Several corrupt officials were discussing how to deal with Wu Ge in the Haizhou government office. They planned to put fake grain into the warehouse. Even if Wu Ge went to inspect the warehouse on the emperor's orders, he would see a full 40,000 dan of grain.
At most, Wu Ge could send someone to spot-check a few bags; he couldn't possibly open each one. This way, he could get away with it. As for how the relief grain was registered and distributed, the population register for Haizhou City was kept at the government office, under the jurisdiction of the prefect, Han Tiexin. Wu Ge had no authority to inspect it.
Several people were dreaming sweet dreams when suddenly the yamen runners rushed in in a panic: "Master Han, outside, Wu Ge and his guards are coming in!"
Everyone was shocked. Han Tiexin angrily said, "Wu Ge? What does he want to do?"
Before he finished speaking, a voice rang out from outside: "This general wants to ask who is so bold as to disrupt the imperial court's porridge distribution!"
As he said that, Wu Ge and a group of guards rushed into the hall of the government office.
According to the rules of officialdom, the two sides generally will not tear each other apart. Even if they are mortal enemies, they often flatter each other when they meet and give each other face so that there is room for them to meet again in the future.
Since you don't give me face, I won't give you a good face either. Han Tiexin's face also turned cold: "General Wu is so arrogant, don't forget that this is Haizhou Prefecture, not your Palace Front Department! You said that someone disrupted the court's porridge distribution, what do you mean!"
The chief clerk behind him was so scared when he saw Wu Ge walking in aggressively that he shrank to the side.
Wu Ge sneered: "Bring it up to me!"
Several guards behind him brought a dozen people to the hall. They were the tall and thin two men and others who were pretending to be the victims.
Wu Ge pointed at the tall man on the ground and said, "Tell me! Who sent you to the porridge stall?"
Originally, these dozen people had confessed, but when the tall man saw Han Tiexin's gloomy face, he was so scared that he lowered his head and dared not say anything.
Wu Ge waved his hand and said, "Come here! Drag this lawless criminal who is obstructing the imperial court's disaster relief efforts out and chop him off!"
When the tall man heard he was going to be beheaded, he immediately raised his head and yelled like a rooster struck by a knife, "General, please spare my life! Please spare my life, General! Yes, it was Master Sun who asked us to go. He, he gave us three taels of silver each and asked us to disrupt the porridge provided by the master!"
Han Tiexin lowered his head and said nothing, obviously he knew about this. Liu Yu, the grain transport officer nearby, was furious: "Sun Chenggong! What do you want to do?"
Sun Chenggong was so frightened that he knelt down and said, "My lord, it's a misunderstanding! It's a misunderstanding, my lord. I just asked them to go to the porridge stall to get some porridge and see if there was any moldy grain mixed in. No, I didn't ask them to cause any trouble."
Wu Ge was furious: "You're still trying to quibble! Are the testimonies of these dozen people false? Arrest this Haizhou Prefecture's Chief Clerk and drag him outside to be beaten with forty lashes!"
Wu Ge's guards were about to attack, but Han Tiexin stopped them, "Who dares? General Wu, even if Master Sun has done something wrong, it's my Haizhou Prefecture that should punish him. There's no need for you to take action!"
The two men exchanged sharp words, and Wu Ge truly had no right to arrest anyone. He sneered, "Alright, then I'd like to see how Lord Han handles his advisor. If the punishment is too light, I'll report it to His Majesty upon my return. Given His Majesty's character, I'm afraid Advisor Sun will face more than just a beating."
Liu Yu was shocked. If he told the emperor about this matter, knowing Zhao Huan's character, he was afraid that his life would be in danger. So he stepped forward and said, "Master Han, you must handle this matter impartially."
Han Tiexin had no choice but to wave his hand and said to his men: "Come here, drag Master Sun out and give him a beating. Thirty strokes of the cane." He winked at the yamen runner beside him.
The bailiff nodded and bowed before leaving. He knew that the thirty lashes could be either mild or severe, with the severest being fatal, while the mildest being unscathed like Er Gouzi.
Wu Ge had no intention of leaving: "Come on, let's go outside and watch Master Sun get beaten."
The guards burst into laughter and rushed out. Wu Ge didn't dare to get too angry. He knew the other party wouldn't actually give him thirty lashes; he'd definitely cheated. But, after all, the other party had already admitted defeat, so it was a face-saving gesture. Even if it was a fake fight, he couldn't miss such a good show.
Wu Ge and the guards went outside, but at this moment, a man ran in hurriedly. He came quietly to Han Tiexin and whispered a few words in his ear.
Han Tiexin trembled all over, his voice trembling with fear, and he looked at Liu Yu with a pale face. Liu Yu didn't know what had happened, but seeing Han Tiexin's face, he knew that something serious must have happened.
A yamen runner picked up a board several inches wide and went outside to beat Sun Chenggong. This board was on par with the one used to beat Er Gouzi. Both looked intimidating but didn't hurt.
Han Tiexin stopped the yamen runner and said, "What are you doing?"
The bailiff turned around in astonishment and said, "Sir, go, go and execute the master."
Han Tiexin was furious: "Change the board!"
The yamen runner was bewildered and confused: "This, change, change that?"
Han Tiexin's eyes widened in anger. "Whoever is the cruelest will be replaced by me. Remember, beat him hard! Hit him hard!"
The yamen runner didn't know what was going on, but he dared not disobey the prefect's order, so he picked up a narrow and heavy board and walked out the door.
Liu Yu was also shocked. He walked over to Han Tiexin, holding a teacup and asking, "Master Han, why are you doing this? After these thirty strokes of the cane, will Master Sun still be alive?"
Han Tiexin's face turned pale. "I just received a tip-off that His Majesty has already gone to Langya County and is on his way to Haizhou."
The teacup fell to the ground with a thud. Liu Yu stuttered, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, how, how could you come here?"
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