rotten rice salvaged from the flood. It was inedible. If you didn't eat, you'd just be hungry, but if you ate that porridge, you'd vomit and have diarrhea, and you could die if you weren't careful."
"I heard that His Majesty is benevolent, and the rice sent to the four prefectures was all the new rice harvested last year, which was originally intended for the northern expedition..."
"Pah, that's what everyone's saying. But before the disaster relief officials even arrived in our area, locals were already offering cheap prices to buy the waterlogged rice and wood we salvaged. At first, we didn't know what they were going to do with it, but after we ate rotten rice and moved into a row house made of leaky, rotten wood, we finally found out..."
"How could you not be able to survive? It is said that the government will provide enough money and rice for each person to survive until March of next year for those who are severely affected by the disaster, including winter robes. Didn't you receive them?"
“We received it. The rice is all old rice, and the robes are all worn out, with only a thin layer of hemp wadding inside. If we eat only one meal a day, including the money, our family might not starve to death. But winter is too cold, and the newly built house can't keep out the wind. Rather than staying there and waiting to die, we might as well come out and beg for food and wait until next year when it gets warmer before going back.”
"Aren't you aware of how difficult life is for the disaster victims, Your Highness?"
"He knows nothing. I heard that the Crown Prince went to various counties to comfort the people a few days before the disaster relief. The officials all got the news in advance. As soon as the Crown Prince arrived, they changed the rice and cooked porridge. When inspecting the new houses, they deliberately led the Crown Prince to see those rows of houses built with good wood. The Crown Prince is so precious, he just took a quick look in the freezing cold and went back. Some people wanted to complain to the Crown Prince, but before they could get their voices heard, they were chased away. They even arrested a few of the biggest troublemakers and put them in jail as a warning to us..."
"There are many wealthy people in the county town and the capital, why are you only begging in the village?"
"We can't get in. We were stopped by the guards as soon as we reached the city gate. If we tried to squeeze in, they would draw their swords and attack us, targeting the most reckless people. They even sent spies in plain clothes from the capital to block our way. We can't even get past the city gate."
"..."
"Are you an official? Please give us some more copper coins. Ten coins really won't last us many days. Please, sir!"
"Sir, sir, my daughter has gone missing. She was right in front of me when I went to get porridge, but she was gone in the time it took to drink some. Please, sir, show me the way. She was a grown woman; even if she's dead, shouldn't I at least be given a proper burial? Sir..."
“My father fainted while queuing for porridge. Two yamen runners carried him away, saying they were taking him to the hospital. I was in a hurry to get my porridge and didn’t go with them. When I went to find him, he was already dead. They said he starved to death on the way there. But later I heard about several similar incidents. Some people said that the yamen runners deliberately smothered people who had fainted from hunger. They could get a cut from the government for each person who died, because the officials would receive one less unit of silver and rice.”
"Don't ask me, I don't know anything, I really don't know. Here's your copper coin back, I don't want it anymore..."
.
Xiao Yu's observations and experiences along the way were also those of Qing Chuan after he had investigated the two towns and nine villages. On the way back to Ganquan Town, after Qing Chuan finished giving his instructions in a low voice, the master and servant fell into a long silence.
Before entering the town, Xiao Yu instructed Qingchuan: "Just keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone else, lest you bring trouble upon yourself."
Qingchuan nodded heavily.
The master and servant stepped back into the Luo family home. Although they had brushed off the dust from their clothes beforehand, they couldn't hide the fatigue on their faces, especially their lips, which were dry and pale from the cold wind.
Luo Dayuan felt sorry for his son-in-law, who was a top scholar: "If I had known that the Censorate was so busy, I would have let Fu'er stay here tonight. There was no need to trouble you to make another trip."
Xiao Yu left in the morning, claiming that he had suddenly remembered an official matter and had to go back to attend to it.
Luo Fu spoke domineeringly to smooth things over for Xiao Yu: "Your son-in-law promised to spend the whole day with me, but he ran off as soon as he dropped me off. I don't care, he has to come pick me up even if he's busy until dark."
Luo Dayuan wanted to reason with his daughter, but seeing her puffed-up face, he didn't dare to say a word. His two daughters were equally beautiful and had equally bad tempers, especially when they argued with their husbands, they would never allow their parents to speak up for them.
“It was I who broke my promise first, father-in-law, you don’t need to make excuses for me,” Xiao Yu said impeccably.
Luo Dayuan: "..." Well, the sons-in-law spoil the two sisters just the same way.
Wang Qiuyue vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but her daughter didn't want to talk about it, and she didn't dare to ask her son-in-law. She could only pretend to be confused and saw the young couple into the car.
Once inside the carriage and the doors closed, Xiao Yu's gentle smile, which he had used when entertaining his parents-in-law, vanished.
"How is it?" Luo Fu sat down next to him and asked in a low voice.
Xiao Yu embraced his wife and tried to explain the situation he had inquired about as concisely as possible.
Luo Fu grew colder and colder as she listened. She thought that her mysteriously missing daughter was already heartbreaking enough, but the speculation that the constables might have deliberately killed starving disaster victims made her feel even more horrified, as if she had fallen into a dark abyss.
"Really, could such a thing really happen?" Luo Fu pressed herself against Xiao Yu's chest, her whole body trembling slightly.
Xiao Yu wanted to deny it, but the evil deeds committed by corrupt officials and even powerful figures in various dynasties in order to amass wealth were far more than just this.
"Speculation is useless; someone needs to thoroughly investigate the facts of this disaster relief effort in the four counties."
Luo Fu raised her head and looked at Xiao Yu's heavy yet remarkably calm face. She couldn't help but clutch his robe tightly: "Then, won't this implicate the Crown Prince?"
Xiao Yu: "He was the imperial envoy for disaster relief. He bears the primary responsibility for the people of the four prefectures suffering. He is the one I want to impeach."
Luo Fu's hands suddenly lost their strength. Sure enough, this fearless man was going to impeach the Crown Prince! He wasn't satisfied with being sent to the brink of death by the Emperor himself. This time, instead of cursing the Emperor, he was going to impeach the Crown Prince's eldest son!
As Xiao Yu spoke those words, he was observing the lady in his arms. Seeing her face suddenly turn pale and she was about to fall out, Xiao Yu quickly held her tighter. However, when the lady looked over, he avoided her gaze, but held her hand firmly and said, "If I were not an imperial censor, I would have reported this matter to the Censorate. Now that I am an imperial censor, it is my duty to seek justice for the people of the four prefectures."
Luo Fu gritted her teeth, her eyes brimming with tears: "What if I don't let you go?"
She was willing to gamble with him even if he went to impeach the Left Chancellor Yang Sheng, but that was the Crown Prince, the next emperor!
The current emperor has been praised by the people as a wise ruler for over twenty years, and the facts prove that the founding emperor's magnanimity is indeed broad enough to spare Xiao Yu's life. As for the crown prince, whether he was blind and confused in handling the disaster relief task or he was personally involved, Xiao Yu dares to gamble on such a crown prince, but Luo Fu cannot bear to see him go to his death.
Xiao Yu's hand tightened, and after a long silence, he looked directly into those tearful eyes and said, "I... I'll write you a divorce agreement in advance. If I return safely, we can tear up the agreement and continue being husband and wife. If something happens to me, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Luo Fu slapped his mouth, neck, and chest with her palms. Finally, Xiao Yu held him tightly in his arms, one apologizing repeatedly, the other sobbing uncontrollably.
Qingchuan, who was rushing to catch the carriage, seemed to hear a few sobs, but the evening wind was too strong, and he couldn't hear clearly, nor did he dare to listen.
The road was long, and before she had even reached the halfway point, Luo Fu gradually calmed down.
Should we get a divorce?
If it really comes to that, he will face death or be exiled with righteous indignation, and will be remembered in history for it. As for her, if the historian is kind, he may only record her as "Xiao Yu released her in advance knowing that her life was uncertain." If the historian is wicked, he will not care about the possibility that Xiao Yu released her voluntarily, and will probably directly slap on the stigma of being greedy for life and asking to leave.
Besides, they've been husband and wife for a whole year. Her heart isn't made of stone; she can't just cut ties with him completely and cleanly.
Or perhaps, Luo Fu could abandon a husband who had nothing to offer but looks, background, and wealth, no matter how long they had been married. But Xiao Yu was not such a simple person. He was no longer the third young master of the Xiao family that she had only vaguely understood five months into their marriage. He was very, very good, and he treated her very, very well.
"If the impeachment fails and I am punished by the Emperor, or by the Crown Prince in a few years, will it implicate me?" Luo Fu asked calmly.
Xiao Yu understood his wife's choice; at least her first thought was no longer to abandon him.
But Xiao Yu felt no secret joy, only more guilt.
"Probably not, otherwise no one would dare to serve as an imperial censor in the future." Xiao Yu speculated truthfully. "Just in case, I will still leave you a letter of divorce, and I will also write a letter of severance of ties with my mother."
Luo Fu's tears, which she had just managed to hold back, were brought out again by him. She bit his shoulder, still not satisfied, and twisted and pinched his back.
Xiao Yu didn't feel any pain at all.
The carriage entered the city gate in the cold wind and stopped outside the Marquis's mansion when night had completely fallen.
Xiao Yu helped his wife put on her hood and fasten her cloak.
Before getting off the bus, Luo Fu said in a voice only he could hear, "Write it. If you dare to write it, I dare to accept it."
He has his ambitions, and Luo Fu will not force Xiao Yu to act against his will. But she is just an ordinary person. If Xiao Yu leaves too early, she will not stay by his side, much less accompany him.
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Author's Note: Xiao Yu: [Poor thing]
Lof: [Pitiful]
Crown Prince: Get out of here, all of you! [Angry][Angry][Angry][Cracked]
Here they are! 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!
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