area51novel Page 544
Page 544
Afterwards, Li Chang'an briefly explained the situation in Yunzhou, and Huaiqing reverted to her true nature as the eldest princess.
[Yunzhou is indeed a mixed bag; fortunately, Li Lang went there personally this time, otherwise nothing serious would have happened.]
[My dear Li, it's getting late. Get some rest and don't overwork yourself. We'll be waiting for you to come back.]
Huaiqing ended the call, and Li Chang'an was about to put away the small mirror when, unexpectedly, Master Jinlian spoke up.
【Fellow Daoist Li, now that you've finished your conversation, I'll release the block on the others.】
Upon seeing this sentence, Li Miaozhen asked in surprise, "Could it be that Daoist Jinlian has been spying all along!"
Li Chang'an also frowned, "I think so."
As if he had heard Li Chang'an's words, Master Jinlian replied as if possessed.
【Gentlemen, important matters can be discussed privately, but I don't encourage it. It's better to share important information. Also, I won't read your private conversations.】
[Number Five: Master Jinlian, why did you know Number One was going to talk to Number Seven about something important, even though Number One didn't say anything?]
[Number Nine: I have my own way of judging.]
[Number 5: Master Jinlian, I have something important to discuss with Number 7 privately!]
Then, the mirrors of the others suddenly became gray, indicating that Master Jinlian had opened up one-on-one chat for numbers five and seven.
Princess Huaiqing, standing in front of the mirror, suddenly felt a chill in her heart, a bad premonition.
Li Chang'an also received a message from the 5th: [Wow! We can actually chat privately! 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, can you see this?]
Li Chang'an and Li Miaozhen were both amused and exasperated; this Number Five seemed to have a very simple mind.
[Number 5: Number 7! You and Number 1 have been talking behind our backs for so long, what were you talking about?]
[Number Five: Number Seven, you don't know Number One, do you? You're both in Beijing.]
Upon seeing the few lines of text that popped up on the screen, Li Chang'an frowned deeply. This little delinquent girl was just too boring.
[Number Seven: Master Jinlian, could you please hang up for me? I need to take a shower.]
[Number 5: Hey hey hey! Ling Lingqi, didn't we agree to talk alone?]
Then, Number Five discovered that he had left his private chat with Number Seven, followed by a public message from Master Jinlian.
[Number Nine: Everyone, please don't initiate one-on-one chats unless it's urgent. It's getting late, everyone should rest.]
[Number 5: Master Jinlian is so biased! Why can't I have important business to attend to?!]
No one responded. Lina, on the other side of the mirror, slammed down the small mirror and said angrily, "I'm going to find something important that will impress Master Jinlian!"
Li Miaozhen said with some doubt, "Li Lang, why isn't Number Three saying anything? He usually talks the most nonsense."
"Number three is Ning Yan. He's lying outside, and he'll probably wake up soon."
Li Chang'an had already told Li Miaozhen about Xu Qi'an faking his death, so Li Miaozhen was not surprised.
Of the nine members of the Heaven and Earth Society, Li Chang'an has already met with Number One, Number Two, Number Three, and Number Nine in person. Before long, this group may become a real-name system.
After discussing with Li Chang'an, Zhang Xingying decided to release Yang Chuannan first, as stabilizing the situation was the most important thing at present.
After the great battle, the Guards and the Golden Eagle Army took over Baidi City, and ordered the arrest of all officials in the Five Cities Military Command, who were promoted to the rank of "Commander" of the sixth grade.
Governor Zhang forcibly summoned all officials in Baidi City and ordered the sorcerers to interrogate them one by one, rescuing thirty-four of Song Changfu's remaining accomplices.
In addition to the officials of the Five Cities Military Command and some surrendered soldiers, there were more than four hundred people in total.
These people were not interrogated or imprisoned; Governor Zhang simply beheaded them on the spot.
Governor Zhang had the power to act expediently, but this did not include privately executing criminal officials. In times of emergency, he could use severe punishments, and afterwards explain it away as bandit suppression.
Moreover, Zhang Xingying's suppression of the rebellion in Yunzhou was a great service to the court, eliminating a huge hidden danger, and the court would only reward him.
This would completely extinguish the arrogance of the rebels, but it would also cause panic among the people of Baidi City.
Governor Zhang was appointed by the imperial court and must remain in Yunzhou until the newly appointed provincial governor arrives. Only then can he return to the capital.
Jiang Luzhong and Yang Yan stayed in Yunzhou for the time being to protect Governor Zhang's safety, while the others took the night watchman's body back to the capital.
Li Chang'an certainly wouldn't follow the main force; he was a fast traveler and would take the opportunity to tour various parts of Dafeng.
Moreover, he possessed the token of the Golden Gong Night Watchman, allowing him to summon spies from the night watchman's stronghold at any time to obtain any intelligence.
Several days later, in the imperial court.
From the moment Wei Yuan entered the main hall, he sensed that something was amiss. The fact that the courtiers were glancing at him, whether intentionally or unintentionally, indicated that the topic of the meeting was related to him.
The imperial examination in the capital is about to end. Once the lists of those to be examined are sent from each prefecture, Emperor Yuanjing will make his final decision.
The results of the investigation in the capital are about to be released after a series of fierce struggles, and there should be no major upheavals.
Wei Yuan guessed that today's topic was related to Yunzhou, as the court had just received an urgent report from 800 li away, which should be related to Yunzhou.
Emperor Yuanjing looked down at the court and said, "This morning, a document from Yunzhou arrived, indicating that the Yunzhou case has been resolved."
The one who colluded with the Witchcraft Cult, supported mountain bandits, and illegally traded weapons was Song Changfu, the Provincial Governor of Yunzhou!
This single stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the courtiers were immediately in an uproar, followed by fierce accusations and denunciations.
Of course, many people were not surprised, such as Wei Yuan's faction and Wang's party.
Urgent documents had to go through the cabinet, so Wang, the leader of the royal party and chief minister, naturally already knew about it.
As for Wei Yuan's faction, they were already mentally prepared.
"Silence!" The eunuch shouted several times, and the court finally quieted down.
Immediately afterwards, following Emperor Yuanjing's order, he began to read aloud Zhang Xingying's memorial.
"Your subject Zhang Xingying kowtows to report that the Yunzhou case has been closed, and the traitors Song Changfu, Yang You, Chen Ming, and thirty-four others have all been executed."
"The return of Yunzhou to the capital is a testament to the court's effective education and the Emperor's benevolent and divine virtue. And thanks to the night watchmen Jiang Luzhong, Yang Yan, and Zhao Bing..."
Governor Zhang meticulously listed all the meritorious personnel, including the night watchmen and the Tiger Guards, demonstrating his great care and attention to detail.
Li Chang'an's name was not mentioned because he did not want to get involved in these matters, and anyway, Emperor Yuanjing's reign as emperor would not last long.
At the end of his memorial, Zhang Xingying specifically mentioned Xu Qi'an, because Xu Qi'an had made great contributions in solving the case and eventually died from exhaustion.
"Xu Qi'an, the night watchman with the gong, solved smuggling cases along the way. In the Yunzhou case, he single-handedly cracked through numerous clues and found evidence of the crime."
"It was precisely because Xu Qi'an led his men to find the evidence of the crime and discovered that Song Changfu had sent someone to impersonate the night watchman as a contact person that Song Changfu, who was hiding the deepest secret, resorted to desperate measures and exposed his blatant evil deeds of betraying the court."
The rebel army was powerful; Xu Qi'an fought valiantly, killing over a hundred men before dying from exhaustion.
"Your humble servant dares to request a posthumous title and honorary rank!"
After the eunuch finished reading, he withdrew. Emperor Yuanjing glanced at the whispering ministers and finally fixed his gaze on Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan remained silent, and Emperor Yuanjing began to discuss the matter of rewarding meritorious officials with his ministers. Regarding the reward of Xu Qi'an, the ministers all disagreed on granting him a noble title.
Xu Qi'an's current situation is that he was posthumously honored, which is merely a title.
The main reason why the court officials disagreed was that Xu Qi'an's official rank was too low, and he had previously executed his superior, which was a major taboo in officialdom.
On the other hand, the night watchmen's side has been too powerful in the past year or so. The Liang party has been eliminated, the Wang party's Vice Minister of Revenue and Minister of Rites have fallen from power, the Qi party's Minister of Works has fallen from power, and now Song Changfu of the Qi party has even colluded with the enemy and rebelled.
When officials rise to the position of power in the imperial court, what matters most is often not right and wrong, but personal gain.
The night watchman has already threatened the interests of the court officials; how could they possibly agree to grant him a mere bronze gong title?
Moreover, Xu Qi'an was Li Chang'an's disciple, and Li Chang'an was the public enemy of the civil officials in the Imperial Academy system.
Therefore, both for public and private reasons, the court officials completely rejected the idea of granting Xu Qi'an a title and ultimately decided on a three-fold pension as compensation.
The inner city, the Xu residence.
Nangong Qianrou, carrying two copper gongs, knocked on the gate of the Xu residence.
When the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, saw the night watchman, he quickly bowed his head and asked, "Gentlemen, what brings you here?"
Old Zhang could tell from the man's golden armor and gong that his rank was much higher than that of Da Lang.
"Is Xu Pingzhi, the centurion of the Imperial Guard, at home?" Nangong Qianrou asked.
"Yes, yes, the master and madam have just finished their meal. Please come with me."
Led by Lao Zhang, Nangong Qianrou arrived at the front hall of the Xu residence and met Xu Pingzhi and his wife.
When Nangong Qianrou passed by the front hall, she encountered a little boy running around. The little boy was playing with a maid, but he was taken aback when he saw Nangong Qianrou.
"What a beautiful older sister! Just as beautiful as you!"
"Beautiful sister!" Nangong Qianrou turned her face in disbelief, staring at Xu Lingyin, her eyes twitching involuntarily.
This kid is so stupid, can't he even tell the difference between boys and girls? She subconsciously tilted her head back to let the little bean sprout see his Adam's apple.
Wow! What a long neck! Just as beautiful as your sister's!
Nangong Qianrou turned and left. If anyone else had said that, they would have been badly injured, if not killed.
In the back hall, Xu Pingzhi, who had just finished eating, hurriedly got up to greet him, "Lord Jinluo, I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner!"
Nangong Qianrou was silent for a moment before saying, "Xu Qi'an, the gong maker, died in the line of duty in Yunzhou. I am sending him a pension, which His Majesty has decreed to be three times the normal amount, nine hundred taels."
After he finished speaking, the gong behind him handed over a heavy wad of silver.
Xu Pingzhi refused to accept it; he stood frozen like a stone statue, motionless.
The news that Xu Qi'an was dead struck Xu Pingzhi like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving him terrified and heartbroken.