Chapter 197 A cornered dog will jump over the wall
"Master, we've lost track of them." In the dimly lit corridor, a guard knelt and begged for forgiveness. "The guards who were pursuing Prefect Cui by water received advance warning and waited at the Mengjin ferry, but they suddenly disappeared two days ago. I rode a fast horse to inquire and learned that they encountered Chief Secretary Du's ship before the arrest. I don't know what happened, but they were kidnapped by Chief Secretary Du. The cargo ship where Prefect Cui was hiding is now nowhere to be found."
Upon hearing this, Prefect Xu was so angry he almost couldn't breathe. He kicked them, yelling, "Useless trash! What use are you to me!"
The guard took a solid kick and didn't dare to dodge.
"I gave you so many men, and you still lost track of them. What are you doing back here? You might as well have died out there." Governor Xu was so angry that his composure from the past few days vanished in an instant.
"My lord, please calm down. The men sent to Bingzhou will arrive in another day. They will definitely be able to stop them," the guard said confidently.
"What about Lady Wang's whereabouts? Have you found out?" Governor Xu asked.
"No."
"Useless! Useless! What use are you to me!" Governor Xu shouted angrily. He knew that so much time had passed and the news had already spread. He had originally planned to kill them to silence them and leave no evidence, but now that he had lost track of them, he was truly panicking.
"Keep this news under wraps, don't let anyone else know," Governor Xu ordered. "Go find Du Min and get your men back. Also, tell him to get back to Hanoi County."
"yes."
*
Du Min encountered the governor's guard on the way. The guard wanted someone, and he readily let go. Governor Xu wanted to see him, so he went home to report for duty and then went.
"Du Min, how dare you detain my men!" Governor Xu wished he could kill this subordinate who had ruined his plans. "Why did you detain my men? Do you know you've ruined my plans?"
"What trouble have you caused? Why did you send men to hunt down Prefect Cui? And why arrest him on the grounds of pursuing a fugitive? What crime has he committed? Prefect Xu, if you can't produce a reasonable charge today, I can impeach you to the Censorate." Du Min treated him like a dead man, showing no fear whatsoever.
Governor Xu was astonished, "You want to go against me?"
“We jointly govern the affairs of Huai Prefecture. If I hadn’t known about you sending guards to arrest Cui Biejia, that would have been one thing, but I happened to be there. If I didn’t intervene, and you did something mortal, wouldn’t I become your accomplice?” Du Min looked at him like a fool. “What benefits did you give me? Is it worth me risking my life for you?”
Governor Xu had no rebuttal.
"What did Prefect Cui do wrong? Was it simply leaving his post without permission to chase after his runaway wife? Even a saint wouldn't be so heartless, would he?" Du Min pressed on relentlessly.
"Never mind that."
"If you don't tell me, I'll report you to the authorities."
"Whatever." Governor Xu was no longer concerned about such a trivial matter.
Upon hearing this, Du Min knew that Governor Xu's composure was beginning to crumble. He tentatively asked, "You called me here just for this? Then I'll be leaving?"
Governor Xu looked at him, and the next moment he picked up the inkstone and threw it at Du Min. He shouldn't have hesitated. He should have drugged Du Min when he first came to Huaizhou. He was a step too late, which caused so much trouble.
"What's wrong with you?" Du Min dodged the inkstone.
Governor Xu did not answer. He grabbed the pen holder, teapot, paperweight and other items from the table and threw them at Du Min. If it weren't for him and Meng Qing stirring up trouble, things would not be in this situation now.
Du Min ran out of the government office and shouted loudly, which attracted Li Sima and the six military advisors to come out of the government office as well.
"Shut up and get out of here!" Governor Xu chased after him, his face flushed with anger, like a mad bull eager to devour someone.
Du Min turned and left.
"Your Excellency, what has happened?" Li Sima asked tentatively. "Has Cui Jin been captured?"
"We've caught him," Governor Xu said calmly. "I'm going to Luoyang. You all stay here and wait for news."
Upon hearing this, Li Sima and the others relaxed.
Governor Xu needed to prepare for the worst; if his guards failed to capture anyone in Bingzhou, he had to be ready for the worst.
*
When Du Min returned home, his family was waiting for him in the front yard. When Meng Qing saw him return, she said, "Come on, let's go to the study to talk."
Du Min nodded, glanced at Yin Caiwei, and said, "Go back to the backyard first, I'll come find you later."
Yin Caiwei remained motionless; she looked at Meng Qing.
“Let’s do it together. A lot has happened at home while you were away, and Caiwei and I have been discussing it together,” Meng Qing said.
Yin Caiwei smiled and quickly left, linking her arm with Meng Qing's.
Du Min frowned, looking displeased.
"Third Uncle, you've lost some weight," Wang Zhou said as he walked over to Du Min. "Although you've lost weight, you're in great spirits."
"With good news, how could I not be in high spirits?" Du Min raised an eyebrow smugly. "Guess what good news I have?"
"I won't guess. Hurry up and go, my mother is waiting." Wang Zhou gave him a push.
"Let's go," Du Li urged.
Du Min didn't say anything more. He lifted his foot and followed Wang Zhou into Fenglin Courtyard.
“Cui Jin is in my hands.” Du Min dropped a bombshell as soon as he entered the room. “He told me everything. Yesterday, I returned to Wen County and immediately submitted a memorial impeaching Prefect Xu for embezzling disaster relief funds, bribing officials, and abusing his power to persecute his colleagues.”
Meng Qing was so startled that she stood up.
With Yin Caiwei present, Du Min couldn't utter any words related to the female saint. He said righteously, "I know what Governor Xu has done. If I don't make a statement, it means that I am an accomplice to him, and protecting the witnesses will become like imprisoning them."
Meng Qing nodded, "You did the right thing."
“Cui Jin reminded me that when Governor Xu is cornered, he might target Li Sima and the others. Governor Xu has already lost his composure today, hitting and scolding me. I’m worried he might do something that could destroy everything. It’s not safe for you to stay in Hanoi County. Come with me to Wen County for a while,” Du Min suggested.
"What leverage does he have over Cui Jin?" Meng Qing asked.
Du Min glanced at Wang Zhou, thinking that if things came to light sooner or later, Wang Zhou would hear the news. He no longer concealed his intentions and said, "Cui Jin ate an aphrodisiac at his welcoming banquet and raped Xu Ang's beloved concubine. The woman died on the spot in bed. She was the younger sister of the Registrar of Households, and was the daughter of an official. If the Registrar of Households sued him, he would be punished. In order to quell the matter, Cui Jin bowed to Xu Ang and chose to accept 50,000 strings of cash as disaster relief funds."
The room fell silent.
"Why did Governor Xu suddenly target Cui Jin again? Wasn't he plotting to harm me?" Du Min asked, voicing his doubts.
"It was thanks to my second sister-in-law. She used the letter you sent back and the parrot's mouth to sow discord between Prefect Xu and Vice Minister Cui, causing Prefect Xu to target Vice Minister Cui again. Vice Minister Cui compromised, and Lady Wang fled, forcing him to run away as well." Yin Caiwei began, recounting the events of the past month.
Du Min was overjoyed, "So it was my second sister-in-law who stirred up trouble in Huaizhou, she's a female Zhuge Liang of our time!"
Meng Qing smiled smugly. She had single-handedly broken the situation in Huaizhou, something she would cherish for a lifetime.
"The female strategist has another plan. Governor Xu has oppressed the people of Huaizhou for nearly ten years. When he leaves, he should invite the people of Huaizhou to watch a grand show to vent their pent-up anger over the years," Meng Qing said.
"What plan?" Du Min hurriedly asked.
“It’s not a shame that Li Sima and Liu Cao Canjun died. There’s no need to save their lives. They died at the hands of Governor Xu, which is a fitting end. Let them put on a dramatic escape before they die,” Meng Qing said quietly. “Governor Xu has been focusing his attention on Cui Jin. He might find out about you. Let Li Sima and Liu Cao Canjun join the escape team to distract him.”
Du Min nodded thoughtfully.
“There is a Zhechong Prefecture to the east of Hanoi County. The Zhechong Commandant is in charge of the troops in Huaizhou. Find a suitable time to visit him and ask him to lead troops to suppress the crime when Governor Xu is in a bloodthirsty frenzy.” Meng Qing smiled. “In the end, it will be time for Prefect Cui to step in and have him publicly identify Governor Xu’s crimes so that everyone can have a good laugh.”
"Good." Du Min clapped his hands and said excitedly, "Second sister-in-law is resourceful and wise. Third brother is completely impressed."
Wang Zhou clapped along.
Yin Caiwei and Du Li both applauded when they saw this.
Meng Qing reveled in the admiring and adoring gazes, feeling completely at ease.
*
The next day, Du Min arrived at the governor's mansion with an official document accusing Governor Xu of abusing his power and persecuting his colleagues. He wandered around the front office and found only the Registrar of Household Affairs busy with official business in the office.
"Military Advisor He, aren't the others on duty today?" Du Min asked.
"What are you doing here if you have nothing to do?" He Canjun said without looking up.
"Prefect Xu abused his power to arrest his colleagues. Were you unaware or just standing by and watching?" Du Min asked bluntly. "Aren't you afraid that one day you'll suffer the same fate?"
He Canjun paused, "I don't understand what you're saying."
Du Min went in and tossed the memorial over. “A few days ago, I encountered Governor Xu’s guards at the Mengjin ferry. They were chasing after Vice Minister Cui under the pretext of capturing a fugitive. I mistakenly thought they were imposters. How could Governor Xu do such a thing? So I tied them up and brought them back. And look what happened? The governor’s general took them away yesterday morning, and Governor Xu admitted to what he did.”
Military Advisor He's expression changed. "You tied up Governor Xu's guards?"
"yes."
"Where is Prefect Cui? Have you seen Prefect Cui?"
“Prefect Cui has gone to chase after his wife.”
Military Advisor He shook his head, “That’s not right…” Governor Xu clearly said yesterday that he had already captured Cui Jin.
“What’s wrong?” Du Min tapped the table. “Now that you know, are you going to join me in submitting a memorial? If you pretend to be deaf and dumb, I’ll impeach you again.”
"Get out," He Canjun told him. "Get out of here."
"Fine, I've decided to impeach you." Du Min snatched the official documents from him.
As soon as Du Min left, Military Advisor He immediately got up to find the general of the governor's mansion and asked him about what Du Min had mentioned. Although he firmly denied it, his eyes darted away.
He Canjun immediately went to discuss the matter with others, and then arranged for someone to go to Wen County to inquire.
The general took all their actions into account and immediately sent a message to Governor Xu, who was on his way to Luoyang.
The following day, He Canjun, Li Sima, and others received a reply. The news that Du Min had arrested seven imposters who were guards of the governor's mansion was no secret in Wen County. They learned the details and concluded that Cui Jin had not been arrested and had not known where he had escaped to.
“Let’s escape too,” said Military Advisor He. “Prefect Xu has a father who is the prime minister to protect him, but we don’t. If we are caught, we will lose our heads.”
"Where can we escape to? If we escape, we'll become fugitives," Li Sima asked. "Besides, we have elderly and young families at home; how are we going to take them with us?"
“Whether we become outlaws or hide in the mountains and become monks in some remote temple, there’s always a way to survive,” said the judicial officer. “At most, our wives, children, and elderly parents will be exiled. Once we’ve settled down and heard the news, we’ll go and get them.”
This idea resonated with He Canjun, and he didn't plan to bring his family along.
While the others were still hesitating, the two had already agreed to flee together.
On the second day of the ninth lunar month, He Canjun used the excuse of going to Dahe Township to measure the fields and set off early in the morning.
The judicial officer left smoothly that day under the pretext of needing to go to the countryside to handle a case.
But after one night, the two woke up in the same dark room.
In the following days, the military advisors in charge of public affairs, grain storage, and military service were all imprisoned.
When Li Sima and Sibing Canjun discovered that their colleagues were disappearing one by one, and the officials guarding the governor's mansion were turning a blind eye, the two realized that something was wrong and did not dare to take action for the time being.
On the eighth day of the ninth month, Governor Xu returned.
"My lord, of the six military advisors, only the military advisor did not escape; the other five have been captured by our men," the general reported. "What should be done with these men? What about Li Sima and the military advisor?"
"Has any news come back from Bingzhou?" Governor Xu asked.
"We haven't found Cui Jin or Madam Wang," the general replied in a low voice. "They probably haven't arrived in Bingzhou yet..."
With a "bang," an inkstone fell to the ground, followed by drops of red blood.
"Still haven't arrived? It's been almost half a month, and You Ye has already gone to Bingzhou!" Governor Xu slammed his fist on the table. "Are you going to tell me next that the guards will definitely be able to stop them at Tongguan? We can't wait any longer, those traitors have all been killed."
"Yes..." the general hesitated, "What did the Prime Minister say?"
"Hahahahahaha..." Governor Xu burst into wild laughter, "The Prime Minister is old and about to die, so he's starting to care about his posthumous reputation. He's going to put righteousness before family, hahahahaha. All of you, go to hell and pave the way for me."
"Sir, the imperial court has sent men!" The guard rushed in, flustered. "The troops have entered Hanoi County and will arrive in half an hour."
“Impossible, people from Chang’an can’t arrive this quickly!” Governor Xu stood up. “Is it the Imperial Censor stationed in Luoyang? Let the Military Advisor in, no, I’ll go see him.”
The military advisor was pondering Du Min's secret plot when he suddenly heard footsteps. Startled, he quickly stood up, "M-Sir..."
"The imperial court has sent people. You must immediately gather your troops and we will leave Huaizhou together." At this critical moment, Governor Xu went mad. He could not be captured, he could not die. Rather than surrender, he would fight to the death.
The military advisor was startled. He thought it would have been better to escape with the military advisors. If they were caught, he would just die. It would be better for him to die alone than for his entire family to perish.
"Yes, I will arrange it right away." The military advisor replied and immediately sent someone to inform Du Min as soon as he left.
Behind him, in Li Sima's official residence, blood gushed and stained the ground.
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