The Imperial Censorate sent two censors to Danzhou and Feng Prefecture to check on the grain storage.
The censor sent to Danzhou was named Shi Yu, a Jinshi in the first year of Changshou. The censor had a reputation as a virtuous man who was smart and capable. Ever since he was transferred to the Imperial Censorate, he had been inspecting the country and had impeached many provincial officials, including local officials with powerful backgrounds.
Although the Imperial Censor had the power to make reports, he had to rely on solid evidence when handling cases. Whenever he reported a case, the evidence was irrefutable and no one could refute it. For a time his name was known throughout the capital and he became a new member of the Imperial Censorate.
This censor was currently on patrol in Jiangzhou. If they sent him to Danzhou, the distance would be very short. It would save the court the trouble of sending another censor on a long journey, and it would also save a lot of time. As for the provincial governor sent to Feng Prefecture, it was Hu Yuanli, the censor who had gone to the southern border with Yang Fan and went through fire and water with him.
Being sent to the capital on official business in the middle of summer was definitely a tough job. Hu Yuanli sat in the carriage with the servants, guards, and guards of honor, all listlessly leaving the city's west gate.
Most of the officials in the capital were more prestigious than the local officials. But where the Emperor was, not many officials were qualified to go out with guards of honor. Usually, they just hung an official banner on the carriage to show their status. But the local officials were different. Once they went out, they would be surrounded by guards of honor and show off their authority.
Because of this, when the officials of the capital left the capital, it was the same. As soon as they left the capital, the ceremonial procession would begin. Placards of silence, placards of retreat, placards of official titles were raised high, flags, spears, water and fire cudgels were all present. But there were no gongs to open the way. "Gongs opening the way" originated from the Qing Dynasty. At this time, it was still the servants leading the guards of honor who shouted to open the way. But they did not have many opportunities to shout. Unless they were blind, who could not see the appearance of the guards of honor?
The weather was so hot that it seemed to be on fire. It was almost autumn, but the heat did not lessen at all.
They walked on the straight official road without any cover. Because it was close to the capital, for safety reasons, there was not a single tree on either side of the road. So there was no place to hide even if they wanted to. The ground seemed to have been melted by the sun. Even the dust stirred up by the horses' hooves was weak.
After walking for only a few miles, the entourage's clothes were already soaked in sweat. Hu Yuanli sat in the carriage with the curtains drawn up high. He kept waving the fan in his hand, but he still felt unbearably hot. Finally, they saw the shade of a tree in front of them. Everyone was delighted. The convoy naturally deviated from the main road and drove under the shade of the road.
"Ah! I was wondering who had left the capital, turns out it's Imperial Messenger Hu. Haha, Brother Hu, it's been a long time! "
Suddenly, someone on the side of the road spoke loudly. Hu Yuanli turned his head and couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise. He quickly ordered, "Stop the car!"
Standing by the roadside was a man with a green headscarf on his head, wearing a short shirt with narrow sleeves, rolled up cloth pants, barefooted, looking like a farmer working in the fields, but he was very handsome. His body did not look very sturdy, but he did not look thin or weak either. His eyes were full of spirit, with a hidden glimmer of precious light. That unruly appearance did not resemble a farmer at all. He was none other than the loyal general of the imperial court, Yang Fan.
Hu Yuanli quickly got off the carriage and went forward to pay his respects, saying, "Greetings to the loyal general …"
Yang Fan helped him up and said with a smile, "Brother Hu, are you treating me like an outsider? We are brothers, there's no need for so many unnecessary formalities. "
Hu Yuanli laughed and stood still. He asked, "Why is Erlang here?"
Yang Fan said with a smile, "Taking a break from my busy schedule, I came to this lake with my family!"
As Yang Fan said this, he pointed to the side. Hu Yuanli looked over and saw that behind the roadside, there were layers of green lotus leaves stacked on top of each other, reaching far into the horizon. He did not know how many hectares it was. Among the dark green leaves, there were lotus arrows leaping out one after another, like a brush dipped in rouge, so much so that the color would not fade away.
In the depths of the blue lake, there were several small boats with sheds, floating among the green lotus flowers. There were women and children on the boats, but they could not be seen clearly from afar. Presumably, they were Yang Fan's family. Hu Yuanli could not help but say with an envious smile, "Erlang is really free, I can't compare to you."
Yang Fan laughed and walked to the lakeside. He plucked two big wheel-like leaves and spread them on the grass. He said to Hu Yuanli, "Long time no see, please sit for a while. I won't disturb Brother Hu's journey."
Hu Yuanli smiled slightly and turned his head to order, "All of you rest!" Finishing, he walked over and lifted his robe to sit on the lotus leaves.
The servants were overjoyed, but they did not dare to disturb their superior. One by one, they dispersed to the distant lakeside to wash their faces and cool off.
Yang Fan asked with a smile, "Where is Brother Hu going?"
Hu Yuanli frowned and sighed, "Ai! It's a hard job. The Ministry of Revenue has found some discrepancies in the grain reserves of a certain area in Guanzhong. The court has sent me to investigate. "
Yang Fan suddenly said, "Ah! So Brother Hu is here for this matter. Then Brother Hu must be going to either Danzhou or Feng Zhou. "
Hu Yuanli originally thought this was an ordinary mistake. It was not as if similar things had not happened before. After investigating, it was mostly a problem with the efficiency of the local authorities. Some of the grain entered the warehouse had not been entered into the accounts, some had not been entered into the accounts, and it was the same for the exit. When these two factors were added together, there was a relatively large discrepancy.
Upon closer inspection, it was only the efficiency of each link that had a problem, but there was actually no problem with the grain amount. The law did not punish the masses, so it was not good to investigate further. In the end, the matter was left unsettled. Therefore, he had no interest in this trip at all.
But now that Yang Fan had blurted out his destination, Hu Yuanli's heart was moved. Yang Fan was a member of the Thousand Cavalry, and the ears and eyes of the palace were extremely well-informed. This matter had nothing to do with the military, but Yang Fan could blurt out his destination. Was there some reason behind this that outsiders could not know?
Hu Yuanli's spirits rose. He hurriedly caught on to what Yang Fan had revealed and asked with a smile, "How did Erlang know my destination? Is there some inside story that outsiders cannot know? You and I are brothers, not outsiders. Erlang, please give me your advice! "
…
Hu Yuanli's ceremonial procession began once again, and he headed west in an awe-inspiring manner against the scorching sun. The weather was still hot and stuffy, but Hu Yuanli sat in the carriage and forgot to wave his fan.
He had heard some news from Yang Fan, which made him pay extra attention to this trip to Feng Province, which he did not attach much importance to before. It seemed that there really was a problem with the grain storage in Feng Province and Danzhou. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue each had their own version of events. The Emperor could not be sure if there really was a problem with the local grain storage, so he ordered the Censorate to investigate.
The Emperor did not give any special instructions for this mission. Naturally, it was the result of the dispute between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue. Before he had solid evidence, the Emperor could not be partial to the Ministry of Justice. He could not investigate the Ministry of Revenue with great fanfare and see them as thieves. Otherwise, if there was no solid evidence, it would inevitably chill the hearts of the Ministry of Revenue.
Thinking of this, Hu Yuanli suddenly became excited. This was a chance!
Among the various censors in the Censorate, he was inexperienced and had little reputation. Originally, it would have been impossible for him to become an official in the Censorate so quickly. However, his last trip to the southern border had become his greatest political asset. Now, he was one of the two officials with the highest hopes of being promoted to Imperial Censor.
Currently, the Right Imperial Censor position of the Censorate was still vacant. There were only three people qualified for this position. One was Imperial Censor Shi Yu, who had gone to Danzhou to investigate a case. The other was Imperial Censor Li Qingmo, and the last was Hu Yuanli.
Among the three, Li Qingmo was the most senior. However, other than this advantage, he was inferior to Meng Qi and Shi Yu in other aspects. His political achievements were really nothing to write home about. In terms of political achievements, his greatest achievement was the last time he and Yang Fan toured the southern provinces and quelled the rebellion. However, that had been some time ago. During this time, it was Imperial Censor Shi Yu who had risen to fame.
What were the political achievements of the Imperial Censor? It was not to pacify the people, control the government, or manage the army. It was not about money and grain. It all depended on how many corrupt officials and servants he had gotten rid of and how many major cases he had solved for the country. If there was really a problem in Danzhou …
When the capital was still in Chang 'an, the food supply for millions of people had been continuously supplied during the years of disasters. Under the circumstances of transportation difficulties, the Emperor had once decreed that scholars were forbidden to go to the capital to take the imperial examinations to avoid increasing the food burden. The Emperor had also moved to Luoyang several times and was jokingly called the "Grain Chasing Emperor."
Therefore, Hu Yuanli was very clear about His Majesty's attitude toward grain. If there was really a problem with the grain, if there was really a problem …
Hu Yuanli's eyes slowly narrowed. An indescribable excitement surged in his chest. He seemed to see the official hat of the Imperial Censor waving at him enthusiastically.
"Rumble …"
The sound of rolling thunder came from afar. Hu Yuanli subconsciously looked up and saw dark clouds slowly approaching. It seemed that there would be a heavy rain soon.
Hu Yuanli frowned. It was difficult to walk under the scorching sun, but it was also difficult to walk under the pouring rain. Thinking of the grain storage case in Danzhou, Hu Yuanli couldn't help but feel a haze in his heart. "This … Is God telling me something? It seems that I have to plan carefully! "
On Yang Fan's side, the sun was still shining brightly. Xiao Man sat at the bow of the boat with Si Rong in her arms. The boat lady held the bamboo pole, and the sharp tip of the boat squeezed through layers of green leaves and rowed to the shore. The red lotus petals were like the rosy clouds, reflecting the picturesque Xiao Man and her beautiful daughter. The daughter was playing in the water for fun and was having a good time.
"Father!"
Si Rong giggled, trying her best to stretch her small hand out of her mother's bosom, grabbing the clear water in the lake. The water flowed past her delicate fingertips, like a white jade comb, combing countless extremely fine green silk ribbons. This scene was vaguely familiar. Yang Fan suddenly thought of Chang 'an, Quchi, the head of Hibiscus Bridge, the cluster of green lotuses, and of that indescribably beautiful and graceful young lady, who was like the first tilt of a lotus lid.
"The news of the battle with the Hidden Sect has been sent to Chang 'an. With Miss Ning Ke's wisdom, she should be able to deal with it easily." Yang Fan thought and smiled slightly. He admired Miss Ning Ke's extraordinary wisdom. Although his decision was given to Dugu Yu, he knew that Miss Ning Ke wouldn't just sit by and watch. As long as Miss Ning Ke took action, even if they couldn't win, at least they could stabilize the situation in Chang 'an.
"Rumble …"
The faint sound of thunder reached his ears. Yang Fan looked up and saw a line of dark clouds in the sky. Yang Fan bent down and plucked a lotus flower. He threw it to the bow of the boat, and it hit his daughter's head. Si Rong exclaimed, hugged the lotus flower, and laughed. Yang Fan smiled and said, "Good daughter, don't be naughty. Let's go home quickly. It's going to rain."
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