The doors of the Feng Provincial Governor's residence opened and Pei Xun slowly walked out accompanied by a fifty-year-old man.
Pei Xun smiled and stopped, saying, "Prefect Li, forgive me for not seeing you off."
The fifty-year-old man turned around and smiled, saying, "Envoy Pei, please wait."
This fifty-year-old man was dressed in a moon-white robe and wore a soft-legged cloak. A jade pendant hung from his waist. He looked gentle and refined with an extraordinary bearing. This person was the previous Provincial Governor of Feng Province, Li Hao.
The handover of a successor was very complicated. Other than the various affairs that needed to be handed over, there was also the various items in the treasury. All of these had to be checked and a list was made. Only after both parties signed and stamped could the predecessor leave.
Pei Jun Ma did not understand this at all. If he had not been accompanied by an astute advisor from the Succession Hall, he would have immediately stamped his signature the moment Li Hao took out the handover list.
However, this advisor had been a minor official for many years and was very proficient in the details. Under his guidance, Pei Jun Ma checked everything carefully. Li Hao had no choice but to focus and check everything one by one. As a result, he was delayed until now and could not leave.
Pei Jun Ma's advisor was surnamed Mu, and his name was Mu You. He knew the Sovereign's plan, so he was naturally unwilling to let Li Hao leave. However, even though he was very careful, there weren't many accounts that needed to be verified. Under normal circumstances, in another two days, Governor Li would be able to leave Feng Province and take up his post in Shang Province. Although Muyou was anxious, there was nothing he could do.
Pei Jun Ma stopped and smiled, saying, "The day after tomorrow, I will hold a farewell banquet for Prefect Li. Prefect Li need not worry about leaving the residence. Everything has been prepared."
When an official left his post, the local officials had to hold a farewell banquet to send him off. They also had to mobilize the local gentry to send him off. There were umbrellas for the people, tokens for the government of virtue, boots taking off. These kinds of tricks were indispensable. Regardless of whether the official was truly loved and respected by the people, this kind of etiquette was the duty of the succeeding official and his former subordinates.
Li Hao smiled knowingly and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for your trouble!"
Li Hao turned and left the Provincial Governor's residence. When he was about to reach the intersection, he suddenly saw a group of people rushing over from the opposite direction. Silence Plate, Retreat Plate, Official Title Plate. Obviously, they were the ceremonial guards of officials …
Li Hao thought it was some local official who came to flatter the new provincial governor. At first he did not pay much attention, but when the official title plate flitted across his eyes, he suddenly saw the words' Jinshi Ji Di 'and' Imperial Censor '. Li Hao was startled. He pondered for a moment, and his countenance immediately turned gloomy.
The carriage moved slowly and gradually entered the long street. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the carriage and horses. Li Hao suddenly stuck his head out of the window and shouted sternly, "Stop!"
He beckoned to his trusted steward, Liu Yuhuan, and waited for him to run in front of him. Suppressing his voice, he instructed, "You, go and keep an eye on the Provincial Governor's Manor. Report back immediately if there are any movements!"
The steward was a man he was used to working with, as soon as he heard Ah Lang's order, he immediately knew what to do. He took two men with him, each with a horse, and returned to the alley. Only then did Li Hao shrink back into the carriage. The carriage continued to move forward, but Li Hao's heart was trembling, unable to calm down.
He knew that the imperial court had sent an imperial censor to Peng Zhou, but he did not expect to run into him today. It was not strange for the Supervising Imperial Censor to come to Peng Zhou today; he calculated that the day should have arrived by now. However, judging from his conversation with that Pei Junma, this newly appointed Provincial Governor Pei did not know about Imperial Censor Hu's arrival, which was very unreasonable.
If Imperial Censor Pei wanted to pay a private visit incognito, he should not have put on a guard of honor. Since he wanted to meet the provincial governor, he must put on a guard of honor. This was not only the dignity of an imperial envoy, it was also the etiquette of the imperial court. It was not only a respect for himself, it was also a respect for the provincial governor.
But there was one thing: since this was his first time appearing in Peng Zhou, he should have sent someone to the Provincial Governor's Mansion earlier to notify him, so that the Provincial Governor could lead the provincial officials to welcome him. Although the Supervising Imperial Censor's rank was not as high as the Provincial Governor's, he was assigned by the imperial court, he had the status of an imperial envoy; this was the etiquette that a local official ought to perform.
Even if this was the first time they had met, the next time they wanted to pay a visit, they should have sent someone to deliver an invitation first. Otherwise, when the provincial governor was busy with official business, he just happened to have left his mansion or was in the middle of handling a major case.
However, judging from Pei Junma's earlier reaction and his repeated invitation to stay for a banquet, he did not know that Imperial Censor Hu was coming, and just now, Imperial Censor Hu and his entourage had left in too much of a hurry. It would have been fine if Li Hao's heart was magnanimous, but it just so happened that he had a guilty conscience, so the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
Provincial Governor Li had already stepped down from his post, and his entire family had moved out of the Provincial Governor's Mansion. Currently, they were living in the provincial inn. Li Hao returned to the inn in Peng Zhou. He had just returned to his room to take off his outer robe and sit down to drink a cup of water. He had just picked up the second cup when Steward Liu scrambled back to the inn, gasping for breath as he yelled, "Ah Lang! Ah Lang! "
Provincial Governor Li hurriedly stood up and asked, "You have returned? Did something happen? "
Steward Liu panted heavily as he replied, "Ah Lang, that Imperial Censor had only entered the Provincial Governor's Mansion for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Provincial Governor Pei sent someone to invite the prefectural judge to summon the three squads of bailiffs, Zhuang, and Zao to the prefectural yamen. Not only that, he also sent someone to mobilize a battalion of regimental training. This lowly one recognized the person in the prefectural yamen, but that was all I asked. When I asked him what the Provincial Governor Daren intended to do, he did not know either."
Pei Junma suddenly mobilized three squads of bailiffs and bailiffs. There were probably more than a hundred bailiffs in the prefectural yamen. Not only that, he also wanted to mobilize a battalion of regimental training soldiers. What did this newly appointed Provincial Governor want to do?
Each prefecture had regimental training envoys, and most of them were held by the Provincial Governor. They could mobilize regimental training soldiers, but unless they wanted to suppress bandits and the bandits were powerful, the Provincial Governor would rarely mobilize regimental training soldiers.
Although regimental training soldiers were not the country's regular army, they were still an armed force. Once they were mobilized, they must immediately prepare a report to their superiors and explain the reason for mobilizing the soldiers. Li Hao had been the Provincial Governor of Peng Prefecture for eight years, but he had only mobilized regimental training soldiers once. That time, it was to exterminate a group of ten or so bandits.
Now that Pei Junma had just been appointed, why was he mobilizing troops?
Imperial Censor Hu had come to Peng Prefecture to investigate the grain storage case. Imperial Censor Hu had just met with Provincial Governor Pei when Provincial Governor Pei hastily summoned all the bailiffs in the prefectural yamen. Not only that, but he also wanted to mobilize a battalion of regimental training soldiers. Following this line of thought, the answer was obvious. Provincial Governor Li's heartstrings trembled, and his hand slipped. The cup in his hand fell to the ground with a 'pa' sound, shattering into pieces.
… …
Pei Xun rode on his horse with a heavy expression on his face. Originally, his heart full of gratitude towards the outgoing Prefectural Governor Li Hao for his guidance had turned into anger. Tomorrow was the day they would meet, but while he was guarding the Provincial Governor's Mansion, he had been deceived by Li Hao to the point of being infatuated with him. The moment he signed the contract, if there was a problem with the warehouse in the future, he, as the current supervisor, would be unable to absolve himself from the blame.
Pei Junma gritted his teeth so hard that they made cracking sounds. In his heart, he thought, 'What a honey-mouthed, dagger-bellied old thief!'
Riding on his horse, Imperial Censor Hu turned his head back to look at the regimental training soldiers trailing behind him. Then, he looked at the three squads of bailiffs in front of him, who were armed with steel blades, iron chains, shackles, and whistling sticks. He sighed inwardly, 'The gathering of these people is too slow. It took them more than two hours. However, Pei Junma has just been appointed and doesn't know how to command the local officials, so it's not good to be too harsh on him. '
Although there was still a large number of former Provincial Governor Li's subordinates in the prefectural yamen, two hours was enough for them to gather information. If they had the intention to leak the secret, they would also have enough time to send out the news. However, Imperial Censor Hu wasn't worried. That was a granary, not a bag of rice. Even if the other party received the news and immediately reacted, it would still be too late.
Hu Yuanli urged his horse closer to Pei Xun and asked, "Envoy Pei, how far is the location of the grain storage from here?"
Pei Xun pointed forward with his horsewhip and replied, "Turn left forward, and it will be at the end of the long alley. Imperial Censor Hu, don't be anxious, we will immediately … "
Just as he said this, his body suddenly shook and he stared dumbfoundedly into the distance. He sat on his horse in a daze, unable to say a word. Hu Yuanli quickly turned his head to look and was momentarily stunned.
At this time, it was dusk and the horizon was already dark. However, as far as the eye could see, there was a faint red light that flickered. Thick smoke spurted out and slowly spread out in the sky. It was as if a terrifying giant beast was struggling to jump out of the magma. Hu Yuanli's hands and feet immediately turned cold.
After a while, Hu Yuanli and Pei Xun suddenly came to their senses and shouted at the same time, "The granary is on fire! Quick! Put out the fire quickly! "
…
Chang 'an prefecture, Shen Mu's residence.
Lan Jinhai quickly walked into Shen Mu's study and said, "Young Master, the deputy envoy of the Guannedao prefecture, Zhao Houde, has resigned due to illness. He only sent someone to inform us."
Shen Mu seemed to be a little surprised. After a moment of silence, he said, "That's fine! Let him stay out of this matter. If the fire between the Obvious and Hidden Sects really starts to spread, it will not affect him. "
The so-called prefectural government was the official residence of the Observer. The Observer investigated the good and evil of the people, reported on the general situation of the country, and was in charge of everything from armors to wealth and folklore. He had great power and influence. In fact, this was the embryonic form of the Jiedushi. The Guannedao had twenty-six prefectures under its jurisdiction, including the Dan Province and the Feng Province.
Zhao Houde was the highest-ranking official of the Hidden Sect. As the deputy envoy of the Guannedao prefecture, he was the spokesperson of the officialdom that was supported by the Yingyang Zheng Clan. The Yingyang Zheng Clan and the Longxi Li Clan were the biggest supporters of the Hidden Sect. Therefore, this person supported the Hidden Sect.
The Hidden Sect's rapid development in the Guannedao couldn't be separated from this person's strong support and help in the officialdom. Now that the Guannedao was on fire, the food shortage might not be suppressed. If a shocking case were to occur, a large number of heads would roll. As the deputy envoy of the Guannedao prefecture, Zhao Houde wouldn't be able to escape.
Therefore, he judged the situation and decisively resigned due to illness. This move was definitely backed by the Yingyang Zheng Clan. These people were equivalent to the aristocratic clans borrowing manpower from the Hidden Sect. The ones who could truly control them were the aristocratic clans and not the Hidden Sect.
Those who were high-ranking officials weren't afraid of resigning. As long as they had someone in the imperial court backing them up, they could be reinstated at any time. They wouldn't have to go through so much trouble like those who had yet to step into the officialdom. The official position was a high threshold, and once one stepped into it, he would have leaped through the dragon's gate.
When Lan Jinhai saw Shen Mu's frown, he consoled, "However, our counterattack has been effective. Over at the Hidden Sect, Jiannan's Niu Zhiyuan has returned to his hometown due to illness. Shannan's Ma Sanqin is also making arrangements for his' funeral '. "
Aristocratic clans cast their nets wide open to nurture scholarly officials, but only a few of them managed to rise to the top. Niu Zhiyuan was one of them. He was from the Li Clan of Zhao County, and he was currently the Jiannan Salt Transport Envoy. Not only did he manage the salt industry in Jiannan, he also managed the wine industry in Jiannan.
Shannan's Ma Sanqin was a salt merchant. He owned dozens of salt ponds and wells. In reality, he was a puppet. The one controlling him was the Zhao Commandery Li Family. These two people had always had a close relationship with Xian Zong. With a position like theirs, it was impossible for their butts to be clean. The Hidden Sect had just made a move against them, and the two of them smelled the scent and decisively retreated in order to advance.
In fact, it didn't matter if the two of them retired. Niu Zhiyuan had been in this position for nearly three years. Anyone who sat in this position for too long would incur the wrath of the heavens and the resentment of the people. Otherwise, he would have changed his position. Now that he retired to avoid the limelight, it could be considered as killing two birds with one stone. As for Ma Sanqin, he was a puppet that was manipulated by others, so it was not up to him to change people.
But when the two of them retreated, it directly affected Xian Zong. The Xian Zong had a bigger business than the Hidden Sect, and their expenses were also higher. Suddenly losing two important sources of income was a huge loss. As Shen Mu thought about it, his face slowly revealed a smile that didn't look like a smile. "Erlang, what should you do now?"
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