After seeing off Yinzhen and Yinzhen, Hongyun, being young, had already gone to bed.
Honghui followed Yinzhen to his study.
"Honghui, why do you think the local officials and soldiers in Shandong failed to suppress the rebellion?" Yinzhen asked Honghui after taking a sip of his hangover soup.
"My son thinks that, firstly, the joint rebellion in several counties might have been led by a leader who understood military strategy and could integrate the scattered soldiers into a group that could fight against the government troops; secondly, perhaps the local officials embezzled disaster relief funds and lost the support of the people, so the people tipped off the rebels, making it impossible to catch them."
Honghui took a sip of water to moisten his throat and continued, "Thirdly, the Eight Banners soldiers have become lax in their horsemanship and archery skills in recent years. The local officers and soldiers may not have trained for a long time, so they were naturally routed."
"Even worse, it's possible that some people receive salaries without actually serving in the military."
Yinzhen tapped the table and nodded in agreement.
"Father, don't you want to go and quell the rebellion?" Honghui asked with some doubt. "Mother said that when the floods were severe, you volunteered to save the people from the disaster. Hearing that made me feel very excited."
Yinzhen looked Honghui up and down, paused for a moment, and said, "Because Father has more important things to do now."
"Is it difficult? Your son can help you." Honghui was eager to try. He wanted to participate in something even more difficult and important than quelling the rebellion.
"Alright, go and rest now. Spend more time with your mother these days." Yinzhen waved his hand.
After Honghui left, he stared at the half-burnt charcoal fire, his mind churning with various possibilities, unable to make a decision.
******
Three days later, Prince Zhi and Yinzhen arrived in Shandong with several thousand men, traveling lightly and simply.
Upon entering the country, Yin was shocked by the scene before him. Eight or nine out of ten shops were closed, and many people who looked like disaster victims were lying or leaning on the roadside. They were all leaning on tree branches, holding empty bowls in their hands, with blank expressions and empty eyes. Occasionally, the sound of children crying could be heard.
This scene stands in stark contrast to the bustling and prosperous capital city.
Yin's expression was solemn: "Brother, we've only just arrived in Shandong, how come there are already so many disaster victims?"
“The local officials are doing nothing, so our first target is the Shandong governor. We’ll strip him of his post and send a warning to all the officials in Shandong.” Prince Zhi’s goal was clear.
"Huh?" Yinzhi was dumbfounded. The governor was a second-rank official, while the two of them were a prince and a bald prince. Neither of them had the power to dismiss the governor.
Last time, Fourth Brother was allowed to act expediently because he was an imperial envoy appointed by imperial decree, and Father Emperor granted him permission to do so. This time, however, they are tasked with suppressing a rebellion, and in principle, they are not allowed to interfere in local government affairs.
"Brother, I'm afraid this won't work." Although Yinzhen was impulsive, he clearly knew what he could and couldn't do, which was why he could always make Kangxi furious but never get tired of or punish him.
Do you know who this Shandong governor is?
Yin shook his head; he didn't care about such things.
“Jiang Liwei rose through the ranks thanks to Prime Minister Suo’s recommendation, serving as an official in Shandong for over ten years. Now that this has happened, doesn’t it show that Jiang Liwei has betrayed the Crown Prince’s trust? We are helping His Highness clean house.” Prince Zhi was clearly excited, seemingly oblivious to the disaster victims in the streets, and ordered the driver to speed up.
Yinzhi understood that this was an attempt to take advantage of the situation to strike at the Crown Prince. He didn't want to get involved, so he could only follow silently without making any comments.
The group traveled through the night and finally arrived at the Shandong governor's office at the crack of dawn. All the officials in Shandong, high and low, who had been summoned, got up early to pay their respects.
After washing up and having a simple breakfast, Prince Zhi and Yinzhen, seeing that everyone was present, began their discussion.
"Let's talk about this severe drought first. When I came here, I checked and found that it has been almost three years in a row. The court has allocated disaster relief funds every year. I wonder how you gentlemen are dealing with the drought?" Prince Zhi went straight to the point.
The Shandong governor spoke first: "Your Highness, this is a natural disaster, beyond human control. The relief funds from the court are all recorded, and the ledgers are outside; you can check them at any time. As for governance, I am not capable, but I have searched far and wide for talent, offering generous rewards. Unfortunately, there are many charlatans and few truly capable people. The farmland is unreasonable; there has been almost no harvest for the past three years. I am truly like a skilled cook without rice; I can only hope day and night that this drought will end soon."
"In other words, it's your incompetence." Prince Zhi sat up straight. "Back then, Prime Minister Su recommended you to be the governor of Shandong. How many people have died over the years? Can you bear the responsibility?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liwei's face turned red and then pale: "I am guilty, but..."
"It's good that you admit your guilt." Prince Zhi interrupted him. "You will be temporarily detained until the rebellion here is quelled, and then you will return to the capital to be tried by the Emperor."
Two guards with knives immediately dragged Jiang Liwei away. In an instant, everyone in the room was on edge, no one dared to speak, and they didn't even dare to make eye contact with each other.
Prince Zhi was very satisfied with the effect of establishing his authority. He swept his oppressive gaze around and said, "Then let's continue and talk about the rebellion."
Yin was completely ignored. He really didn't want to stay in the room any longer, so he made an excuse to go to the toilet and ran out.
Upon arriving at the government office, he found cavalrymen guarding the entrance, preventing anyone from getting close. Yinzhen then walked further away to the back of the government office, where he discovered a few old men huddled around the corner.
"Old man, I have something to ask you." Yin squatted down and took out a few copper coins from his pocket.
The old man didn't take it: "I have copper coins too, but now you can't buy food with money. You should leave. We don't know anything."
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