Early the next morning, there was a sudden downpour. The rain came and went quickly. The bean-sized raindrops connected into a line, brushing back and forth on the ground for half an hour. Then it suddenly stopped, and a round red sun leaped out of the clouds.
After the clouds and rain stopped, the whole land was filled with a fresh smell. The trees and flowers were washed by the rain into a fresh green. The lotus flowers and lotus leaves in the small pond were covered with sparkling water droplets, looking delicate and beautiful.
The frog jumped back onto the lotus leaf and croaked at the top of its lungs. A few red-tailed dragonflies quickly tapped on the surface of the water, creating small ripples. The sun shone through the clouds, illuminating the earth. It was a beautiful morning, and the weather was good.
When Huang Jingrong got up from the bed, the two beautiful barbarian girls, who had just been opened last night, were still sleeping on the carved bed. Their beautiful faces were close to each other, as if they were two flowers on the same stalk.
The two girls were only thirteen or fourteen years old and were at the age when they were thirsty for sleep. They couldn't get up earlier than Huang Jingrong, who was over fifty years old. Huang Jingrong touched the high buttocks of one of the girls and felt that it was smooth, tight and bouncy. He raised his fingers and felt the pink and greasy skin on his fingertips.
Huang Jingrong smiled with satisfaction and got up to change his clothes.
After a wild night, when he got up, he felt that his waist was a little sore and his thighs were a little overexerted. He was getting old after all. Huang Jingrong sighed and decided to reduce the number of wild nights in the future. He paid great attention to his health. Anyway, it was food on his plate, so he could enjoy it slowly.
Huang Jingrong asked a few maids to help him wash up and put on his clothes before walking out of the dripping eaves. It was raining hard in the room last night, but he didn't expect it to be the same outside. There were leaves on the ground that had been knocked down by the heavy rain, but even the fallen leaves were bright green under the sun and full of vitality.
Huang Jingrong took a deep breath and smiled happily. The weather today was good, a good day to kill!
When it was close to noon, Huang Jingrong and Luo Shudao led the troops out of the city.
The pace of life in the small city was very slow, and people lived very leisurely. When they left the city, some people were still eating breakfast.
Luo Shudao, who was riding on a horse, was fully armored. He looked majestic under the protection of the soldiers who were holding shiny sabers, spears, swords, and halberds. But his face was crooked, his eyes were wandering, and there was always a feeling of restlessness. He did not look as energetic as Imperial Censor Huang, who had picked two virgin flowers in a row last night.
Huang Jingrong saw Luo Shudao's reaction and secretly sneered. She said with a hint of mockery, "Governor Luo seems to be somewhat unwilling. Could it be that you are still sympathizing with those rebels?"
Luo Shudao laughed dryly and said reluctantly, "Not at all. If there are rebels who wish to harm the Imperial Court, then they are my mortal enemies! Imperial Censor Huang was well aware of Luo Yunyang's loyalty to the Imperial Court. However … "
Luo Shu Dao sucked in a deep breath and said as if he had a toothache, "Imperial Censor Huang, among those people, there are many women, children, the elderly and the young. It seems that … even if someone is plotting a rebellion, it has nothing to do with them. Do you think … we can let these people go?"
The corner of Huang Jingrong's mouth twitched, and he said indifferently, "Governor Luo, are you questioning the impartiality of this Imperial Censor?"
Luo Shudao hurriedly said, "I dare not! This lowly official just feels that those old, weak, women and children … "
Huang Jingrong snorted, "Those rebels, the old, weak, women and children also have different ideas. If we do not eliminate the roots of the weeds today, they will become a great threat to the Imperial Court in the future. For the sake of the world, how can we be softhearted?"
Huang Jingrong coughed and said, "Under the heavens, there is no land that belongs to the Imperial Court. Those who live on the land are the Imperial Court's subjects. If there are people with different ideas, we will not let them off easily even if they live in remote areas! Now that the Sage has sent an army to recapture the four towns of Anxi, the Turks and Tubo have joined forces to resist. It is no different from hitting a rock with an egg … "
Luo Shudao was somewhat puzzled; he did not understand why Huang Jingrong brought up the war in the western region. But he heard Huang Jingrong said, "Wuwei Dao's Da Zongguan Wang Xiaojie has successively defeated more than thirty thousand Tufan and Turkic elite troops at Cold Spring and Great Ridge. Han Sizhong, the Commander of Broken Leaf Town, has also defeated over ten thousand Tubo elites led by Tubo's famous general Ni Shu Jin!
Some of the Western Region's tribal chiefs, seeing that the Tubo's power is at an end, have sought refuge with our dynasty. It won't be long before Wang Xiaojie returns victorious. When the time comes, the Sage will be free to deal with those troublemakers. Humph! What the Sage hates the most is rebellion. He would rather suffer injustice than indulge rebels. Governor Luo, you must investigate! "
Hearing this, Luo Shudao shuddered. An unfathomable smile hung on Huang Jingrong's face. She mocked, "Governor Luo, you and I are like old friends at our first meeting. This Imperial Censor has confided in you and talked so much with you. If it were someone else, this Imperial Censor would be too lazy to give him advice. "
Luo Shudao did not say anything. Huang Jingrong's undisguised threat infuriated him, but in the end he could not muster up the courage to oppose this Imperial Envoy. Luo Shudao could only vent his anger on the warhorse he was riding. He lashed the horse ferociously and galloped forward.
Looking at his back, Huang Jingrong let out a smile.
Yang Fan had been following the army since they left the city, but halfway through, he took a shortcut and rushed ahead of the soldiers.
Last night, he had chatted with Xuelian for a long time. Through Xuelian, he learned about Luo Shudao's character and some of his actions during the course of this matter. This made Yang Fan even more confident in stopping Huang Jingrong from committing murder today.
Luo Shudao was only a somewhat cowardly bureaucrat. If he wanted to grasp power, he could not do so without the trust of the imperial court and even more so without the support of the local authorities. He wanted to sit in this position steadily without offending the imperial court or the local authorities. Therefore, there was only one thing he had been doing all this time: "Balance!"
Of course, he did not want to use his men to start a massacre within his jurisdiction. However, most of the people to be killed were vagabonds. A small portion of them were officials' families that had lost their power and two insignificant tribes. This was within Luo Shudao's acceptable range, which was why he obeyed Huang Jingrong. If Huang Jingrong went even further, he would rather offend Huang Jingrong than become the enemy of the people in Feng Province whom he relied on for survival.
Yang Fan understood his mentality. He knew that as long as he revealed his identity, Luo Shudao would push the boat with the current and stay out of this matter, pushing him to fight against Huang Jingrong.
This was the third day since he arrived in Feng Province. Although it was still a bit far-fetched to show himself now, it was still acceptable. He could just say that he had come along a shortcut. Who could count how many shortcuts there were in the mountainous region of Shu?
Ahead of him was a meandering stream. The water was gurgling and was no more than knee-deep.
Yang Fan arrived on horseback. He abruptly pulled on the reins and dismounted, splashing the stream water on the horse. When the horse's body was drenched and the water was dripping down its mane, Yang Fan untied the bridle and loosely tied his hair into a bun. He plucked a few strands of hair and let them hang on his cheeks. Then he splashed some water on his face. He looked travel-worn and dusty.
A moment later, the man and horse galloped into the distance. The Qiong Sea was not far away.
… …
The new provincial governor of Feng Province had been in office for nearly four months, but in the eyes of the officials and people of Feng Province, they had all ignored his existence. Many people didn't even know his name. This was the first thing that the officials and local people should know after a new official took office.
People were so dismissive because they believed that this Provincial Governor would not last long. This Provincial Governor's surname was Zhang, and he was already seventy years old. In this era where officials had a lifetime tenure, it was not rare to see such an old official. What was rare was that such an old official would be sent out to undertake pioneering duties.
The Governor and Provincial Governor of Feng Province were hereditary positions. The previous hereditary Provincial Governor happened to have no son after his death, so the imperial court took the opportunity to install a second-rate official, officially ending the hereditary system of the Feng Provincial Governor. However, the assistants of the Provincial Governor, such as the Chief of Staff, the Minister of War, and the Six Military Counselors, were not hereditary, but they were almost hereditary. They were all controlled by some of the smaller aristocratic families.
None of the aristocratic families were willing to turn Feng Province into a second-rate official system, allowing the imperial court to have a tighter control over them. Thus, they were all resistant to this first-rate Provincial Governor. They paid lip service but secretly opposed him, hoping to push him away.
An old man in his seventies shouldn't have been sent here to suffer, but this Old Mister Zhang was still sent here. From this, it could be seen that the Jiannan Path Observer was extremely displeased with this official. Most likely, they wanted him to suffer until he died. However, even though this Provincial Governor Zhang was over seventy years old, he had a strong body and exuberant energy.
Not only was he healthy, he was also scheming. You are not willing to report the actual situation to me? You are not willing to carry out my orders? You are trying to resist me? Fine! On the surface, old man Zhang hummed and groaned, everything was easy to talk about, but in secret, he made detailed records of everything the officials reported to him. He also made detailed records of every government order he issued to the various departments to carry out.
The most insidious thing was that, while doing all this, the old man pretended to be sickly all day long, as though he was going to die at any moment. This made his subordinates even more excited. After being at the mercy of others as a puppet for three whole months, the old man was suddenly in high spirits. He was able to eat well, and his body was in excellent condition. He could even run five counties in one go without any effort!
The old fellow began to make inspections of the various counties, checking the reports of the local magistrates for consistency, checking the implementation of the decrees he had issued, and removing the officials who were in trouble from their posts. But he could do nothing to shake the local government. If he were to send some people out of nowhere, they would all be turned into mere figureheads by the combined efforts of the local magistrates, the petty bureaucrats, the nobles and the gentry.
But in the three months that he was acting as a puppet, other than keeping accounts in a small notebook, he didn't do anything else. He sent his men to the various counties to find out which influential local celebrities were at odds with the current officials, and some even had a grudge against them. After finding out that there were problems, right after he dismissed the previous official, he immediately appointed his successor, all of whom were enemies of the previous official.
The previous official was also a local celebrity, so he wouldn't suffer the full resistance of the entire region. The previous official and successor had a grudge against each other. This was enough to ensure that these new officials would carry out his orders to the greatest extent possible. This move of his couldn't immediately bring the entire region under the control of the imperial court, but it was enough to shake the power of the region. Conquering it was only a matter of time.
Governor Zhang had just returned from a few of the most important counties when he heard that Governor Luo Shudao had accompanied the imperial envoy and a large number of soldiers to the Qiong Sea to 'quell the rebellion'.
Governor Zhang was both shocked and angry. He knew very well what kind of people the censorate were. Slandering people for rebellion? He wanted to kill someone right under his nose? How could that be! In particular, some of these people were members of Li Tang's imperial clan who had survived, and Old Mister Zhang considered himself to be a loyal subject of Li Tang.
Old Mister Zhang had just entered his residence. After hearing the news, he didn't say anything else and immediately galloped out of the provincial governor's residence, rushing toward the Qiong Sea like an arrow. This provincial governor's health was really good. He was already seventy years old, but when he reached the edge of the Qiong Sea, he was only slightly out of breath.
At the edge of the Qiong Sea, the soldiers were arranged in a fan-shaped formation, forcing the commoners to turn their backs to the Qiong Sea. Old Mister Zhang whipped his horse with all his might. The warhorse under him let out a long neigh and suddenly increased its speed, charging straight toward the soldiers.
"Stay your blade! Stay your blade! "
Old Mister Zhang urged his horse to gallop as he shouted loudly.
A few soldiers raised their sabers and spears and shouted sternly, "Halt!"
The old man's hair was like snow, fluttering in the wind. His voice was even louder than theirs as he shouted, "Zhang Jianzhi, the Provincial Governor of Peng, is here. Who dares to stop me? All of you, stand down! "
Zhang Jianzhi urged his horse forward. When the soldiers heard that the Provincial Governor of Peng had arrived, they didn't dare to be rash and hurriedly moved to the left and right. Zhang Jianzhi urged his horse forward until he was in front of Luo Shudao and Huang Jingrong. He reined in his warhorse and stomped heavily on the ground, sending up a cloud of yellow sand.
Zhang Jianzhi glared at him and shouted, "How dare you! You dare to use rebellion as an excuse to slaughter innocent people! "
Huang Jingrong's face darkened. She turned her head and asked Luo Shudao, "Who is this old man?"
Luo Shudao replied awkwardly, "Zhang Jianzhi is the Provincial Governor of Peng." He leaned forward and said in a low voice, "His name is Zhang Jianzhi. He was just demoted from the capital two years ago. Has Censor Huang heard of his name?"
Huang Jingrong let out a soft "ah" and suddenly remembered this person.
The phrase "great talents mature slowly" was simply the best portrayal of Zhang Jianzhi. After Zhang Jianzhi passed the Jinshi examination, he was appointed as the Qingyuan County Magistrate, an eighth-rank official. His starting point was not low, but he had been in the position for a long time. He had been working as a county magistrate until he was sixty-three years old and had never been promoted.
When he was sixty-four years old, Wu Zetian was fully prepared to wear the imperial robe. She began to promote external officials without restraint, replacing officials that she didn't like. Zhang Jianzhi also entered the capital as one of the candidates. After the imperial examinations, Wu Zetian was very satisfied with him and appointed him as the Supervising Censor. Not long after, he was promoted to Renren of the Phoenix Pavilion.
During the early Tang Dynasty, the Renren of the Phoenix Pavilion (Renren of the Hall of Governmental Affairs) entered the Pavilion and issued edicts. He was the one who carried all the memorials. The Phoenix Pavilion was the place with the power to issue orders. The position of the Renren of the Phoenix Pavilion was similar to that of Yang Fan, the Director of the Ministry of Justice, in the Ministry of Justice. He had great power.
Wu Zetian clearly wanted to put him, an official who had been depressed under Li Tang's rule, in an important position. She wanted to train him as her confidant. However, Zhang Jianzhi regarded himself as a loyal official of Li Tang and didn't listen to Wu Zetian at all. He disagreed with many of Wu Zetian's decrees and used the Phoenix Pavilion's right to refute them. He overruled them one by one. Empress Wu was furious and demoted him.
Huang Jingrong was at the Imperial Censorate at that time and knew about these things. Thus, she had heard of Zhang Jianzhi's name. This person even dared to disobey the Empress's decree. Huang Jingrong was a little surprised when she heard it was him. However, on second thought, he was an imperial envoy and Zhang Jianzhi was only a provincial governor. There was no need to be afraid of him, so she calmed down.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
