Chapter 254 The Death of Mother Du
Wangzhou, Wangchuan, Ximei, and Wangshan sat in a row, all four with solemn expressions, their previous playful mood completely gone.
“Third Uncle, I’ll go with you. I can protect you,” Wang Zhou said firmly. “I’ve been practicing martial arts with Master Wu for several years. If it’s a critical moment, I can block a few blows for you.”
“If something really happens to me, the hope of avenging me will fall on your shoulders. How can you go with me?” Du Min refused with a smile. “Don’t look so sad. I’m not in any trouble yet. Besides, I have a sage as my backer. I can’t guarantee that I can complete the task successfully.”
"Do you have any dirt on you? I'll have my dad ask someone to impeach you a few times," Yin Caiwei suggested, offering a crooked idea.
“I have done nothing wrong and have no leverage over me. Don’t interfere in my affairs or make decisions on your own.” Du Min was worried that she would start with Meng Qing. The profits from the Meng family paper mill would circulate within the Meng family every year and end up in Meng Qing’s hands. This could be kept from outsiders, but not from her own people.
Yin Caiwei was angered by his words. She got up, took one child in each hand, and led Ximei and Wangshan back to the backyard to sleep.
"Wangzhou, take Jinshu back to your courtyard to rest. He's had a long journey and is quite tired," Du Li said. "Jinshu, you and your two brothers go and rest."
He hesitated, watching the boat.
“Go ahead,” Meng Qing said. “Your third uncle’s predicament can’t be resolved anytime soon, so it won’t do you any good even if you don’t sleep tonight.”
Wang Zhou got up, called Jin Shu, and the three brothers left one after the other.
"Second sister-in-law, are you aware of my plans?" Du Min asked frankly when only the three of them remained in the inner hall.
Meng Qing nodded, stating her position: "Jinshu learned on the carriage that you had taken over Prime Minister Zheng's job. He was so anxious that he wanted to get off and return to Wu County. I told him to help you for a few more years until you finished your mourning period, then he would be relieved."
Du Min breathed a sigh of relief, then fell silent.
This matter cannot be discussed in detail, so Meng Qing changed the subject: "Do you have any thoughts on the job? Do you want to completely abandon the land survey, or are there still regrets?"
Du Min understood what she meant. A regular letter from Luoyang to Wu County would take four months to arrive and depart. During this time, should he pull off a big heist?
“The hardest part of investigating the land is the word ‘investigation.’ Without anyone reporting me, I’m in an unfamiliar place, and I can’t find out whether the land in this village or that village belongs to farmers or members of the imperial family. I’m not like Prime Minister Zheng, who has family connections to rely on and the title of Prime Minister to keep things in check. The people trust him and dare to report the local powerful families to him. I’m a lowly official, and I’m dealing with the imperial family, founding heroes, and relatives of the empress. I can’t even promise to protect those who report me, so how can the people believe me?” Du Min complained. He habitually looked up to stroke his beard, but his hand fell halfway down and he remembered that his beard was gone. He rubbed his legs in frustration.
"Qingniang, do you have a plan?" Du Li asked.
“I do have an idea.” Meng Qing nodded. “Third brother, the female saint will probably summon you. You can ask her for some rewards and a few official positions for merchants. Since the tenant farmers in Chang’an don’t dare to come forward and denounce the imperial family, let’s find another target and let a capable wealthy merchant handle it.”
Du Min's eyebrows twitched, and he said with delight, "The imperial family, the maternal relatives, and the meritorious families all have wealthy merchants attached to them. Perhaps I can try to pry these people up and maybe even get some dirt on their masters from them."
Meng Qing was not optimistic. "The wealthy merchants who rely on powerful officials have deep entanglements with them. They are interdependent and cannot be easily manipulated by a mere figurehead. If you show any sign of trying to undermine them, you will be betrayed as soon as you show your face."
“That makes sense.” Du Min hesitated.
“I think you can use the official positions you have to gather a group of ordinary wealthy merchants to follow you. These people have a simple purpose: to buy land and get rewards. They are aligned with you and want to uncover the hidden land. This means they are of one mind with you and are loyal only to you,” Meng Qing said. “This is more reassuring than asking the female saint for guards.”
"Let me interject. Would the female sage agree? If the female sage were to grant official positions, the merchants who could change their social standing would become wealthy and powerful, wouldn't they also acquire land?" Du Li asked. "This is like taking land from A and giving it to B. In the end, the court is at a disadvantage."
"They might agree, but there aren't many spots available," Du Min said.
"Whether the female saint agrees or not is none of your concern. What you need to do is make sure she knows about your idea, and it would be best if both saints and the officials in the court knew about it," Meng Qing replied.
Du Min immediately understood, "Second sister-in-law, you want the two emperors to see my attitude of doing my job diligently and my determination to be loyal to the court."
Meng Qing nodded, "You took on the task of investigating the land in court, and His Majesty promised to appoint you as prime minister if you could complete the task satisfactorily. But you secretly prepared to shirk your responsibilities and save your life. Now is the time to show your attitude and gain a good reputation. Pretend to be willing to fight for the position of prime minister. At least make the two emperors feel good about you and pave the way for your future rise and fall."
With Meng Qing's explanation of the chaotic and disorderly future, Du Min immediately had something to do, and his whole being instantly calmed down.
"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Second Sister-in-law." Du Min relaxed, leaned back, and said contentedly, "It's been a long time since I've had such a comfortable life with a strategist to advise me."
"It's been more than five years, that's a long time indeed," Meng Qing said. "Has your relationship with Prime Minister Zheng still not improved?"
"Let's not talk about him." Du Min waved his hand, indicating he was too lazy to discuss it further. "Second sister-in-law, have you encountered any trouble in these past five years? Have any officials in Huai Prefecture disobeyed you?"
“You’ve also been tamed by your second sister-in-law,” Du Li interjected. “Under your second sister-in-law’s rule, everything in Huaizhou is thriving. Stay in Luoyang for a few days, finish up your work, and then go back to Huaizhou to take a look.”
“Okay.” Du Min stood up. “It’s late. I won’t disturb your rest. We can talk again tomorrow.”
"Apologize to Caiwei. She's been taking care of your home for over five years and raising your children with great care. It hasn't been easy for her," Meng Qing reminded her.
“We raised Wangshan, and you didn’t contribute a single bit. Stop being so picky. All those nagging words are just sitting there unspoken.” Du Li warned him, “If you dare treat him like your parents treated me, I’ll beat you to death.”
"What did he say?" Meng Qing asked.
Du Min made a few "ya ya ya" sounds to stop Du Li from speaking, and took the opportunity to run away.
Du Li gave him face and didn't complain.
*
The following day, Du Min took his family to visit the Yin residence. He chatted with his father-in-law from afternoon until late at night and learned about the situation in the court.
After Emperor Xiaojing passed away, the second son of the two sages was made crown prince. As the emperor's health gradually declined, the crown prince served as regent on several occasions. He won a group of supporters in the court and rivaled the female sage. The crown prince's faction was the biggest force resisting the land investigation.
Having grasped the situation at court, Du Min went to the palace to meet the emperor the next day. Coincidentally, the crown prince arrived right after him.
Du Min made no attempt to hide his intentions. In front of the Crown Prince, he asked for an official position. As soon as he finished speaking, the Crown Prince rejected him, and he was accused of being close to merchants.
But the female saint agreed and immediately granted seven official positions to the merchants.
The officials in the court were all waiting for Du Min's attitude. Seeing that he did not learn his lesson and was determined to oppose the imperial family and aristocratic families, the Crown Prince's faction immediately launched a campaign to suppress him.
On the second day, during the morning court session, officials impeached Du Min for selling official positions, and the female emperor was also criticized.
As things escalated, Du Min's actions in helping merchants of funerary objects to obtain plaques during his tenure in Heqing County became evidence of his collusion with merchants. The paper mills and hemp mills in Huaizhou became evidence of his crimes of trading. His past actions of allowing landless and land-poor men to wander into the city during a land survey became evidence of his crimes of inciting farmers to riot. Cases he had solved during his inspections over the years were also brought up again, and most of the cases seemed to have suspicious points.
Before Du Min even left Luoyang, he was already burdened with a mountain of lawsuits.
"How afraid are they of me? I only made one move, and they were so scared that they threw down their pots and pans to fight back." Du Min was quite amused. He was now intrigued by the provocation. If it weren't for that handle that could kill him, he would really like to play a cat-and-mouse game with them and see who would die at whose hands.
"What was the female saint's reaction?" Meng Qing asked.
“The trial of a third-rank official requires the presence of the Sage or an official designated by the Sage. The female Sage has assigned my case to Di Renjie for review, but this Lord Di will not return to the capital until the winter month at the earliest, by which time I will have already arrived in Chang'an,” Du Min replied.
"Then let them impeach us. Shall we return to Huaizhou tomorrow?" Meng Qing said.
"Okay." As long as they don't investigate his hometown, Du Min isn't afraid.
The following day, Du Min and Meng Qing left Luoyang for Huaizhou.
After Du Min left, Prefect Zheng was also about to go to Suzhou to take up his post. Before he set off, the female sage summoned him to the palace.
"Zheng Qing, do you know why I arranged for you to take up your post in Suzhou?"
"Please enlighten me, sage."
Why did Minister Du agree to appoint you as governor five years ago? Was it bribery or a threat?
Governor Zheng immediately understood that the Empress Dowager was aware of Du Min's reputation for filial impiety, but she had specially arranged for him to be stationed in Suzhou because of this. It seemed that he had underestimated the unfilial acts committed by Du Min.
"Your Majesty understands. I will do my utmost to protect Minister Du," Governor Zheng promised.
“If necessary, clean up the mess for him,” the female sage instructed. “I’m sure Minister Zheng understands that Du Min is of great use to the country and the people as an official. Whether it’s managing the Yellow River or advocating for a land survey, the achievements he has made in more than ten years are something that most officials cannot achieve in their entire lives. Although he has flaws in his character, they do not overshadow his merits. After all, no one is perfect.”
Although Governor Zheng was unsure how to conclude the matter, he readily agreed.
After leaving the palace, Governor Zheng went straight to the ferry to board a boat and leave.
On the same day, Lu Shaoqing, who had been demoted to the post of Sima in Meizhou, received a letter from his cousin on his aunt's side. The letter stated that a member of his collateral relatives had moved to Wuxian County in Suzhou. Two of his nephews had been classmates with Du Min and had even attended Du's family's full-moon celebration for Du Min's nephew. According to the letter, Du Min had a reputation for being unfilial in Wuxian County, and many people knew that Du Min had once disowned his parents.
Lu Shaoqing was overjoyed after reading the letter and immediately arranged for his trusted confidants to go to Wu County to find someone in the know to act as a witness.
Du Min was completely unaware of these matters. He returned to Huaizhou and enthusiastically visited the magnificent scene of Meng Qing's governance. The rivers in the three counties of Wenxian, Henan, and Wuzhi had been dredged, and boats came and went on the river: merchant ships carrying goods, sand dredgers, passenger boats, fishing boats... The unique scenery of the Jiangnan water towns appeared in the heart of the Central Plains.
In the fields, the swathes of chives grew more vigorously than the sparse winter wheat, and the white-furred lambs were more dazzling than the reeds in the reed marshes.
In the market, the aroma of chive pancakes filled the entire street. Foreign merchants selling sheepskins walked along the street with their camels, eating pancakes. Caravans carrying salt and those carrying chive blossom sauce and pickled ginger passed each other.
The bustling markets of Huaizhou rivaled those of Chang'an's East Market.
After wandering around Huaizhou for more than half a month, Du Min put his trip to Chang'an on the agenda.
"Third Uncle... I wrote a letter, could you take a look at it for me?" That day, Jinshu came to Du Min with a letter in her hand.
Du Min felt a mix of tension and relief. After returning to Huaizhou, he incorporated Jinshu into his personal guard. For the past two weeks, he hadn't been clamoring to return to Wuxian, but he hadn't written to Wuxian either. He had hinted at it several times, but the guy hadn't made a move. Du Min was so anxious that he even considered writing to Li Hongguo himself.
"Who did you write the letter to?" Du Min asked, taking the letter.
"Give it to my mother." Jinshu stared at Du Min's face, observing his reaction.
Du Min unfolded the crumpled paper. The letter contained two sentences: "Mother, I've become my third uncle's bodyguard. I have to accompany him on a criminal mission. I don't know if I'll make it back alive. If my grandparents' health deteriorates, please write to inform them in advance."
Du Min folded the letter and looked up at the brocade book.
"Third Uncle, is this why you sent me here?" Jinshu asked. "Are the rumors in Dujiawan true?"
"Why is it written for your mother, not your father?" Du Min asked.
“My mother definitely knows about the rumors.” Jinshu lowered her eyes. “I’ve already realized it. My grandparents seem to have a grudge against my mother. Is she…”
“My Du family may have cunning people, but no fools.” Du Min handed over the letter. “Have the caravan take it back with you. Don’t go through the post stations.”
Jinshu glanced at him, took the letter, and left.
Three days later, early in the morning, Du Min, accompanied by his personal guards, boarded a ship directly at the ferry crossing in Hanoi County and set off for Chang'an.
*
Dujiawan, a thousand miles away, is home to the Du family.
The cook prepared breakfast and, as usual, went to wake the master of the house for breakfast.
"Okay, I'll get up right away," Li Hongguo replied.
Upon hearing the news, the cook went next door and knocked on the door again, saying, "Grandma, get up and eat."
There was no response from inside, so the cook called out again.
Old Du heard the commotion and came out of the north room, but the door to the east room remained closed.
Li Hongguo sensed something was wrong. She had Du Ming break down the door. The room was completely dark and silent. The high, rounded mound on the bed remained motionless.
Du Ming called out several times from a distance, but there was still no response. He was too scared to get closer, so he pushed Li Hongguo over to check her breathing.
"How is she?" Du Ming asked, leaning forward. "How could she suddenly be gone? She wasn't sick or injured. She even ate two big bowls of mutton last night. She had a better appetite than you."
"She's gone." Li Hongguo touched her again; she was indeed cold. "She was lucky; she passed away peacefully in her sleep, without suffering. Write to the second and third sons' families to inform them of the death."
After saying that, she turned her gaze to the door and saw Old Ding Du standing there.
Old Du was startled. He was afraid that the thieving woman would harm him, so he didn't even finish his meal and immediately fled the house.
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow night.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com