Zheng Quan inevitably asked Song Jiyun, "Miss, is the situation not good?" ššššš¬ššš·ššæšš”.ššøš
Song Jiyun pondered, "I just hope Iām overthinking it."
Xu Guangzengās elder brother had earned the trust of several emperors within the House of Honorables and remained unshakeable, he must have had his extraordinary abilities. When she suggested Xu Guangzeng work with Yuan Yunzhong, not only did he not object, but he even sent Xu Guangzeng to meet her in person and immediately promised her, indicating that although the death of Prince Ning hadnāt spread, those who could know about it already knew.
Song Jiyun was going through in her mind if there was anything she had overlooked.
However, as soon as their carriage left Shichahai, the streets were full of panicked citizens running about everywhere.
"The refugees have revolted!"
"Theyāve killed the guards at Fucheng Gate and burnt down the Wanping County Government Office!"
Cries like these periodically echoed through the streets!
Song Jiyunās face changed slightly as she ordered Zheng Quan in a low voice, "Hurry up and go!"
Zheng Quan and He Dazhi escorted Song Jiyun, going against the frantic crowd to return to West Jiangmi Alley.
Just as she got off the carriage, Yuan Yunzhongās carriage came back right after.
"Yun Duo!" he said with a grave expression, "Iāve received the imperial edict, and I need to depart immediately for Wanping County. Stay with my maternal grandfather. Wherever he goes, you go, and donāt act on impulse. If you hear any bad news about me, donāt act recklessly. I will definitely come back alive to see you."
As he spoke, he hugged her tightly, then turned and left. Song Jiyun didnāt even have the chance to say much to him.
Song Jiyun took a couple of steps forward, worryingly watching Yuan Yunzhong as he quickly hurried off while turning back to wave at her.
Clear eyes, now with threads of red.
It was as if a boot had dropped.
But Song Jiyun let out a long sigh of relief.
She smiled and waved at Yuan Yunzhong, gesturing for him to go deal with his matters without worries.
Yuan Yunzhong nodded at her forcefully before finally jumping onto the carriage at the entrance of the alley.
"Miss Song, it seems itās all up to you now!" Suddenly, Master Jinghuās voice came from behind Song Jiyun.
She didnāt turn around, but smiled faintly looking at the empty entrance of the alley and said, "Iām flattered by your high regard, sir!"
*
Yuan Yunzhong left the city quietly, escorted by the Imperial Guard, through Zhengyang Gate.
The Wanping County Government Office was now occupied by the refugees. The Imperial Court had previously dispatched Minister of War, Lord Bai, and Metropolitan Censor, Lord Xiang, to handle the matter. They set up a temporary office near Fucheng Gate to mobilize the Emperorās Twelve Guards.
When Yuan Yunzhong arrived, Lords Bai and Xiang were seated in the principal seats with stern faces, listening to a strategist: "There are three thousand men at the Wanping County Government Office, fifteen thousand stationed outside of Wanping County town, and the others are mostly gathered at the foot of Shijingshan, with some having fled to Chengde Prefecture."
Seeing Yuan Yunzhong enter, the strategist immediately stopped speaking and respectfully bowed.
Lord Bai did not move.
The Ministry of War had originally advocated for suppression. If it hadnāt been for Yuan Yunzhongās objections, they would have already sent a large army to quell the uprising.
Lord Xiang, on seeing this, dared not join Lord Bai in his stance.
Yuan Yunzhongās great-grandfather had been a temporary imperial scholar in the Metropolitan Censorate, later serving as an Imperial Censor and then as the Left Censor-in-Chief. Since then, the Yuan family had consistently had members or old friends holding positions in the Metropolitan Censorate, which nearly became a vegetable garden for the Yuan family members to climb up the ranks. He didnāt want to offend Yuan Yunzhong, who was both a favourite of the Emperor and belonged to the Yuan family and also held a position in the Metropolitan Censorate.
"Yunzhong!" he greeted warmly, standing up to bow and advance, "I had heard you were coming, and I was wondering when you would arrive. But youāve come at this moment of crisis. Please, come have a seat." He then gestured for his staff officer to personally bring over a Taishi Chair for Yuan Yunzhong to sit.
The other people in the council hall either out of respect for their position or due to their rank also got up one after another to pay their respects to Yuan Yunzhong. There were even officials who sincerely hoped for Yuan Yunzhong to arrive, who directly said, "Lord Yuan, it is good that you came. Otherwise, with these fifty thousand people being executed, I fear my name would go down in history, becoming the second Bai Qi."
After speaking, he glanced at Lord Bai with dissatisfaction.
Lord Bai, however, did not even lift an eyebrow nor a corner of his eyes, and coldly said "Lord Yuan has arrived", then gestured for the strategist to continue reporting the news from the scouts.
The strategist with his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, reported, "The portion that fled to Shunde Prefecture has been urgently notified to the Guard Stations nearby, and they have sent soldiers to eliminate them. As for those who have occupied the Wanping County Government Office, the Commander of Wanping Guard has promised to redeem himself through meritorious deeds and he will capture these bandits within three days. Only those who have occupied the base of Shijingshan pose some trouble."
At this point, he glanced at Yuan Yunzhong, who stood in the middle of the room, before continuing, "The Ministry of War needs the Tiger Talisman from the Five Armies Governorās Palace to deploy troops. Currently, the emperor advocates for appeasement, and without the Tiger Talisman from the Five Armies Governorās Palace, the Ministry of War is unable to dispatch the Guard Stations to suppress the bandits. And the Imperial Guard Twelve Guard is the Emperorās personal guard; they may defend the gates of the Capital City, but sending them to Wanping to suppress bandits might not be appropriate."
Before he could finish, Lord Bai had already spoken with a hint of sarcasm, "You just rest assured, Lord Yuan is here. How could the Emperor bear to let him face danger. Not to mention the Five Armies Governorās Palaceās Tiger Talisman, even for the Imperial Guard Twelve Guard, if Lord Yuan wishes to dispatch them, itās just a matter of speaking up in front of the Emperor."
In times of peace, without military achievements, what should those generals of the Ministry of War eat and drink?
Yet Lord Yuan, that wandering soul, insists on playing the Bodhisattva with a heart for the world, forcibly cutting off the Ministry of Warās source of wealth.
That includes his own path to promotion.
He felt no need to be polite to Yuan Yunzhong.
Yuan Yunzhong had offended not just one or two officials, but the entire military establishment and the Guard Stations.
Lord Bai, with a sneer on his lips, picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea.
Both he and Yuan Yunzhong were of Third rank, and with the entire Ministry of War and the Guard Stations behind them, naturally, they dared to confront Yuan Yunzhong directly, but not everyone else dared!
Everyone pretended not to hear.
The council hall suddenly became silent as a graveyard.
Lord Xiang couldnāt help but curse inwardly.
If you, surnamed Bai, are dissatisfied, go speak at the Jinluan Hall, why drag them into it?
He could only cough a few times, finding some placating words for Yuan Yunzhong, just about to offer Yuan Yunzhong a way out, when Yuan Yunzhong already calmly asked the strategist, "Who is responsible for gathering intelligence on the refugees?"
The strategist quickly glanced at Lord Bai, who half-closed his eyes, an indifferent expression on his face, and hurriedly said, "It is this subordinate."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded calmly, saying, "Since there are refugees at the county office and some at the base of Shijingshan, with others having fled to Shunde Prefecture, have you found out why these refugees have split into three groups?"
The strategist replied, "They were originally a motley crowd, who, seeing no advantage in besieging the Capital City, caused unrest within themselves, starting a dispute and acting on their own, hence splitting into three groups."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded, about to say something, when Lord Bai suddenly said, "Lord Yuan was listed on the golden plaques and entered the Temporary Imperial Scholar Residence at fourteen, and being the Inspector General of Jiangxi was your first time leaving the Capital City. Make sure you explain it clearly to Lord Yuan, so he isnāt unaware of where Wanping and Shunde are situated."
His tone was full of mockery; everyone could tell that he was implying that Yuan Yunzhong was only good at discussing tactics on paper.
Everyone in the room lowered their heads.
But Yuan Yunzhong continued as if he hadnāt heard, "Who are the leaders of these three groups of people? What are their backgrounds? Why have some gone to Shunde Prefecture, some occupied Wanping County Government Office, and others gathered at the base of Shijingshan? Have you investigated all these clearly?"
The strategist was taken aback.
They truly hadnāt looked into it thoroughly and didnāt know who the leaders of the three groups were.
He turned to Lord Bai with a plea for help in his eyes.
Yuan Yunzhong had already asked, "Fifty thousand refugees; the Imperial Court occasionally distributed porridge before the upheaval, but after the revolt, where did their food come from?"
Everyone in the room was agape.
Including Lord Bai.
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