Wang Yuan was in his fifties, wearing a long purple silk gown. Because of his pale skin, he looked a bit like an immortal.
"The Protectorate can no longer withstand the banditry in Guiyang." Wang Yuan flicked the incense in the incense burner and then closed the lid. Incense mist wafted upward, filling the study with the scent of sandalwood.
Wang Yuan had known Lu Jiaxue for ten years. He was actually quite wary of him because he held military power. However, he wasn't wary of him because, despite his military power, he had little interest in government. Wang Yuan continued, "Xuanweisi's Zhou Shuqun committed suicide out of fear of punishment. I'm afraid he will be held accountable. There's no one leading the army in Guiyang. Where do you think we should mobilize the troops, Lord Lu?"
Lu Jiaxue snorted coldly.
He had heard about the Guiyang Rebellion. The Protectorate and the Xuanwei Office couldn't defeat a bunch of bandits; they were nothing more than a bunch of good-for-nothings. Wang Yuan was also a master at smoothing things over. He'd never intervene when it wasn't his place, and now he was expected to clean up the mess?
Old man Wang Yuan is cruel and ruthless. He hadn't let Zhou Shuqun of the Qingliu Party go before, and now that he's done this to Zhou Shuqun, the Qingliu Party must be dying. Lu Jiaxue took a sip from Wang Yuan's white porcelain teacup. "The Yunnan and Sichuan Generals dispatched troops the fastest. Sichuan General Song has experience fighting bandits, so he's the best choice."
Lu Jiaxue was too lazy to send his capable men over. Compared with the Tatars and the Oirat, the bandits were just a mob.
Lu Jiaxue was a military genius, and what he said was roughly correct. It looked like he really didn't want to get involved. Wang Yuan smiled and said, "It's getting late, so why don't you stay at my house? Steward, go arrange accommodation for Lord Lu."
"No need." Lu Jiaxue waved his hand calmly, refusing Wang Yuan's offer to see him off, and left Wang Yuan's house. Wang Yuan's house was extremely luxurious, with glazed goat-horn palace lanterns and vermilion pillars that lit up the house exceptionally brightly. Lu Jiaxue was disgusted by the sight. After all, Wang Yuan was a Grand Secretary of the Huagai Palace. What kind of status was this? As soon as he got into the carriage, someone came in to report to him, "Sir, everything has been arranged. Lord Cheng's arrangements are almost done as well."
Lu Jiaxue nodded to indicate that he understood.
The man continued, "Madam Cao asked me to ask you something. She only mentioned taking a concubine, not a second wife, right?"
Lu Jiaxue suddenly opened his eyes and sneered, "Second wife, is she worthy of it?" Even if it was just a setup and it was impossible for him to really marry her, he didn't want others to bear this title.
Then he added, "Tell Madam Xu to just mention this matter and not to say anything else."
He rubbed his finger ring and slowly closed his eyes. Luo Yining, it won't be so easy to escape this time.
Luo Shenyuan also received news from Guiyang Prefecture in the middle of the night. Xu Wei sent guards to deliver the message to him overnight.
In the Xu Mansion, Xu Wei, the Minister of Revenue, Yang Ling and others were gathered in the study. They had just received Zhou Shuqun's obituary and suicide note.
Seeing his teacher holding his friend's old belongings, Yang Ling's hands trembled and his eyes bulged with anger. "Qiao Fang wrote to me last time, asking what crops to grow in the mountains and asking for advice on writing parallel prose..." Now he was looking at his suicide note.
Zhou Shuqun was a military officer, a rare member of the Qingliu Party. Later, he offended Wang Yuan and was demoted to the Guiyang Xuanwei Office as the chief.
The mountain dwellers of Guiyang were impoverished and fierce, often roaming as bandits. Zhou Shuqun, after arriving there, toiled tirelessly, finally gaining the villagers' trust. They followed him to reclaim land and build villages, and stopped kidnapping. But then the Guizhou governor arrived and imposed a heavy 60% tax on the villagers. Zhou Shuqun's repeated objections were in vain; the governor was Wang Yuan's man, and Wang Yuan was determined to punish him, so no matter what he said, it was useless.
The villagers were furious. The food they had earned through hard work had been plundered by these bastards, and they became vicious bandits. This huge bandit force occupied Guiyang and killed many ordinary people and officials.
Zhou Shuqun led his troops in a fierce resistance. Wang Yuan, however, seized the opportunity to submit a petition to the emperor, accusing Zhou Shuqun, the Guiyang envoy, of failing to supervise the banditry, which had instead worsened. He should be brought back to the capital, dismissed, and investigated. Seeing that the mountain people were willing to rebel against the government, the emperor, in a rage, ordered Zhou Shuqun executed and his wife and children exiled two thousand miles away.
Zhou Shuqun was still leading his troops in a fierce resistance, protecting the civilians in the city. He was then placed in shackles. He wept bitterly with indignation, kneeling on the land that had cost him so much effort, unable to recover for a long time.
He was determined to be a good official, but instead brought trouble upon his wife and children. He committed suicide in Guiyang, and only his body was sent back to the capital.
Qiao Fang was Zhou Shuqun's pen name. Yang Ling consoled his teacher, but Xu Wei remained steadfast. "Give me a pen and paper. I want to make a petition. Loyal officials are being murdered, and my wife and children are suffering. I cannot sit idly by!"
The others were unable to persuade Xu Wei, and Yang Ling was helpless. In a panic, he turned around and asked the servants, "...Has Lord Luo arrived?"
"We've sent someone to invite him. Lord Luo isn't far away and should be here soon." The waiter replied quickly.
As he was speaking, the door curtain was drawn aside by a servant. A gust of cold wind rushed in, and Luo Shenyuan followed it into the house, where someone served him tea. He had already learned what had happened on the way, and as soon as he sat down, he said, "Teacher, please be patient. The rebellious bandits have killed so many people in Guiyang, and the emperor is furious. If you go to make a complaint on behalf of Lord Zhou now, you will only be implicated."
Xu Wei was so angry that he lost his mind and immediately said, "Even if he is implicated, I can't bear to see him being wronged like this! I have had enough of this miserable life!"
Luo Shenyuan knew Xu Wei's reaction. He continued, "If the Emperor had granted you a death sentence, it would be a relief. There would be no Qingliu Party left in the world. Once Lu Jiaxue and Wang Yuan gained control, they could harm anyone they wanted. The people would suffer, and no one would care for them. Once you die, no one would care."
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