Chapter 81081 Fifth Rank Co-governor
Thanks to the double-entry bookkeeping method provided by Du Qingtang, Yan Tiande and his team's accounting efficiency was greatly improved.
Starting from mid-February, it took only two weeks to check hundreds of account books.
Under Yan Tiande's strict investigation, Feng Shu's painstakingly fabricated accounts were exposed.
The final result showed that Feng Shu, Wang Tongzhi and Hu Tongzhi embezzled nearly one million taels of silver by falsifying accounts.
Including other amounts of embezzlement that are not recorded, it is estimated to be over one million taels.
This is undoubtedly a shocking number.
Yan Tiande looked at the incomplete statistics made by the clerk, his hand holding the book trembled slightly, and his heart was filled with blood.
He secretly tried his best not to lose his composure in front of his subordinates, but he couldn't stop the anger from growing stronger and stronger. His face was red, his eyes were bulging as if they were about to pop out, and he almost vomited blood.
Yan Tiande could no longer tolerate this and slammed the table on the spot, shouting angrily, "What a greedy tycoon!"
"Your Majesty, by granting them official positions and empowering them, are you allowing them to engage in corruption and abuse of power in the local area, oppressing the people?"
Looking back on this journey, high-ranking officials are extremely corrupt, while low-ranking officials are slightly corrupt. Except for a very small number of honest officials who are incorruptible and abide by the law, almost all officials are corrupt!
Yan Tiande was filled with grief and indignation, his eyes filled with tears.
Amidst internal and external troubles, officials were only concerned with lining their own pockets and satisfying their own selfish desires.
In the current situation, how easy is it for Daha to become strong and avoid being bullied?
Will he be able to see it in his lifetime?
Everyone had never seen Yan Tiande so angry. They held their breath for a moment and hurriedly tried to comfort him.
"Please calm down, sir. Anger is harmful to your health!"
"My Lord, please calm down. Don't let your anger ruin your health and delay your next trip."
"That's right. Those corrupt officials, relying on the emperor's remoteness, have committed all sorts of evil deeds. You, following my orders, will surely catch them all and allow the people to live a good life."
Yan Tiande exhaled, closed his eyes, and sat back down.
They are right. There are countless people like Feng Shu. Your Majesty has entrusted him with an important task. He should eliminate all corrupt officials and restore peace and order to the local area.
Instead of becoming discouraged and unable to recover.
Yan Tiande took a deep look at the long string of numbers on the paper, engraved them in his mind, picked up his pen and wrote an urgent memorial to inform Emperor Qingyuan of the results of the investigation.
The evidence is overwhelming; Feng Shu and others should pay the price for their actions.
Yan Tiande handed over the urgent memorial and related evidence to the clerk, and the clerk in the government office returned the pile of account books to their original places.
At this time, the garrison commander of Runing Prefecture requested a meeting.
"This general pays homage to His Excellency the Imperial Envoy."
"No need to be so polite, Commander Liu." Yan Tiande rubbed his eyebrows and spoke in a calm tone.
Guard Liu stood respectfully with his hands lowered, and said in a gruff voice, "Your Excellency, I have lived up to your expectations. I led the imperial troops to successfully capture Black Dragon Stronghold and capture over 300 Fashan bandits."
If you ask him, the bandits in Heilongzhai are just a bunch of fools.
Knowing that the leader Long was arrested and imprisoned, they did not escape quickly. Instead, they nominated the second-in-command to take the position and continue to rule the mountain.
When Liu Shoubei led his troops to attack the bandits, they were so drunk that they could not even lift their knives, and were almost defeated without a fight.
"The bandits have been imprisoned. Due to their large numbers, I have taken the initiative to put ten people in one cell. This is barely enough."
For decades, the government prisons have never been overcrowded.
This is because Feng, Wang, Hu and their families were imprisoned and occupied some of the cells. Now a group of bandits have arrived, so naturally the supply cannot meet the demand.
Yan Tiande was unconcerned: "No problem, except for those whose crimes are extremely serious, the rest will be beheaded or exiled on a later date."
Emperor Qingyuan gave him the imperial sword, which gave him the power to decide the life and death of prisoners.
Feng Shu belongs to Cao's party and is very likely to be involved with the powerful people in Xia Jing, so he cannot be touched for the time being. He can make the decision on the rest of the people and sentence them to beheading or exile.
By then, the prison will naturally be spacious.
Liu Shoubei had no doubts: "I will take my leave."
Yan Tiande sat quietly for a moment, then picked up his pen again to draft the judgment document.
......
The next day, at dawn, there was already a huge crowd of people in front of the government office.
Citizens who were closely following the progress of the corruption case gathered here. A literate scholar stood in front of the crowd and read aloud the contents of the notice.
It is the verdict on the people involved in the corruption case in Runing Prefecture.
Wang Zhaoxing and Hu Wenyuan were beheaded in public, and their families were all exiled three thousand miles away.
The leader Long Da attempted to kill the imperial envoy but failed, and was beheaded in public.
Those bandits in Heilongzhai who had killed people would be beheaded in public, and the rest would be exiled three thousand miles away.
As soon as the scholar finished speaking, the people applauded and felt extremely happy.
"The dog official is finally going to die!"
"Those beasts in Black Dragon Village finally got their comeuppance!"
"God damn it, these bastard officials! Black Dragon Village has caused such great harm to our common people! And they actually colluded with them and wanted to harm the Imperial Envoy!"
"Not only the Imperial Commissioner, but the notice also states that eighteen officials were killed by the Black Dragon Village bandits, all at the behest of Officer Feng."
"You've done so many bad things, how come you haven't been struck by lightning?"
“…”
Two days later, Wang Zhaoxing, Hu Wenyuan, Long Dadangjia and other bandits were taken to prison vans by government soldiers and taken to the execution ground.
The streets were lined with onlookers, pointing and talking at them, laughing and cursing.
Gravel and rotten vegetable leaves rained down on them, the former hitting their heads and making them bleed, while the latter hung on their heads and bodies, looking both miserable and comical.
When asked why there were no rotten eggs, the standard item for parading people through the streets, people said that eggs are precious and they would not bear to let them become rotten.
Even if there were, they would rather feed them to pigs and dogs than use them to smash these dog officials and dog thieves.
"You dog official, go to hell!"
The rotten vegetable leaves flew towards him and hit Wang Zhaoxing in the face.
Disgusted glances came from all directions. Wang Zhaoxing was wearing a wooden yoke on his head, and regret and shame came over him like a tide.
In a trance, he recalled when he first entered the officialdom many years ago.
At that time, he was full of confidence and wanted to become a good official who could save the world and the people.
When did such grand ambitions and lofty aspirations suddenly disappear?
Is this the first time you accept bribes from merchants?
Is this the first time that the taxes paid by the people after a year of hard work are divided up?
Wang Zhaoxing has long forgotten it.
Power and money had long devoured his conscience, causing him to completely lose himself.
The prison van stopped at the edge of the execution ground, and the torturous parade finally ended.
The bailiffs opened the prison van, roughly dragged the prisoners down, took them to the execution ground, and ordered them to kneel down.
The execution ground was crowded with people, and the execution ground was filled with prisoners kneeling.
The supervising official, Pan Xie, took a look at the sky and threw out the fire stick order.
"It's noon, execution—"
The executioner stepped forward, took off the prisoner's wooden shackle, and raised the machete high.
Wang Zhaoxing suddenly looked up at the sky.
I will never see such warm and bright sunshine again.
The executioner raised his knife and slashed it, blood splattered, and the prisoner's head fell to the ground.
The bloody scene caused the people to exclaim in shock.
At the same time, cheers broke out.
"Well done!"
"happy!"
"The dog official is finally dead!"
There were special corpse collectors who collected the bodies, dragged them to the mass grave outside the city on ox carts, threw them there at random, and then left.
A few crows flew down from the branches and landed on the corpse.
After a hearty meal, the hyenas emerged, following the scent, and continued to feast.
......
The prisoner's body was taken away and the onlookers scattered like birds and beasts.
Judge Xie walked down the execution platform limply.
It was March, the spring breeze was warm, but he was sweating all over.
Just now, when he heard the people calling the officials "dog officials" one after another, he thought for a moment that they were scolding him. He broke out in a cold sweat on his back and his eyes were wandering with anxiety.
Panist Xie knew it very well. If he had not been lucky enough to be chosen by Du Qingtang, it would be him, Xie Kang, who would be kneeling on the execution ground and having his head dropped.
Judge Xie swallowed hard, his breathing became disordered and his steps became unsteady.
In fact, he had been feeling uneasy these days, fearing that the imperial envoy would take revenge on him later. At night, he always dreamed of the terrifying scene of being locked up in a cell, making friends hand in hand with rats and cockroaches.
The executioner was washing the bloodstains on the execution ground with clean water. A gust of wind blew by, and the smell of rust swept over.
Judge Xie shuddered.
He suddenly made a decision.
An hour later, Judge Xie ordered the servants in the mansion to move the wooden box into the government office.
"Your Excellency, the silver in the wooden box is ill-gotten gains. I know my guilt is grave and I am willing to resign."
Yan Tiande glanced at dozens of wooden boxes and twirled his beard as he said, "I've been waiting all these days."
What are you waiting for?
Judge Xie was stunned for a moment, then took a deep breath when he came to his senses. He was terrified but also relieved to have survived the ordeal.
He almost followed in the footsteps of his former colleagues!
"Thank you, sir, for your meritorious service while atoning for your crimes. There is no need to resign."
Xie Tongpan was delighted.
Yan Tiande changed the subject: "However, I will still truthfully explain Lord Xie's mistakes in the urgent report submitted to Your Majesty. Your Majesty is clear about rewards and punishments and will never treat meritorious officials wrongly."
Overjoyed, shocked and delighted, Xie Tongpan's chubby face was distorted with a frown and all the facial features flying around.
Yan Tiande coughed lightly and said solemnly, "I will be leaving Runing Prefecture soon to continue my patrols on behalf of Heaven. The only major officials left in Runing Prefecture are Lord Du and Lord Xie. Until the Ministry of Personnel issues their appointments, I'll have to trouble you two to guard Runing Prefecture."
Judge Xie fell to his knees and kowtowed heavily.
"Your humble servant will obey your orders, sir!"
-
Two days later, Yan Tiande appointed Du Qingtang as acting prefect, in charge of all matters of the government office before the new prefect took office. He left Runing Prefecture with a group of officials and set off for Nanyang Prefecture.
Du Qingtang and Xie Tongpan left the city to see him off.
Yan Tiande lifted the carriage curtain and spoke in a gentle tone, "Lord Du, I have reported the matter of Runing Prefecture to the emperor. If nothing unexpected happens, the emperor's decree will be delivered soon. You just need to carry out the emperor's orders."
Du Qingtang responded respectfully.
Yan Tiande looked at Du Qingtang deeply and lowered the curtain: "Let's go."
After we parted at Runing Mansion, I don’t know when we will meet again.
When they meet again one day, how much has Du Qingtang grown?
Yan Tiande was very curious and looking forward to it.
"Congratulations, my lord."
The carriage rumbled away under the escort of guards. Du Qingtang and Xie Tongpan bowed to see it off until the carriage became a small black dot on the official road. Then they got up and went back to the city.
As soon as he entered the government office, a minor official came up to him in a hurry, holding a stack of documents half a person's height in his arms.
"Master Du, this is an official document that needs to be processed urgently in the past few days."
——Du Qingtang was the acting prefect, and the clerk didn’t know whether to address her as Your Excellency the Prefect or Your Excellency the Magistrate, so he simply skipped the official title and called her Your Excellency Du directly.
In recent days?
Du Qingtang glanced at the documents that were supposed to cause death and asked calmly, "Since Lord Feng has been imprisoned, have all the documents that should have been handled by the prefect been handled?"
"Of course not!" the clerk answered decisively, with a flattering yet cautious smile. "Isn't this just waiting for you to deal with it?"
Du Qingtang: "...How many more?"
The clerk thought for a moment and said, "The documents I have are only one-tenth of the total."
Du Qingtang: “…”
After a brief silence, Du Qingtang turned his head to look at Pan Xie.
Judge Xie was looking around, thinking about all sorts of things, and at the same time feeling a little gloating.
Suddenly, I felt a chill on my back and came back to my senses, meeting Du Qingtang's thoughtful eyes.
Judge Xie: “???”
An ominous premonition filled his heart, and Judge Xie was about to run away reflexively. Du Qingtang spoke before him, his tone brooking no argument: "Send half to Lord Xie's duty room."
Judge Xie: “!!!”
The clerk didn't care about that and said in a firm tone: "Yes, I will send it to the magistrate later!"
"Please deliver these documents to my desk." After the clerk left with the documents, Du Qingtang looked at Judge Xie, whose brain had crashed, again with a serious expression, "You're welcome."
Xie Tongpan: “…”
No, she is sick, right?
......
Du Qingtang spent three days processing all the accumulated documents. The officials of Yanqing Prefecture traveled day and night and finally arrived at Runing Prefecture.
The official sent by the prefect of Yanqing Prefecture was Tongzhi Duan Bo, a colleague of Du Qingtang in his previous life, an overly upright and honest official.
Unfortunately, he had a bad ending. He was regarded as an enemy by the then prefect Qi Heming and was eliminated, and his end was miserable.
Thinking of Qi Heming, Du Qingtang couldn't help but think of Xue Yishu.
When Du Qingtang went to Beijing to take up his post last year, he had inquired about the news about Xue Yishu and the Duke of Changguo's Mansion.
Xue Yishu was deeply saddened by the death of her aunt Xue by drowning and fell ill. She went to a nunnery in the suburbs of Beijing to recuperate.
Qi Heming was already seriously injured, and his aunt passed away, leaving him bedridden again.
This sickly engaged couple became the talk of the town for a time, and some small gambling houses even set up bets on who would die first.
If it were Du Qingtang, she would definitely bet on Xue Yishu.
Xue died at the hands of Xue Yishu, so how could Xue Yishu become seriously ill because of her?
Most likely, Qi Heming locked her up in a nunnery, waiting for the right time to let her die quietly from illness.
As for Qi Heming, he has been a scourge for thousands of years, so how could he die easily?
"This is the evidence provided by the Zhang family that Tan poisoned her husband and her parents. Lord Du, please review it."
Duan Tongzhi's voice brought Du Qingtang back to reality from her memories. She responded with an "okay", took the relevant evidence, and glanced down.
However, Du Qingtang does not agree with the statement that "the harm will last for thousands of years."
She believes that good will be rewarded and evil will be punished.
When she regains her identity with the help of Qi Heming, she will avenge her previous self, send Qi Heming to hell, and reunite with Yuan Sheng.
Duan Tongzhi handed over another document: "This is the conviction document handwritten by the prefect. Please take a look, Master Du."
The conviction document was clearly organized, the evidence cited was sufficient, and there was not a single loophole to be found. Once Tan Bitong pleaded guilty, the case would be completely closed.
Du Qingtang returned the evidence and documents and said seriously, "Master Duan should have heard about what happened in Runing Mansion."
Duan Tongzhi nodded.
One prefect and two assistant prefects embezzled millions of taels of silver. This is truly the largest embezzlement case in decades.
It is now only spreading in Henan and Shanxi provinces. Once it is spread back to Xiajing, it will surely shock the government and the public.
Duan Tongzhi didn't dare to imagine how many people would be implicated and lose their lives.
Du Qingtang got straight to the point: "Tan provided some evidence of the crime committed by the criminal Feng Shu. I wonder if this can be used to offset his crime and reduce his sentence?"
Duan Tongzhi hesitated for a moment and said, "Of course, it's possible, but the final outcome will depend on the decision of the prefect."
He paused, then made a statement: "The crimes committed by Tan are extremely serious. She is responsible for three lives. Even if her merits can atone for her crimes, she will definitely not escape death."
Du Qingtang was well-versed in the laws of Daxia, and he knew this all too well: "I know that according to the law, Tan will be sentenced to death by slicing..."
Duan Tongzhi understood: "Don't worry, Master Du. When I return to Yanqing Prefecture, I will convey your intentions to the prefect."
Du Qingtang nodded: "Thank you, Master Duan."
Although Tan Bitong was hateful, she had indeed helped him.
Not to mention, Du Qingtang lied to her.
Du Qingtang summoned a minor official and asked him to take Duan Tongzhi to the government prison.
Duan Tongzhi came in the morning and left in the afternoon.
Du Qingtang asked Xie Tongpan to see him off on the grounds that he was busy with official duties.
Tan Bitong looked around but couldn't find Du Qingtang, and her eyes dimmed again.
She should have known that Du Qingtang would not show up.
"Thank you for staying, sir. I'll take my leave now."
The carriage rumbled along, making its way north amidst slight bumps.
Tan Bitong recalled what Du Qingtang said to her for the umpteenth time—
"Ms. Tan, the one you're attracted to isn't Du."
"You are attracted to someone who has the ability and status to protect you and keep you from being pursued by the Zhang family."
Tan Bitong laughed. Who said it wasn’t?
If she had not witnessed with her own eyes the city guards treating Du Qingtang with great courtesy at the city gate that day, she would not have asked about Du Qingtang's identity at all.
Ultimately, she just wanted to find someone to protect her.
Tan Bitong's mind was like a kaleidoscope, with her short twenty-six years flashing through frame by frame.
Born into a farming family, he was not loved by his parents since childhood.
As her cousin passed the imperial examination and became an official, her parents became picky about her marriage and decided to sell her for a higher price.
So she was forced to marry into the Zhang family, the richest family in Yanqing Prefecture, and became the wife of a short-lived man.
Just as Du Qingtang said, the Zhang family treated her well.
But she still stubbornly hated the Zhang family. In order to get the Zhang family's huge wealth, she cruelly poisoned her husband and her parents-in-law.
She didn't want to die, so she gave half of her family wealth to Feng Shu, while desperately looking for someone who could protect her from the Zhang family's accountability.
Unfortunately, this wish was never realized until the end.
Her life was nothing more than a tragedy, just like what was written in a play.
"Lord Du pleaded for you, sparing you the torment of lingchi."
Thinking of Duan Tongzhi's words, Tan Bitong smiled with tears in her eyes.
I hope that in her next life, she won’t have to live like this again.
......
After Du Qingtang finished processing the official documents, he returned home accompanied by the sound of the gong marking the end of his shift.
It happened that Du Qingju came back from Jishengtang, greeted her with a smile, and called her "Tang Ge'er" softly.
As he approached, Du Qingtang could smell the faint scent of blood emanating from her body and frowned slightly: "Are you injured?"
Du Qingju was startled for a moment, then lowered her head to sniff, and indeed she could smell a faint scent. She couldn't help but laugh, "Tang Ge'er is so meticulous, even I hadn't noticed it."
The two walked into the Tongpan Mansion side by side.
Du Qingju explained, "This afternoon, a man came to Jishengtang. His wife was having a difficult labor, so he asked Uncle Shi to come over and take a look."
Du Qingtang raised his eyebrows slightly. In ancient times when chastity was more important than life, it was a rare thing for a man to take the initiative to ask a doctor to see his wife who was giving birth.
"My uncle asked me to go with him. After examining the woman in labor, he concluded that only one of the mother and child could survive."
"The lady begged desperately, saying she would rather die than give birth to the child, but her husband insisted on not having the child."
"If there was really no other option, I would ask for a cesarean section."
Du Qingtang took off his official hat and handed it to the maid: "How is it?"
Du Qingju smiled and said, "Although I've only done one case, I've often sutured and delivered cats and dogs over the years, so I'm not unfamiliar with it."
"Thanks to the assistance of my uncle, the lady and her daughter are safe."
Du Qingtang's expression relaxed slightly.
"The delivery room smelled heavily of blood. After I came out, I showered and changed clothes at that lady's house. I didn't expect you, Tang'er, to smell it."
In Du Qingju's first year as a doctor, Du Qingtang taught her suturing.
He initially practiced on pork and chicken, and later, when he became proficient and skillful in the needlework, he began to suture seriously injured patients.
Two years ago, a member of the Qiong English Society suffered a difficult childbirth and nearly lost both her life.
At the critical moment, Du Qingju bravely performed a caesarean section to deliver the baby, and now the child is running all over the floor.
Du Qingtang trusted Du Qingju's medical skills and did not ask too many questions: "As long as mother and daughter are safe."
Du Qingju smiled and said, "Tang Ge'er, you don't know. I was so nervous in the delivery room that I broke out in a sweat. Fortunately, the result was good. I successfully saved the mother and daughter."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but imagine, "If doctors could all learn how to sew and master the technique of cesarean section, there wouldn't be women being abandoned in labor, or having two lives lost."
Du Qingtang said casually: "Maybe that day will come?"
Du Qingju smiled and said, "That's perfect."
Not long after, Du Qingzhu came back from the Qiongying English Society and learned that Du Qingju had performed a caesarean section on a woman who had just given birth. He exclaimed that his eighth sister was amazing.
Du Qingju's eyes were filled with joy, her dimples were shallow, and the smile on her lips never faded.
......
After dinner, Du Yi presented a letter.
"Sir, Master Fu has a letter from Xiajing."
Master Fu, Fu Ci.
Du Qingtang suddenly remembered that the ceremony of announcing the imperial examinations had already ended.
I opened the envelope and unfolded the letter, and it was indeed a message of good news.
Fu Ci won the first place in the imperial examination in the first month of the year. As soon as he saw the list, he couldn't wait to write a letter to Du Qingtang to share the good news with her.
In addition, Gu Tai, Liu Guang and Liu Yao also passed the imperial examination, and their rankings were in the middle, not as good as Fu Ci's.
Du Qingtang picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and replied with congratulations.
After sending the letter, she suddenly remembered that Fu Ci won the first place in the provincial examination and the first place in the metropolitan examination.
If nothing unexpected happens, Fu Ci should be in the top three.
Du Qingtang recalled his previous life, when Fu Wen ranked second in the imperial examination, entered the Imperial Academy, married a princess, and was extremely popular.
But by that time, Fu Ci had already "died of illness" and turned into a pile of yellow earth buried deep underground.
Unknowingly, Fu Ci's fate has been rewritten.
She is still alive, full of vigor and vitality.
She was never sold into a brothel by her biological parents as a tool for carrying on the family line.
Du Qingtang smiled, his clear and handsome features were incredibly gentle.
-
In the blink of an eye, it was mid-March.
Du Qingtang finally finished dealing with the pile of official business in the government office and was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Officials of Daxia have a day off every ten days, and tomorrow happens to be their day off.
In the evening, Du Qingtang walked out of the government office in the rosy sky and boarded the Du family's carriage.
"Go to Zuixianju."
"yes."
Du Bayi cracked the whip and the carriage drove to the best restaurant in the city.
After entering Zuixianju, Du Qingtang went straight to the Tianzihao private room.
When I opened the door, a beautiful woman in gorgeous clothes looked over and said softly, "I thought you wouldn't come."
Du Qingtang walked into the private room, closed the door behind him, and sat down calmly: "I haven't thanked you for your help yet."
The woman poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Du Qingtang.
Du Qingtang lowered her eyes and glanced at him, her tone calm: "Cousin."
The Du family has many cousins, but Du Qingtang only has one cousin, and that is——
Yuan Sheng's sister, Yuan Xue.
Yuan Xue took a sip of tea, her beautiful eyes moving. The scar on her left cheek that stretched from the corner of her eye to her temple had faded a little with the passage of time, but it was still visible at a glance.
"No need to thank me. You helped me escape from the Yuan family's den back then. This time, I persuaded my husband to help you capture the bandit leader. We're even now, and we owe each other nothing."
A hint of surprise flashed in Du Qingtang's eyes, but his thoughts drifted away.
Last year, in order to get close to Liu Pozi, Du Qingtang snatched the job of Yufu River supervisor from Xie Tongpan.
That evening, she rushed back to the city from Yufu River.
Outside the city gate, Du Qingtang and Yuan Xue met on a narrow road.
Five years passed in a flash, and she didn't expect to meet Yuan Xue again.
From a few words of conversation, Du Qingtang learned that Yuan Xue had escaped from the Yuan family and traveled all the way to Northern Zhili, where he worked as a waiter in a teahouse.
By accident, she came into contact with her husband Zuo Teng.
Zuo Teng, who was a fifth-rank military official at the time, did not mind that Yuan Xue's origins were a mystery, nor did he mind that her face was disfigured. He married her after three matchmakers and six engagements.
The two have been married for four years, living in harmony and having a pair of children.
It was not until the year before last that Zuo Teng was transferred and his family moved to Henan Province.
Zuo Teng was appointed as the lieutenant general, and Yuan Xue became his wife.
After learning of Yuan Xue's identity, Du Qingtang took the initiative to mention that there was collusion between officials and bandits in Runing Prefecture, and that Feng Shu was suspected of corruption and was very likely to use the bandits in Heilongzhai to kill the imperial envoy.
Du Qingtang asked Yuan Xue to inform Zuo Teng about this matter, and Zuo Teng then informed General Zheng.
I thought Yuan Xue would refuse, after all, they had little interaction back then, but I didn't expect her to agree without hesitation.
After passing Yuan Xue, dealing with General Zheng will be no problem at all.
Because Du Qingtang knew General Zheng's identity, the reason he informed General Zheng was just to kill someone with a borrowed knife.
Borrow Qi's knife to kill Cao's people.
Everything became a natural progression after that.
General Zheng arranged for Zuo Teng to train new recruits near Runing Prefecture and captured the Black Dragon Village bandits in one fell swoop.
......
All of the above were part of Du Qingtang's plan, except for the reason why Yuan Xue agreed to help her.
Du Qingtang was silent for a moment: "You... know?"
"I can't think of anyone else except you."
Yuan Xue tilted her head. Although she was already a mother of two children, she looked cute and lively, completely different from the numb and timid person she was many years ago.
"Not only do I know that you helped me back then, I also know..." She laughed, like a feather brushing against her ear, "You are a woman."
Du Qingtang narrowed his eyes slightly, murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and his dark and deep pupils locked onto Yuan Xue, containing a strong sense of danger and oppression.
Yuan Xue felt as if she was being stared at by some large beast. The hairs on her body stood up, as if an invisible giant hand was strangling her throat. Her breathing almost stopped and her face turned pale.
To be honest, Du Qingtang was not surprised that Yuan Xue knew her secret.
Yuan Sheng, Zhu and Yuan Ping all knew that she was a girl. These three were as stupid as pigs and spoke without restraint at home. It was possible that Yuan Xue overheard them.
But Yuan Xue shouldn't have said it in such a smug and teasing tone.
What does she want to do?
Threatening me?
In just a moment, Du Qingtang had already decided where to bury Yuan Xue.
Even though one admires Yuan Xue's reckless ruthlessness, even though Yuan Xue is the wife of a lieutenant general, in the face of secrets and lives, everything is insignificant.
Du Qingtang put down the teacup, and there was a soft "tap" sound.
"I don't care if you know my secret, but don't tell it in front of me."
Yuan Xue knew she was getting carried away, so she quickly pursed her lips and said, "Don't worry, I haven't told anyone, and I won't reveal your identity to the court."
Du Qingtang looked at her expressionlessly.
"After marrying Zuo Teng, I have been sending people to monitor the news in Qingyuan County. I know that you helped me clean up the mess back then, and I also know that you were the one who orchestrated Yuan...their deaths."
"I can't thank you enough, so how could I harm you?"
Du Qingtang's cold gaze fell on Yuan Xue, not knowing whether she believed it or not.
"If I really wanted to harm you, I would have exposed your identity to the authorities long ago during your imperial examination."
Yuan Xue looked at Du Qingtang's dark green official robe, her eyes were dazed for a moment, and then she was filled with envy.
"I admire you and envy you."
"You are ruthless, and you have the ability and means to match your ambitions."
"You also taught my cousins to read and write. They founded the Qiong English Society, which has helped many women become wise and independent."
"Qingtang, do you know about the Qiongying English Society in Runing Prefecture?"
Du Qingtang's eyes moved slightly and he nodded slightly.
"I founded it." Meeting Du Qingtang's surprised gaze, Yuan Xue stroked her hair. "Not only Runing Prefecture, but all the Qiongying English societies in Henan Province were founded by me."
"Two years ago, I learned that the Qiong Ying Society, which was beneficial to women, had been established in Qingyuan County. After arriving in Henan Province, I persuaded the local ladies to join me in establishing the Qiong Ying Society."
"As of now, there are five Qiongying English societies in Henan Province, with a total of 1,236 members."
Yuan Xue got back to the point: "In any case, don't worry, I will keep this secret until the day your identity is revealed and shocks the world."
She took a sip from her teacup, her eyes far away. "Ever since I can remember, they've always beaten and scolded me, but they've been extremely protective of Yuansheng."
"They said I was a money-loser. They even sold me to an old man who had tortured many concubines to death in order to pay off Yuanping's gambling debts."
"After marrying Zuo Teng, I began to learn to read and write, and to study music and painting."
“If men can be role models, why can’t women?”
Yuan Xue looked at Du Qingtang steadily, and said in an inaudible voice: "I believe that day will come soon."
She also wanted to say that on the day of their reunion, she saw light in Du Qingtang.
A light that belongs only to women.
Yuan Xue firmly believes that one day the tiny glimmers of light will converge into a torch.
By then, perhaps there will be fewer women like her in the world who suffer deeply from feudal ethics.
Du Qingtang listened to her and remained silent for a long time.
Then he picked up the teacup, used tea instead of wine, and toasted Yuan Xue.
-
Twenty days passed in a flash.
In early April, someone came from Xia Jing.
At that time, Du Qingtang was in the duty room handling official business.
The clerk came crawling in, shouting, "Master Du, there are a lot of imperial guards outside!"
Most likely, Emperor Qingyuan sent people to escort Feng Shu to the capital.
Du Qingtang immediately put down his brush and went out to greet him.
The leading imperial guard met Du Qingtang, bowed and saluted, and then explained his purpose.
"I am Zhang Cang, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. I have been ordered by the Emperor to escort the convicted official Feng Shu to the capital to be tried by the Ministry of Justice."
After saying that, he showed Du Qingtang the token symbolizing his identity as the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards.
Du Qingtang had no objection and asked Pan Pan Xie to lead the imperial guards to the government prison.
Deputy Commander Zhang thanked him and immediately took out the bright yellow imperial edict: "Du Qingtang, the Tongpan of Runing Prefecture, receives the edict."
Du Qingtang was slightly startled, then he lifted the corner of his robe and knelt down calmly.
A group of officials, clerks and runners from the government office followed closely behind him and knelt on the ground.
The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards opened the imperial edict and read aloud, "By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that Du Qingtang, the Tongpan of Runing Prefecture, has meritorious service in exposing corruption and proposing a new accounting method. He is truly loyal, wise, and courageous. He is hereby promoted to the rank of Fifth Grade and appointed the position of Tongzhi of Runing Prefecture. This is my decree!"
"Tongzhi Du, are you still not accepting the order?"
Du Qingtang took the imperial edict with both hands and raised it above his head: "I thank you for your grace!"
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