Chapter 289 Emergency Meeting of Local Officials

One night without words, the next day.

The aftermath of the battle between Buddhism and Taoism was still spreading in the capital, and people on the streets were hotly discussing the heroic deeds of "King Zhao" yesterday.

In the literary circle, many poems were circulated at the "Zhangtai Banquet" last night.

The most commendable one is the one written by Zhao Duan when he was drunk.

"Zhao Duan has such a great talent for poetry... Was it really written by him? Or was it written by someone else?" Some people were jealous.

"Haha, this poem clearly describes yesterday's experience. Who can write it? Besides, it's not uncommon for people to have inspiration when they are in high spirits...

Moreover, in my opinion, this poem always seems to be missing something, its spirit and charm are not complete, and it has many flaws, so it cannot be considered a masterpiece. "Someone commented.

More people still enjoy talking about the line "The emperor's beauty is my youth".

What he appreciates is not poetry, but gossip.

"Bah, you dog mistress! What are you showing off for?"

People who read books are collectively as jealous as lemons.

In the higher-level officialdom, the empress's imperial edict sending Zhao Du'an as an imperial envoy to investigate the corruption case at the Taicang Silver Mine triggered even deeper turmoil.

……

Li Mansion, in the study.

The Prime Minister Li Yanfu sat at the long table and wrote a letter:
"... Zhao Duan... you must... make sure not to lose him..."

After a while.

Li Yanfu, who was already showing signs of old age and was quite shrewd, sealed the envelope himself. He picked up a small hammer with his right hand, which had bulging veins, and gently struck a delicate little clock beside the table.

The study door was quickly pushed open, and Li Yinglong walked in, bowed and said:

"Father."

Li Yanfu took trembling steps, walked around the long table piled with calligraphy, paintings and official documents, handed over the written letter, and said lightly:
"Send a retainer to secretly deliver it to Taicang and hand it over to the governor of Linfeng."

Li Yinglong raised his head suddenly, his eyes lit up:
"Father, have you finally figured it out? Are you going to deal with Zhao Duan?"

"Ask less and do more." Li Yanfu's eyes were cold, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Li Yinglong shuddered, dared not say anything more, and left.

The old prime minister, with messy hair and beard and stubble as sharp as a hedgehog, stood in the crack of the study door with his hands behind his back, letting the autumn sun outside shine on his face.

In those narrowed eyes, there was a hint of worry and a bit of cruelty:
"Taicang..."

All of a sudden, an imperial edict and several letters floated towards the small town of Taicang like snowflakes.

……

a few days later.

Linfeng Road, inside a government office.

The doors and windows were closed, and at the long "conference table" sat many ministers, including the temporary governor, the provincial judge... and the local prefect.

"Snapped."

The governor who was in charge of a province threw a letter on the table, leaned back in a tall chair, glanced at the officials in the room, and said in a cold voice:

"Tell me, the imperial envoy is coming, how should we deal with it?"

how to respond?

In a room with closed doors and windows, beside a heavy table with blue and white tea cups placed on it, there were a handful of local officials, all with serious expressions.

They stared at each other, but no one spoke first.

"Governor Gao," finally, it was the third-rank Censor who spoke first among the people sitting at the table.

This old man, who was nearly sixty years old and had the power of inspection, but had a kind face, said slowly:

"The Taicang Silver Mine incident has alarmed the emperor, who has even sent an imperial envoy. This is no longer just a matter for Linfeng Dao, but a major matter for the court, the emperor, and even more so for the new policies of Dayu and every household..."

The old man spoke in an official tone before finally speaking the truth:

"In my opinion, wait for the imperial envoy to come and tell the truth, and we will do our best to cooperate."

After he finished speaking, he didn't wait for the governor to speak.

Sitting opposite the old man, the Taicang prefect, who was about fifty years old, thin and dark as iron, and wrapped in the scarlet official robe of the fourth rank, seemed to be very emotional.

His iron-like fingers tapped the table, attracting everyone's attention, and he said in a deep voice:

"The imperial envoy from the capital should cooperate. But... everyone present here knows the current situation well. This is not something that can be brushed aside by ignoring it!"

The prefect Sun Xiaozhun raised his voice three degrees higher, his eyes dim:
"Liu Anchashi asked us to explain, but how can we explain? The imperial court ordered us to arrest the person before the imperial envoy arrives. Okay, but where is the person? He is gone!
Not only is the Taicang County Magistrate gone, but even the Mining Tax Supervisor who we were asked to protect is gone!

"Master Liu, tell me, how are you going to explain this to the imperial envoy? Or are you guys working together to cut off my head and report it to the emperor?"

"Master Sun!"

Gao Lian, the "Governor" appointed by the six ministries and in charge of the political power of Linfeng, was sitting at the top. He was holding a blue and white porcelain tea bowl in his hand. His face darkened when he heard this:
"Be careful with your words! Don't get emotional..."

"I have no emotions!"

Sun Xiaozhun, the prefect who had just completed a year of being transferred to Taicang for his outstanding achievements, waved his hand and said unhappily:

"Master Gao, it turns out that the Taicang Silver Mine is not under your direct management. The fire did not burn you and Liu Anchashi, so you are talking without any worries?
I have to remind you that it is clearly written on the memorial that the imperial envoy is the famous 'King Zhao'. Although you have never seen him, you should have heard of his style of doing things.

Sir Liu, do you really think that everything will be alright if you just tell the truth?
Don't forget that you are in charge of criminal supervision. If something happens to officials, you can't escape.

And Governor Gao, aren't you afraid that this Zhao guy will set us on fire and wipe us out?
I heard that Zhao Duan is in the capital, and he is not on good terms with the Prime Minister, and he even dismantled the sedan chair of the young minister..."

This fourth-rank prefect, who lacks calmness in his style of doing things but is a down-to-earth doer, spoke madly.

Spit was flying everywhere.

He showed no fear or cowardice towards his two superiors. The old third-rank provincial governor and the second-rank provincial governor were speechless.

in the room.

The other two officials were also sweating profusely and were busy trying to smooth things over.

Gao Lian, the governor who controls the financial affairs and personnel appointments of Linfeng Province, has a fair complexion and a calm temperament.

At this moment, he is sitting in the main seat, with the half-white hair under the official hat combed meticulously, with every strand clearly visible.

After Prefect Sun finished complaining, he glanced at Censor Liu, who had a grim look on his face, sighed, and his voice softened.

He stood up and handed the blue and white tea bowl to Sun Xiaozhun:
"Lord Sun, moisten your throat."

"... Humph." Upon seeing this, Magistrate Sun took it reluctantly, but did not drink it and just threw it in front of him.

Gao Lian sighed:

"Liu Ancha and I know that this is an unprovoked disaster for you, and there is no reason to abandon your colleagues. Today, I have called you all together to discuss this matter."

He turned his head again and looked at the old censor who looked like a good person, with a hint of reminder in his voice:
"Sir Liu, we are all officials in the same dynasty, just like we are on the same boat. When the wind and waves come, no one will be spared, whether it is the first one to fall into the water or the last one to fall into the water.

Lord Sun is right. Now that the new policy in the court is coming in full force, silver will be of paramount importance. At this moment, this kind of thing has happened, and His Majesty must make an example of him.

Moreover, the performance evaluation system has been gradually implemented, and many people are watching to see who will be the first to be sacrificed.

Your Majesty did not send anyone else, but sent Zhao Duan here on official business, which is obvious. Everyone!"

His elegant face suddenly turned sharp like a knife:
"This is no longer a matter of Taicang County or one prefecture, but a sword hanging over the heads of the entire Linfeng officialdom!

We should work together, otherwise, countless officials will be implicated to satisfy Zhao Duan's appetite."

Everyone in the room was moved.

When Magistrate Sun saw that Gao Lian was actually speaking up for him, he was overjoyed. He straightened his seat and said respectfully:
"Master Gao, what exactly do you want to do? Don't beat around the bush. Just tell me directly."

The old censor also pricked up his ears.

The others looked over and waited for what would happen next.

Bu Zheng, who has an elegant temperament and distinct half-white hair, has fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and smiles slightly:
"As long as we all speak with one voice and limit the blame to the Taicang County Magistrate, I can be safe in the officialdom..."

"Besides, what's the matter with the Beijing official? He is alone and this Taicang is under our jurisdiction."

"As the saying goes, a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake... When he arrives, we will suppress the arrogance of this imperial envoy first."

Gao Lian gave instructions one by one.

In his mind, he recalled the secret letter that the servants of the Li family had sent from the Prime Minister's Mansion at full speed yesterday.

That was a secret letter, also known as a "magic bag".

Prime Minister Li Yanfu was sitting far away in the capital.

Between the lines, the different strategies that Zhao Duan might take have been determined.

……

The third day after the battle between Buddhism and Taoism.

The people from other places who came to the capital to watch the excitement left with satisfaction.

After a bustling summer, the capital city finally enjoyed a brief moment of peace as the slightly chilly autumn wind blew.

However, few people know that Zhao, who had taken away the glory of both Tianshi Mansion and Shenlong Temple, traveled with a small entourage and followed the crowd.

on the official road.

The carriage was shaking and was far less stable than the streets in the city.

In the carriage.

Zhao Duan opened his eyes from his meditation and exhaled deeply, his expression helpless:
"It still doesn't work."

It had been several days since he obtained the "Six Chapter Sutra", but he still hadn't seen the beauty of this "second picture".

However, after advancing to the Divine Chapter Realm through breathing meditation, the empty and restless Qi in the Qi Sea became increasingly stable.

Whenever he practiced, waves appeared in his sea of qi, making faint tsunami sounds, which was incomparable to the profound skills of the mortal realm.

"You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, take your time."

Zhao Duan silently warned himself not to be impatient.

From outside the shaking curtain of the carriage came the voice of "confidential secretary" Qian Kerou:
"Sir, we are almost at Taicang. I guess there are already a bunch of officials waiting at the city gate. There is a tea stand in front. Should we stop there?"

"Stop, I'm thirsty."

Zhao Duan stretched and smiled:

"As for those officials, just let them wait. Do you think you would let me enter the city with a dry mouth just for their comfort?"

"Okay."

On the official road, four horse-drawn carriages stopped at a small teahouse set up on the side of the road for passers-by to rest.

Zhao Duan opened the curtain, stepped out of the carriage, and took a deep breath of the autumn air. He heard the snorting of horses in the carriage next door and a woman's voice:

"Why did Lord Zhao stop?"

Zhao Duan, with his hands on his hips and dressed in gorgeous clothes, turned his head to glance at the beautiful face of the Jiangnan woman who was sticking her head out of the carriage, and sneered:

"If the princess wants to leave, she can just go by herself. Why do you have to follow me?"

Xu Junling, supported by his maid Lushui, stepped on a small stool and walked out of the carriage. He wrinkled his nose and smiled charmingly:

"Master Zhao has a cruel heart."

(End of this chapter)

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