Song Jiyun looked on and couldn’t help but slightly turn her body and lower her head to suppress a smile.
That was enough for the matter at hand.
After all, Master Jinghu had raised Yuan Yunzhong with great care.
She gently coughed to interrupt Yuan Yunzhong’s words, smiling as she said, "Why don’t you discuss with Master Jinghu what to do about Lord Bai’s situation? Indeed, settling these refugees is a great challenge, but the pressing issue is Lord Bai’s matter."
Master Jinghu was momentarily taken aback, asking Yuan Yunzhong, "What happened to Lord Bai? Could it be that your ambush has something to do with him?"
He was no doubt an astute old fox versed in politics for many years.
Song Jiyun thought to herself.
Commander Wang and others had already hidden behind Yuan Yunzhong like quails, not wanting to be associated with the death of Lord Bai.
Yuan Yunzhong sighed, "Grandfather, please come with me!"
Master Jinghu’s expression grew solemn, and he regained his scholarly composure and graceful elegance.
Enveloped by Yuan Yunzhong and the others, he walked confidently into the council hall and immediately saw Lord Bai lying on the hall floor.
His face was as somber as still water, and while advancing to examine Lord Bai, he asked, "Have you called for the coroner?"
Yuan Yunzhong shook his head.
Commander Wang hastily said, "I will send someone to call the coroner right away."
And he took the opportunity to slip away.
Everyone else cursed themselves for not being as quick-witted as Commander Wang.
Yuan Yunzhong, along with Master Jinghu and Wang Zi, discussed the course of events. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Song Jiyun, on the other hand, stood aside and took another few glances at Lord Bai.
Seeing this, Yuan Yunzhong, while talking, stepped forward to cover Song Jiyun’s eyes and said, "The weather is too hot; be wary of miasma."
At that time, people considered corpse poison to be a type of miasma.
But Song Jiyun said, "Take a look at his neck."
"What about it?" Yuan Yunzhong asked in confusion, but his gaze still landed on Lord Bai’s neck.
There were marks on his neck, but unlike those strangled to death, they were not red and purple turning to black.
A thought struck him, and he said, "You mean to say..."
"It might be just my overthinking," Song Jiyun said, "But something seems off. When the coroner arrives, you might want to ask a few more questions."
"No need to ask!" Master Jinghu suddenly said sternly, "I have been an Inspector General in Guangdong and Guangxi and have seen such homicides. Indeed, as Miss Song has mentioned, if it were a suicide by hanging, the marks on the neck should be red and purple, turning to black."
The council hall immediately buzzed like a disturbed wasps’ nest, with whispered discussions all around.
Yuan Yunzhong’s gaze became sharp.
However, Master Jinghu shook his head at him, adding, "Don’t take the lead on this, I will handle it. A single coroner may not be sufficient; it’s best to call for the coroners from Wanping, Daxing, and Fang County. Draft a memorandum quickly, and as soon as you get the documentation from the coroner, return to the capital report to the Imperial Court immediately."
Yuan Yunzhong hesitated, "But what about the refugees under Shijingshan?"
If Lord Bai were to die unnaturally, his return to the capital to face the saints would mean he couldn’t come back anytime soon.
He didn’t have a proper plan for settling the refugees.
Master Jinghu, however, said with a grave voice, "Which is more important, the refugees or a high-ranking second-grade official?"
"Of course, the refugees are more important!" Yuan Yunzhong replied without even thinking.
Master Jinghu was exasperated.
Yet Song Jiyun could understand why Master Jinghu would say such a thing.
Lord Bai was a high-ranking second-grade official of the Imperial Court, a key minister of the emperor. His death would inevitably cause an uproar in the court affairs.
The person who dared to kill Lord Bai, knowing this, must have left themselves a way out.
No matter what their plan was, as long as the emperor was willing to believe Yuan Yunzhong, willing to protect him, it would be possible to fight the odds, and any backup plan would be useless.
Those people would certainly understand this as well.
Thus, they must prepare to work on the emperor.
The sooner Yuan Yunzhong returned to the capital, the sooner he could see the emperor, persuade him, and the greater the possibility that the emperor would take his side.
This was a race against the masterminds in the shadows.
Song Jiyun’s mind began to race.
She thought about how, if it were in modern times, such a situation would be handled.
Soon, she had an idea, "Young Master Yuan, is there a possibility that we could find a place to designate as a new county for these fifty thousand people? This way, we wouldn’t disrupt the lives of the residents of other counties and wouldn’t need to worry about the refugees’ status preventing them from integrating into local life, leading them to leave their homes behind and live the life of refugees again?"
"How did I not think of that?" Yuan Yunzhong’s eyes lit up, "It’s indeed difficult to settle fifty thousand people in any county. But if they manage themselves, like the toffs do, it wouldn’t become a breeding ground for civil disturbance, and they could indeed settle down and thrive."
He stopped writing his petition and said to Wang Zi, "Cousin, the map of the world is in your mind. Find me such a place at once." His thoughts were flying, "Find a place with water access. Canal Transport’s Auspicious Ships could transport the people there easily. We might not even need extra food supplies. No, wait, if we really settle these people there, the local government authorities won’t be able to muster enough food, and it might cause trouble. The Imperial Court must intervene. We could get Wan Shen to handle this. Noble Consort Wan has always wanted to elevate her family but never found the opportunity. He will definitely want this credit."
Wang Zi was inspired by Yuan Yunzhong’s enthusiasm and said with a burst of excitement, "Huguang. There are many mountains in Huguang. We could settle the people in the mountains. With the difficult access, even if there were uprisings, the impact would be minimal."
Master Jinghu listened, his face darkening as he said, "Yunzhong, whether Noble Consort Wan wants to promote her relatives is her concern, do not get involved in these harem conflicts. If word gets out, it’s all too easy for the historians to brand you a sycophant. Put the issue of refugees aside for the moment and hurry to write the petition."
"The petition isn’t urgent," Yuan Yunzhong said, unconcerned, "We still need the coroners’ documentation from several counties before returning to the capital."
He continued discussing with Wang Zi, "Cousin, you make a good point. But we need to be careful in selecting the County Magistrate. I don’t want to send people there with great effort, only to have the official be incapable and act like a cruel enforcer. Wouldn’t I be throwing people into the tiger’s mouth and harming these lives for no reason?"
"We could ask Jiang Chun," Wang Zi looked hesitantly at Master Jinghu but still continued to advise Yuan Yunzhong, "He observed the operations at the Ministry of Personnel as a Temporary Imperial Scholar and would have heard of the Imperial Scholars of the classes before and after his own. The position of County Magistrate in such a place would best be filled by someone young and inexperienced in the customs of officialdom, someone who has the heart to advocate for the people. Of course, we can’t just leave someone capable there and forget about them. If they demonstrate real achievements, they should be promoted every three years, and after nine years, moved to a better location."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded repeatedly, "I know my cousin’s uncle presided over the examinations last year; if there are suitable candidates, you can recommend them to me. I’ll then recommend them to the emperor."
As they talked, Lord Xiang arrived hastily, disheveled and agitated.
By his appearance, as if he had lost his own father, he seemed to know what had happened.
"Master Jinghu!" he wailed, falling to his knees before Master Jinghu, "I didn’t know anything about Lord Yuan’s situation! You must stand up for me!"
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