White-robed Minister

0026 [Solving Cases Like a God, Bearing the Responsibility of a King]

In Qingyuan County, the fishing boat headed towards the south dock of the city.

Yu Shanyuan stood on the deck, bowed to the ships next to him to say goodbye, as he was returning to the county office to report to Shen Zhi.

Xu Lai and Yang Shu, however, boarded the eunuch's boat. They didn't stop in the county town, but went directly to Yinsha Wharf—Xu Lai disembarked at Yinsha Wharf to return to his village, while Yang Shu returned to his own trading ship.

"Was that sandbar where you first served in the military?" Wang Yuanbi asked.

Xu Lai replied, "The angel has excellent eyesight and is well-versed in military affairs. He could tell at a glance that it was a strategic location."

Wang Yuanbi was delighted by the flattery. His hobby was theoretical warfare, so he immediately puffed out his chest and said, "I have been familiar with military strategy since I was a child, and I have also studied the 'Complete Essentials of Military Classics' compiled by Zeng Guofan."

Xu Lai quickly added a couple more flattering words.

Yang Shu stood to the side, head bowed and silent. Although Yu Shanyuan had already enlightened him, and he had taken the initiative to apologize to the eunuch the next day, he simply couldn't bring himself to grovel and flatter, especially to please a eunuch.

Chen Congyi arrived on the deck at some point and gently patted Yang Shu's shoulder. He smiled but said nothing.

Yang Shu immediately bowed respectfully.

Wang Yuanbi then asked, "Has the temporary patrol post been moved there?"

Xu Lai said, "I'm not quite sure, but Brother Yang is more familiar with it."

Yang Shu understood that Xu Lai was giving him an opportunity, so he quickly stepped forward and bowed: "I inform the envoy that since the Maritime Trade Route was robbed, all the soldiers and provisions on the sandbar have been transported to Yinsha Port. This is mainly for the purpose of searching for treasures."

Wang Yuanbi nodded slightly. Although he didn't give Yang Shu a friendly look, he wasn't as stiff as he had been yesterday.

Such behavior was indeed very magnanimous for a eunuch.

After the official boat sailed for a while, it saw a few patrol boats supervising the conscripted Tanka people in their treasure hunt.

Young and strong Tanka people jumped into the river in the dead of winter, diving down to search desperately. When they surfaced, their lips were all bluish-purple and they were shivering.

In fact, the treasures that could be found should have been found long ago.

So many days have passed, where could there be any new discoveries?

But the military inspector of Qingyuan County kept thinking that he might be able to find a few more boxes!

"Ahead is Yinsha Wharf. The two largest ships on the shore are the transport vessels for the government," Yang Shu said, taking every opportunity to complain. "When I left, the patrol officer forbade the people from selling grain to the transport vessels and forced the military officer in charge of transport, Chen Xiuqi, to cooperate with them."

Xu Lai asked, feigning ignorance, "How will we cooperate?"

Yang Shu said, "They had Chen Xiuqi produce some treasures, and lied to the outside world that they had been stolen by salt bandits and were recovered by patrol soldiers who killed the bandits."

Wang Yuanbi sneered coldly, "You've got some nerve. Involving imperial authority is a crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Most of the shops in Yinsha Wharf were burned down, and reconstruction had not yet begun; only the ruins had been cleared. However, restaurants and taverns had already reopened by setting up awnings on the open ground.

The official boat docked.

A troop of soldiers went down first to line up and guard, followed by Chen Congyi's honor guard.

"Please go first, angel," Chen Congyi said modestly.

Wang Yuanbi wasn't stupid; he was determined not to give anyone cause for gossip: "I'm just running errands for the officials, and I happened to be there to watch the trial. Judge Chen, please go first!"

"Then it would be impolite of me to refuse." Chen Congyi was just being polite; he never intended for the eunuch to actually walk ahead of him.

The two of them stepped ashore on the plank, followed by a group of officials from the transport and censorate departments. Xu Lai and Yang Shu consciously walked at the very back.

Wang Yuanbi suddenly turned around and beckoned to me warmly, saying, "Xu Sanlang, come to my side."

Such favors are something Xu Lai really doesn't want; it's all his damn dark history!

Flattering eunuchs is not a good reputation.

Xu Lai steeled himself, bypassed many officials, and strode quickly behind Wang Yuanbi.

……

Shen Zhigao, the patrol inspector who has been "suppressing bandits" at the mouth of the river, came to Yinshabu a few days ago to take charge.

He berated Deputy Inspector Huang Bao severely, then angrily punched and kicked him. Immediately afterwards, he personally led troops to the northern mountains to try and wipe out the salt bandits who might be hiding there.

Unfortunately, the salt bandits had already run away with the treasure.

"The twenty-day period for redemption is less than ten days away." Shen Zhigao sat in the patrol village, his spirits low and his eyes bloodshot.

Huang Bao asked anxiously, "Why haven't they brought back any news from Guangzhou yet?"

Shen Zhigao did not respond.

Shen Zhigao sent his brother-in-law, and Huang Bao sent his younger brother, with fifty taels of gold and thirteen hundred taels of silver to Guangzhou. They also brought some house deeds and land deeds.

This was all the gold and silver they could muster—the rest of their assets were difficult to liquidate quickly, and copper coins were too heavy and inconvenient to carry.

The prices of gold and silver fluctuated greatly during the Northern Song Dynasty.

During the Jiayou era, one tael of gold was worth about 9000 copper coins, and one tael of silver was worth about 1500 copper coins. The gold and silver they brought out this time were worth a total of about 2400 strings of cash.

If you don't have a good grasp of what 2400 guan means, you can look at the prices in Qingyuan County: a crowing rooster costs 50 wen, a laying hen costs 40 wen, and a castrated hen costs 28 wen. The price of white rice varies depending on the month, ranging from 2 to 10 wen.

Their brother-in-law and younger brother took gold, silver, land deeds, and house deeds to Guangzhou and have not returned to this day.

Huang Bao then added, "Those two, they wouldn't have run off with the money, would they?"

"Snapped!"

Shen Zhigao slapped him across the face.

Huang Bao was dazed from the slap and covered his face, saying, "Why did you hit me?"

"I'll hit you? I'd rather kill you!"

Shen Zhigao grabbed his collar, angrily saying, "Damn it! A merchant ship is passing through, and you didn't even send any warships to protect it! You're going to get me killed!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Huang Bao defended himself in a low voice: "I didn't know, and my subordinates didn't report it."

"You have the nerve to say you didn't know?" Shen Zhigao questioned. "Did you know the salt bandits were coming? Why didn't you send troops to drive them away?"

Huang Bao's voice trailed off: "That guy surnamed Lu assured me he'd bring men back and come buy salt again next year. I thought to myself, he's not stupid, they're training local militias everywhere this year... Oh dear!"

Shen Zhigao kicked him in the stomach: "You believe what that salt bandit says? He said his poop smells good, why don't you go and taste it yourself?"

"Zhizhai, Zhizhai!"

A clerk rushed in.

Shen Zhigao said irritably, "Speak your mind if you have something to say, or shut up."

The clerk pointed outside: "A Guangzhou official ship has arrived; it's the transport official's entourage! A troop of soldiers has also come."

Shen Zhigao was so frightened that he hurriedly went out to greet him.

Huang Bao hurriedly followed, patting his abdomen and footprints as he ran.

Upon receiving the news, the officers and clerks in the camp rushed over, fearing they would be blamed if they were too slow.

"Shen Zhigao, Inspector of Qingyuan County (Deputy Inspector Huang Bao), pays his respects to Judge Chen!"

They assumed that Chen Congyi was in charge.

The person in charge was indeed Chen Congyi, but some people were eager to show off.

When the eunuchs disembarked, they dared not walk ahead of Chen Congyi, but now they dare to overstep their bounds and issue orders on Chen's behalf.

Why?

Because he wanted to share the burdens of the government!

Wang Yuanbi stepped forward, pointing at the two men and shouting, "You two scoundrels! You don't think about being loyal to the emperor and serving the country, you can't even protect the imperial tribute. What use are you? Guards, seize them! Tie them up and torture them severely! Beat them until they reveal their accomplices!"

The officials of the transport commission and the censorate were all stunned and dared not move, because on the surface, Chen Congyi was in charge.

Wang Yuanbi then questioned, "Judge Chen, what are you still hesitating about? Are you in cahoots with them too?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Congyi's face showed anger, then he was both amused and exasperated, and said, "Arrest them."

"Spare me! The twenty-day deadline hasn't passed yet, please give me another chance!"

"I'm innocent..."

Shen Zhigao and Huang Bao wept bitterly, feeling somewhat confused, as they still did not know who Wang Yuanbi was.

Chen Xiuqi, the military officer who was escorting the maritime trade goods, had already been invited over by Yang Shu.

Chen Xiuqi ran straight to Wang Yuanbi, full of grievances, and complained, "Envoy Wang, the inspectors here are despicable! They're stopping the people from selling us anything. We're transporting treasures for the government, and if we want to fill our stomachs, we have to sneak off the boat at night to buy food from the nearby boat people. This isn't just starving us; it's slapping the government in the face!"

Wang Yuanbi grew increasingly enraged and said to Chen Xiuqi, "You carry out the execution. Beat them hard until they confess!"

Chen Xiuqi immediately rubbed his hands together, grabbed a stick, and went over.

Screams soon echoed through the camp.

Chen Congyi put his hand to his forehead. What the hell kind of case is this?

Wang Yuanbi then pointed to the clerks and soldiers of the patrol office: "If you can confess truthfully, we will consider giving you a lenient sentence. Those who provide valuable information will not be prosecuted and will even be rewarded!"

The officers in the patrol and inspection division were itching to make a move.

Soon, a soldier emerged, knelt on the ground, and said, "I saw it with my own eyes! Deputy Inspector Huang was drinking with salt bandits!"

Wang Yuanbi laughed and said, "Good, you have done a good job in confessing. I will forgive your crime and reward you with three hundred coins."

The soldier was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.

Seeing this, another junior officer stepped forward: "Last year, when I was leading a patrol, I discovered a group of salt bandits gathered on the east bank of the Binjiang River. I returned to camp and reported to my superiors, but I was scolded..."

"I know, I know..."

"I'll go first..."

The case has not yet been formally tried, but it has already turned into a marketplace, with officers and soldiers scrambling to report on others and gain merit.

Wang Yuanbi was smug and felt incredibly proud of himself, thinking he was the best detective in the world.

Patrol Inspector Shen Zhigao, Deputy Patrol Inspector Huang Bao, and the other captains, deputy captains, clerks... were all so frightened that their bodies went limp, their minds buzzing and they had lost the ability to think.

Xu Lai stepped back to Yang Shu's side and chuckled softly, "Evil people need other evil people to teach them a lesson."

"Indeed." Yang Shu nodded.

Xu Lai said, "You and that military officer Chen Xiuqi, you need to try your best to please Wang Chengshou these next few days. If you keep him happy, he might be able to reduce the compensation for the lost treasures, or even not have to pay any compensation at all. Try to make your story of killing the bandits exciting and thrilling. Wang Chengshou likes to hear that."

"Understood." Yang Shu kept it in mind.

Xu Lai asked, "Where is your elder brother?"

Yang Shu replied, "I am currently guarding the maritime trade vessels."

Xu Lai advised, "You have a bad temper. Relay what you just said to your elder brother and let him make the arrangements. You can also take this opportunity to show off your martial arts skills, such as sword dancing and bow drawing, to Wang Chengshou. Who knows, you might be able to get your brother a military position."

"I will go and tell my brother right away," Yang Shu said and ran off.

His older brother wasn't cut out for studying; he was nearly thirty and still hadn't passed the imperial examinations. If he could become a military officer, that would be a promising career.

Just as Wang Yuanbi was handling the case, Yu Shanyuan, who had returned to the county office to report, hurriedly arrived with Magistrate Shen, Registrar Wang, and a group of clerks.

"The one next to Xu Sanlang is Wang Yuanbi, the military commander. He likes to talk about military affairs and loves to act generous and heroic," Yu Shanyuan introduced in a low voice.

Shen Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "Xu Sanlang is actually chatting and laughing with an angel?"

Yu Shanyuan said, "Both Lord Yu and Wang Chengsheng valued him highly. Lord Yu even summoned Xu Sanlang alone and promised that as long as he passed the county examination, he would be allowed to study at the prefectural school. Wang Chengsheng also liked to drink with Xu Sanlang."

Shen Zhi was immediately stunned, thinking: This kid really knows how to scheme!

Wang Houzhi said in a low voice, "My lord, no matter how well Xu Sanlang writes his poems, we must let him pass the county examination, otherwise it will be a disgrace to Minister Yu."