Chapter 414: Returning without success, the villain succeeds

Chapter 414: Returning without success, the villain succeeds

Chapter 414: Returning without success, the villain succeeds

"Catch that thing for me!"

At the exact moment, Xiang Danqing, who had just walked out of the yamen gate, felt his legs go weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.

His originally slow pace quickened in an instant, and he trotted over, waving his hands repeatedly:
"General, calm down. I am here."

Xu Zengshou frowned and raised his hand to stop the soldiers.

He then stared at Xiang Danqing and asked in a deep voice:

"Where are the things? Where are the people?"

Xiang Danqing secretly complained, looked down at his deliberately old and dusty robe, and smiled helplessly.
If I had known that this person was so stubborn, I wouldn't have suffered like this.

There was a bitter look on his face, as if he had something to hide.

"General, it's not that I don't want to mobilize people and vehicles, it's just that they all have places to go."

Seeing Xu Zengshou raising his hand again, Xiang Danqing quickly waved:
"But don't worry, General. I have already sent an official to ask for it.
I think we will be back here in just two quarters of an hour, and then we can start transporting food."

Speaking of this, Xiang Danqing's face was filled with sorrow:
"General, since there has been a rebellion in Qujing Prefecture,
Yiliang County is the first to be affected. As the county magistrate, how can I not do my best?

Please wait a little longer, General.

I have lived here since I was a child, so I will not do such hypocritical things.
And the general didn't know that

My uncle is Xiang Boxi, the first educational commissioner in Yunnan after the imperial examination was reopened.

When he taught us younger generations, he warned us,
We should work for the welfare of the people and not harbor selfish desires."

After hearing this, Xu Zengshou frowned slightly. Former superintendent of education?

The provincial education commissioner was a fourth-rank official, whose main responsibilities were to supervise school administration, supervise teachers and students, maintain school buildings, educate the people, and select outstanding scholars for the provincial examinations.

The official position is very high, but the power is not great.
However, anyone who can hold the post of Superintendent of Education,

Most of them are old gentlemen with great reputation and high respect.

Just like Liu Sanwu in the imperial court, he was once the governor of education in Guangxi.

Moreover, the post of the Superintendent of Education was not considered important within the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office.
But because of his disciples and students, he seems to have a superior status.

Even senators and councillors of higher rank have to be polite.

Xu Zengshou looked at Xiang Danqing in front of him, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Did I guess wrong? Was it really difficult? Was it just a deliberate evasion?

After thinking it over carefully, Xu Zengshou decided not to act rashly, so he decided to wait a while.
Having made up his mind, Xu Zengshou exerted a little force with his right hand.

He thrust the unsheathed sword back in, his expression as cold and serious as ever.
He stared at Xiang Danqing with some warning:
"I will wait for you for two quarters of an hour. If the carriage and the doctor don't come after two quarters of an hour, you will be sent to prison."

Xiang Danqing complained bitterly in his heart and said quickly:

"Yes, yes. Please rest assured, General. I have received a letter from home and someone is on the way."

Time passes little by little, even though it is early spring now,

But after it got completely dark, there was still a bit of chilliness.

Torches were lit in the yamen and the square near it, illuminating the darkness.
One by one, the soldiers also dismounted from their horses and took a rest on the side.

Xu Zengshou stood in front of the food and grass.
He walked quickly with his hands behind his back, his eyes full of thought and gloom.

A quarter of an hour passed.
There was still no movement at the end of the extremely silent street, and it was still as dark as ever.
Only occasionally can one see night watchmen walking along the street.

As time passed, Xu Zengshou frequently glanced at Xiang Danqing who was standing there anxiously, and the murderous aura on his body became more and more serious.

Soon, another quarter of an hour passed.
There was no movement at the end of the street.

Even the usual breeze remained unchanged.

Xu Zengshou's breathing suddenly became rapid, his eyes were sharp, and he walked to Xiang Danqing's side.
He stretched out his right hand, grabbed his collar and pulled him over!

"Where are the people? Where is the car?"

Xiang Danqing only felt a huge force,
He almost had to lift himself up, and could only stand on tiptoe.

He felt like he had lost his parents, and he wanted to cry but had no tears:
"I, General, have already informed you and my family has also responded.
But I don’t know why he hasn’t come yet.”

Xiang Danqing didn't know how to explain it and could only evade the question!
Xu Zengshou's breathing suddenly became rapid. He had heard this before in the army.

Some clerks and officials always shirk their responsibilities.

Obviously, he did not encounter such a situation when he was in the capital.

But today, having experienced it personally, and involving such a major event as disaster relief, he had no choice but to believe it.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Zengshou raised Xiang Danqing,
He threw him to the soldiers behind him and shouted angrily:

"Press it up!"

He looked at the many officials waiting in the square.

He looked at an older official and shouted:
"Call your Yiliang County's legal advisor."

Just then, some noisy sounds came from the end of the street.

There were also some dim torch lights, and some human figures flashed among them.

Hmm? Xu Zengshou looked up, frowning slightly.

The man behind him looked at Danqing with a look of despair and longing!

Finally, figures appeared at the end of the street.
Xiang Danqing's eyes widened little by little, as if he had been rescued, a smile broke out on his face, and he breathed a sigh of relief:

"Uncle!! Uncle, help me!!"

In front of us, we saw a group of people surrounding an old man in a green robe, walking slowly towards us.

Beside them were alert servants and guards, holding torches in their hands.

The group walked without saying a word, only the sound of footsteps.

Soon, the group arrived near the yamen.

The green-robed old man at the head was skinny, with sunken eye sockets, high cheekbones, and thin lips.
The beard mixed with white hair hangs down naturally, and the whole person looks very majestic.

Standing there quietly, he is intimidating without being angry.

He looked at Xiang Danqing who was being held by the soldiers, a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes, and shouted:

"Something that doesn't live up to expectations."

His voice was full of energy and sternness.

Xiang Danqing almost cried when he heard the scolding, his facial features twisted:
"Uncle, save me. Save me."

"Shut up! You are so old and still act like this. You have brought shame to my Xiang family."

At this point, Xu Zengshou's face suddenly showed enlightenment.

I figured out who the visitor was, it was Xiang Boxi, the former Yunnan Provincial Education Commissioner.

Before he could speak, Xiang Boxi had already looked over, with a smile on his thin, white lips:
"May I ask this general, what mistakes have your unworthy nephews made?"

Xu Zengshou frowned slightly and spoke in a deep voice:
"I am Xu Zengshou, the deputy commander of Yingtian Guard.
Today, I have been ordered by Duke Cao to come and receive the food, horses, carriages, doctors and cooks for the disaster relief in Yiling County.

This person repeatedly shirked responsibility and refused to cooperate in disaster relief, so I arrested him."

Xiang Boxi narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Xu Zengshou subtly.
He glanced at Mr. Chen, who was wearing a purple robe, beside him.
Seeing him nodded, I felt relieved.

He was once the Yunnan Provincial Education Commissioner and had to report to His Majesty and the Ministry of Personnel every two years.
I have many good friends in Beijing and I know a little about what is going on there.

If he guessed correctly, this person should be the younger brother of the new Duke of Wei, Xu Huizu.

However, he didn't intend to point it out.

In this situation, the fewer people involved, the easier it will be to handle.

Xiang Boxi looked around and saw that everyone around him was looking at him.
Then he became more serious and nodded slightly:
"Since the unworthy descendants of the family blocked the disaster relief, they should be killed.

When the disaster relief is over, I will personally invite the officials from the Censorate to come and interrogate the case so as to rectify the situation.”

After these words were spoken, Xu Zengshou's expression eased a little. The person who came was not looking for trouble.

Xiang Danqing, on the other hand, seemed to be struck by lightning. He became completely depressed, with a look of disbelief in his eyes:

"Uncle, uncle, I am only following the orders of the county magistrate."

"Shut up! The county magistrate has fainted from anger, how can he give orders?
Don’t you think I’m old and confused, and you’re lying to me?”

Xiang Boxi suddenly let out a loud roar. Although he looked old, he was full of energy. Xiang Danqing stammered twice, not daring to speak any more.

An old man in gray clothes beside him also warned:
"Danqing, please stop talking and don't make us angry."

"Yeah, yeah, sooner or later we old guys will be pissed off by you youngsters!"

There were many different opinions at once, and the scene became noisy, with a sense of sacrificing one's own relatives for the sake of justice.

"Okay, okay, stop arguing."

Xiang Boxi pressed his hand, and the scene became quiet.

He looked serious as he looked at Xu Zengshou, his expression somewhat dignified:
"Now the county magistrate has fallen ill, and the wicked son in the family has committed a crime.
Now there is no one in the county to take charge of the overall situation.

If the general trusts me, please give me the disaster relief documents from the three departments.

I have sent people to allocate carriages, horses and various necessary personnel.

Although I am old and have retired,
But I still have some prestige in this village, and each family will give me some face."

At this point, Xiang Boxi showed some anxiety on his face:

"For now, we must first provide disaster relief and resettle the victims. Nothing else matters."

"Yeah yeah."

Many old men and officials nearby echoed the sentiment.

But Xu Zengshou's face suddenly turned ugly, his fists hanging at his sides were clenched, and his heart was burning with anger!

He was not a fool and understood the tricks of the people in front of him.

Now it is an emergency and he has to take the necessary measures. Where does he have the documents from the three departments?

"General. General?"

Seeing that he was slow to speak, he called out to Bo Xi twice.

Seeing that he still didn't say anything, he simply looked at Xiang Danqing who looked as pale as death.
Seeing that he was still like this, Xiang Boxi's mouth twitched slightly.
There was a hint of helplessness in his eyes, and he cursed the idiot in his heart!

However, he took a deep breath and asked:
"Danqing, where is the document for the three-official disaster relief? Give it to me!

If the disaster relief is profitable, I can go to the Censorate and plead for you."

Xiang Danqing was already disheartened and hopeless.

But now, hearing this, he suddenly opened his eyes,

A glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the originally dull eyes, and then quickly expanded, filling the entire eyes in an instant!
He got it!

He stood up straight, his facial features separated, and the frown on his face slowly relaxed.
The sadness on her face turned into grievance in an instant, her lips slightly wrinkled, tears in her eyes, and her voice was shrill:
"Bofu, they don't have any documents.
My nephew is innocent, I have not neglected my duties."

At this point, Xiang Danqing fell to his knees.
It was as if years of injustice had been washed away, and I shed tears silently.

This scene made everyone present look shocked.

He looked at Xu Zengshou in disbelief, with something strange and wary in his eyes.

No paperwork?

"How can we transfer grain without paperwork?"

Someone in the crowd shouted,
The atmosphere suddenly became weird!
Soon, more and more people started shouting, and everyone was saying the same thing.

Xiang Danqing was wronged because he couldn't transfer food and couldn't take people away.

Xu Zengshou looked at the faces in front of him, his blood boiling, anger in his heart, his palm tightly gripped the hilt of the knife, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

He hadn't imagined that people could be so despicable!

The atmosphere was heated for a while.

Xu Zengshou felt that he was surrounded by the noisy voices of people talking at once.

An unprecedented panic and embarrassment surged into my heart.

After all, he was just a boy who had just turned eighteen.
Even if there are achievements on the battlefield,

But faced with such human calculations, I don’t know what to do.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Xiang Boxi, who had been silent the whole time, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, then quickly smoothed it out.
Then he pressed his hand, signaling everyone present to be quiet.

The scene gradually quieted down.

Xiang Boxi looked at Xu Zengshou, but his tone was gentle and his voice was warm:
"General Xu, is there any misunderstanding?
Yiliang County was a small county, and there were only so many grains and horses in the county, all of which were recorded in the register.
If there are documents from the three ministries, the transfer can be made.
Our Yiling County fully cooperated without hesitation.

But if not"

Xiang Boxi showed some embarrassment on his face and moved closer:
"You also know that the court affairs are complicated now.
If food and grass are easily transferred without written documents,

Afterwards, when we asked the three departments for it, we were inevitably buck-passed and it was very difficult to get it.

Of course, the imperial court will not delay us in paying this amount, and will give it to us sooner or later.

But it's easy to delay it for a month or so.
It would be fine if it was a big county, but our Yiliang County is a small county.
If we lose a month's supply, we won't be able to make ends meet."

Xu Zengshou was already furious, breathing rapidly, but this person still spoke with reason and evidence.

He really felt extremely depressed!
After taking a deep breath, he spoke in a deep voice:
"This is the disaster relief order issued by the commander of the Beijing Army, Duke Cao.
Temporary allocation of food and manpower to the counties along the way. This is an emergency, so please be lenient with me, Your Excellency."

Xiang Boxi raised his head and looked at the soldiers in front of him,

There was no fear, but a look of difficulty on his face.
Finally, his expression changed back and forth, he gritted his teeth and whispered:

"How about this? The grain and grass at the Yiliang County Government Office will not be moved.
I took out some food and fodder from my storehouse and gathered some carts.
How about taking the doctor and the cook with us and returning with General Xu?
It’s not much, but it’s a token of our gratitude to all the neighbors. Disaster relief is more important.”

Xu Zengshou felt that he could not deal with this old guy!
He stood up straight, put his hands on his hips, took a deep breath, and forced a smile:
"Master Xiang, how many are there?"

Hearing this, the atmosphere became completely quiet.
The faces of the people present were calm, but there was a hint of smile in their eyes, and the corners of their mouths occasionally raised, then quickly dropped.

"General Xu, if you have a hundred dan of grain, you should have twenty or thirty carriages and horses.
The doctor and the cook.
I am not an official appointed by the court now, so I don't need to go door to door to ask.

If they give me face, of course it's fine. If they don't, I can do nothing about it.
Therefore, the number of people cannot be answered for the time being."

Xu Zengshou's eyes widened suddenly, fire flashed in his eyes, and his fists were clenched so tightly that they made a crackling sound.
Everyone could see the anger in him, but no one pretended to see it.

"it is good!"

Xu Zengshou's voice came out from between his teeth. He turned his head abruptly and looked behind him, waving his hand vigorously:

"Leave a hundred people to transport it, and the rest will return with me."

Xu Zengshou didn't want to stay here for a moment, so he hurriedly took his people away and went back to report the matter.

The group left in a hurry, leaving behind a cloud of dust.

Soon, a group of people led by Xiang Boxi entered the lobby of the government office and sat down openly.

Everyone's face was filled with a sense of ease and joy.
Even Xiang Danqing, who had a sad face just now, felt light and fluttery, and hurriedly served tea and water to his uncle.

"Uncle, you have to take action. Just send him off lightly."

Xiang Boxi's face was calm. He glanced at him and snorted coldly:
"Why are you interfering in this matter?
Just let Luo Yuan take care of it. If anything goes wrong, the imperial court will find trouble with him."

"It was my nephew who was at fault this time. When I saw him spitting blood, I was totally flustered for a moment."

Xiang Boxi waved his hand, with a look of impatience on his face:

"Okay, there's no need to talk about this.
The Beijing army has already evaded the issue and is now thinking about the follow-up measures.

Since the Beijing Army had no documents regarding disaster relief, Luo Yuan had arbitrarily opened the warehouses and released grain.
After the incident was over, he reported the matter to the provincial government and had his official hat removed.

Since he is unkind, don't blame us for being unjust!"

Mr. Chen on the side was overjoyed and said quickly:

"When a new county magistrate comes, his foundation will be unstable.
They are our people inside and outside, so what we say is what counts!
This piece of land will have a lot more acres.”

After he finished speaking, Xiang Boxi's face was calm, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

As for the others, they burst into laughter without any restraint!
This scene was seen clearly by the master hiding in the dark.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and panic flashed in his eyes.

I ran away in a hurry, shouting in my heart, "Oh no, oh no."

(End of this chapter)