Chapter 84

Zhou Huaizu, the Prefect, looked at Wang Shiyi with doubt, then opened the envelope. The content of the letter was not much, and Prefect Zhou quickly finished reading it. After finishing, he did not speak. Just as Yang Juren was about to urge the matter of the case, he heard Prefect Zhou say with a smile, "Mr. Wangshan cares for his hometown, truly setting an example for scholars!"

After this exclamation, Prefect Zhou's expression turned serious, and he said to Yang Juren, "Yunshan Temple is a large and influential family with many people. There are often reports of illegal activities brought to this official. This time, someone has colluded with kidnappers to traffic people, which is utterly inhumane. Yang Zhongping, you are well-read and understand principles. As a lay follower of Yunshan Temple, you should also remind them more often to prevent small issues from accumulating into major disasters!"

Yang Juren was taken aback. How could the situation have changed so much after just one round of discussion by Wang Shiyi? He immediately said, "Your Excellency, there is no evidence that the six monks are involved with the kidnappers. Master Yuanxin..."

"Ridiculous! The confessions are complete, how can there be no evidence? Mr. Wangshan says this is a righteous act for Xuzhou City and wants to write to his old friends in the capital to ask them to petition the court for commendation. Do you think you understand this better than Mr. Wangshan?" Prefect Zhou waved the letter and said.

Wang You Shan, a graduate of the imperial examination, was a former censor of the Censorate. His status in Xuzhou City was the pinnacle of the gentry. When Prefect Zhou invoked him, how could Yang Juren dare to contradict him?

But Yang Zhongping was still unwilling and said loudly, "Your Excellency, if you rule this way, Master Yuanxin..."

"Go back and tell Master Yuanxin what Mr. Wangshan thinks. The law applies to all, and Master Yuanxin, being a virtuous and respected monk, should understand this."

"This..." Yang Juren stood up immediately. In the past, he had relied on the power of Yunshan Temple to act arrogantly in Xuzhou City, even the Prefect had to give him some face. He never expected to be rebuked today, and in his urgency, he stood up.

Prefect Zhou's expression immediately turned cold, and he said in a cold voice, "Do you, Yang Juren, have any objections to this official's decision? Do you think your status as a Juren is irreplaceable?"

This was a serious matter. Revoking a scholar's status was a major event, often requiring the approval of the provincial governor. However, Yang Zhongping knew what this status meant to him. Hearing this, his face turned pale, and he immediately knelt down. Before he could beg for mercy, Prefect Zhou said impatiently, "If there's nothing else, go back. This official has official business to attend to."

Yang Juren left in fear, and only the long-serving attendant saw him out. The clerk remained in the room. As soon as Yang Zhongping left, Prefect Zhou said with a cold smile, "He usually relies on a group of monks to act lawlessly. Today, he will get a lesson."

Yunshan Temple had done many things to bully and oppress others, and even the government had to tolerate them. Prefect Zhou had often been frustrated, and many times it was because of matters involving Yang Juren.

"Master, Yunshan Temple has deep connections. What if..."

"There's no 'what if.' Whether it's Fengyang or Nanjing, they all fear the clean and upright censors in the capital. They will avoid offending them if they can. With Mr. Wangshan taking on this matter, they won't dare to continue." Prefect Zhou said with a smile.

After saying this, Prefect Zhou looked at Wang Shiyi with doubt and asked, "Why did Mr. Wangshan get involved? What does this matter have to do with him?"

As a clerk, Wang Shiyi naturally had access to information. After pondering for a moment, he said, "I heard that the son of the head constable and Mr. Wangshan's son are close friends, and... and I vaguely heard that Mr. Wangshan's son might have been involved in yesterday's incident."

Hearing this, Prefect Zhou's face turned pale, and he said hurriedly, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? If I had investigated according to the monks' wishes, I wouldn't know what kind of disaster I would have caused."

"I only heard it by chance. I didn't think a scholar would do such a thing, so I didn't dare to report it..."

"Right, since the head constable's son and Mr. Wangshan's son are friends, we should treat him differently. You go..."

A Prefect is a fifth-rank official, while a censor of the Censorate is a seventh-rank official. There is a three-rank difference between them. A Prefect serves for nine years and is normally promoted one rank to become a fifth-rank official. A censor of the Censorate is reviewed every six years, and if transferred to a local post, they can often become a third-rank official. Even so, it is considered a demotion, which shows the significant difference in status between the two.

With this letter from Wang You Shan, the case was settled. Zhao Jin's act of bravery would be commended by the government, and the six bodies of the Yunshan Temple monks would be returned to the temple, with the government issuing a reprimand.

In reality, with Wang You Shan's endorsement, the conspiracy to cover up the crime by the constables was not a crime but a normal official duty. The money spent on smoothing relations was also reduced, and the amount of ill-gotten gains they could share increased. The two hundred taels of silver that Zhao Zhentang had planned to contribute were returned in full, and he even received fifteen taels as a bonus according to the usual practice.

This time, what was originally Zhao Zhentang asking for help turned into a benefit for everyone, and everyone was happy. They couldn't help but go to a tavern for a drink.

News in the government office is never kept secret. The fact that Wang You Shan had intervened was soon known by everyone. Removing the surface-level grandeur, the essence was that Wang You Shan had intervened for Zhao Zhentang. After reaching this conclusion, everyone's attitude towards Zhao Zhentang became more respectful.

With these layers of relationships, the lunch was very enjoyable. Because they still had to work in the afternoon, they drank moderately and agreed to have a more thorough drink in the evening.

Zhao Jin knew nothing about what was happening in the city. He had been staying at Qi Duyan's house all along. Although he was curious about the outside world, Zhao Jin knew what was important.

Qi Duyan was busy outside all morning and only returned for lunch. He reheated the leftover flatbread from last night and steamed some cured meat. Although the food was simple, it was actually quite good. For ordinary farmers, being able to eat their fill was a luxury, and having flatbread and meat was something for the New Year.

After lunch, someone delivered three straw bags to Qi Duyan's house. Each bag looked to weigh several dozen pounds. Qi Duyan carefully carried them into the house, and Zhao Jin helped. At this point, he realized what the wooden frame and straw mat on the ground were for.

The straw bags, which needed to be kept dry, must contain something. After moving them, Zhao Jin saw some white granules on his hands and tasted them to find out it was salt.

Zhao Jin couldn't understand. Qi Duyan lived alone, and nearly two hundred pounds of salt would take a long time to consume.

In the afternoon, Zhao Jin felt bored and wandered around the yard. He could hear a lot of noise outside. In a small village, people should be out working in the fields preparing for spring plowing or even leaving to avoid famine. There shouldn't be much activity.

Unable to resist his curiosity, he peeked through the door crack and saw people pushing carts, leading animals, and carrying loads, all of which were straw bags. These people did not look like poor farmers; they looked fierce and carried short knives and axes.

Qi Duyan had not returned in the afternoon, and Zhao Jin watched through the door crack with great interest. This must be the "salt distribution" that Qi Duyan had mentioned.

As the sun began to set, Zhao Zhentang came to pick him up.

Seeing his father appear and looking calm, Zhao Jin felt relieved, knowing that the matter must have been resolved.

Zhao Zhentang had a slight smell of alcohol. He asked Zhao Jin to wait a moment while he greeted Qi Duyan. Soon, Zhao Zhentang and Qi Duyan returned together, and after Zhao Jin thanked Qi Duyan, the father and son went back to the city.

Neither of them could ride horses, so Zhao Zhentang hired a carriage. As they sat in the carriage, Zhao Jin looked back at Qi's village, where people were still coming and going.

"Father, why aren't you wearing your official uniform?" Zhao Jin asked casually.

In these chaotic times, wearing the uniform of a government official would get you some respect. With the chaos outside the city, Zhao Jin was puzzled why his father was in civilian clothes.

"If I wore the official uniform, I might not be able to get out alive," Zhao Zhentang said with a smile.

Seeing Zhao Jin's wide-eyed surprise, Zhao Zhentang explained, "Today was a lucky coincidence. Qi's village was distributing salt, and they are very wary of officials. If I had gone in wearing that uniform, I would have been beaten up."

Distributing salt? Zhao Jin heard this term again and couldn't help but ask, "Father, what is 'distributing salt'?"