Chapter 82 Xuzhou Corruption Case
"A-choo!"
In Yizhou, heavy rain is pouring.
After finally arriving at the post station, Chunxi couldn't help sneezing several times.
Shen Qingyuan immediately came over and asked, "Is it cold?"
"I'm fine," Chunxi shook his head, looked at everything outside blurred by the rain, and sniffed, "I think it might be some wicked thing scolding me."
The horses and carriages were parked in the stables in the backyard of the post station. Everyone was soaked to the skin, and the post station officials immediately boiled some hot water and brought it over.
Although Chunxi was dressed as a servant, everyone in her group knew that she was Madam Shen, so she and Shen Qingyuan were naturally in the same room.
The conditions in the post station were very simple. There were not even screens in the rooms. We could only hang clothes on racks to provide some cover.
Since they had already touched and kissed each other, Chunxi didn't act pretentiously and quickly soaked in the bathtub to wash away his fatigue.
While Shen Qingyuan was taking a shower, Chunxi went to the kitchen to help make ginger soup and vegetable porridge, and baked dozens of hot pancakes.
After asking everyone to go downstairs to get food, Chunxi took the food for herself and Shen Qingyuan back to the house.
In the room, Shen Qingyuan had already finished his shower and was standing by the window with his hair loose, watching the rain.
For some reason, Chunxi felt that Shen Qingyuan's back was a little cold.
"My lord, it's time to eat."
Chunxi greeted him cheerfully, and after Shen Qingyuan took a bite of the pancake, she tentatively asked, "Are you in a bad mood, sir? Is it because the rain delayed your trip to Xuzhou?"
Shen Qingyuan paused while eating, then looked up and asked Chunxi, "Do you know what His Majesty asked me to come to Xuzhou to investigate?"
Chunxi paused and asked, "Is it related to the Xuzhou flood last year?"
Before at the Xiao family, those young ladies from aristocratic families only said that this case was very serious and involved a wide range of people, but no one said the specific reasons.
But last year, the flood in Xuzhou was very serious. It was said that there were tens of thousands of refugees and thousands of floating corpses. When the news was passed back to Hanjing, the court quickly allocated food and money for disaster relief.
The Wei family also took the lead in donating a lot of charity money, and Chunxi also donated half a month's salary.
When Chunxi learned that Shen Qingyuan was appointed to investigate the case in Xuzhou, the first thing he thought of was this matter.
Shen Qingyuan's eyes flickered, surprised by Chunxi's sharpness. He nodded and said, "At the end of last autumn, Xuzhou experienced ten days of heavy rain. Then the river dam burst, flooding the city. Countless people outside Xuzhou were left homeless and dead."
"Didn't the imperial court send people to provide disaster relief?"
Chunxi couldn't help but speak, and Shen Qingyuan agreed: "The national treasury allocated 50,000 taels of silver, and all the major merchants also raised money for charity.
Together with the 30,000 dan of disaster relief grain requisitioned from various places, it is enough for the people of Xuzhou to survive this flood."
Chunxi didn't interrupt Shen Qingyuan again. She unconsciously slowed her breathing, and then she heard Shen Qingyuan say, "Not all the food and wages allocated by the court were distributed to the victims. Most of them were taken away by Liang Weimin, the governor of Xuzhou, into his own private warehouse. Liang Weimin used soaked rice to make porridge for disaster relief, built bamboo fence sheds to house the victims, and gave them cotton-padded jackets stuffed with reed leaves to keep them warm during the winter."
At this point, Shen Qingyuan paused, a flicker of pity in his eyes: "Last winter, Xuzhou had a heavy snowfall, and countless people froze to death in the wind and snow."
The sound of rain outside was getting louder and louder, almost drowning out Shen Qingyuan's voice.
But those are countless living lives, and their souls are crying day and night and cannot rest in peace. How can this be covered up?
Chunxi stuffed another piece of cake into Shen Qingyuan's hand and said, "Sir, please eat more. There are so many people in Xuzhou waiting for you to give them justice."
"Liang Weimin is so bold because he has backers in Hanjing. It's easy to bring him down, but it's hard to bring down the people behind him. Going to Xuzhou could be fraught with danger. Are you so sure I can help them get justice?"
"Of course I believe it. Your Excellency has the Xiao family and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince behind him. How could this official's backers be more powerful than your Excellency?"
Chunxi answered without hesitation, and the coldness in Shen Qingyuan's eyes dissipated a little: "Even if I have the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, there will be all kinds of dangers in Xuzhou. Aren't you afraid?"
"The one who should be afraid is that bastard official, not me. Besides, your Excellency is blessed with good fortune. This trip to Xuzhou will surely turn misfortune into good fortune and turn disaster into blessing."
Shen Qingyuan couldn't remember how many times Chunxi had said that he was blessed with good fortune.
She was not trying to please him, but she felt from the bottom of her heart that he would have good luck.
Shen Qingyuan took a bite of the cake in his hand and responded softly, "Well, I'm here, you don't have to be afraid."
It rained heavily for three days and the sky cleared up in the evening of the third day.
Shen Qingyuan did not rest any more and led everyone on their journey at night. Five days later in the morning, they finally arrived at Xuzhou City.
Shen Qingyuan hadn't sent anyone into the city to announce the news in advance, but Liang Weimin, the governor of Xuzhou, had been waiting at the city gate with his subordinates. "Master Shen, you're finally here. Did you encounter any problems along the way?"
Although Liang Weimin had embezzled a lot of money, he did not look pot-bellied. Instead, he was very thin. With his gray hair and beard, at first glance, he looked like a good official with clean hands.
Shen Qingyuan glanced at the weathered city gate and said calmly, "The security in all places is very good. We haven't encountered any problems."
Liang Weimin nodded in agreement, then dismissed his subordinates and took Shen Qingyuan and his party to the post station in the city.
After the entourage had settled their carriages and horses, Liang Weimin said, "I have prepared some home-cooked dishes at home to welcome you, my Lord. I hope you will not mind."
"Lord Liang's kindness is such that there's no reason to dislike it."
Shen Qingyuan took Chunxi and Qingshu to the banquet.
As the governor of a state, Liang Weimin lived in a mansion that was not very big, just a two-story house. Once inside, the furnishings were very ordinary, and everywhere exuded a simple and elegant style.
The banquet was held in the dining hall. As Liang Weimin said, it was all home-cooked dishes, four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes, a bowl of three-fresh soup, and some wine. All the ingredients could be bought with just a few taels of silver.
Liang Weimin rubbed his hands together, his face showing embarrassment. "Your Excellency should also know that Xuzhou suffered a flood last year, leaving the people displaced and the city severely damaged. Even I can only use this kind of food to entertain you now. I hope your Excellency will not be offended."
“There’s nothing wrong with this kind of food.”
Shen Qingyuan took the first seat, without any airs. Liang Weimin breathed a sigh of relief and was about to follow suit when he heard Shen Qingyuan say, "Qingshu and Cao Er have been my personal attendants since they were young. They've worked hard on this journey. Sir Liang, I think you wouldn't mind having them sit down for dinner together?"
Liang Weimin shook his head repeatedly: "Of course I don't mind. Please take a seat, young brothers."
Qingshu and Chunxi sat down next to Shen Qingyuan. Shen Qingyuan poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Chunxi. He said casually, "Last year, Xuzhou suffered a severe disaster. I was worried that there would be refugees causing trouble in the city. But today, the streets are very quiet. I didn't even see a beggar."
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