Chapter 354

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

In fact, Cai Xiu's worries were not excessive.

After Tuiguan Liao left Hou Ya, he hurried after his colleagues ahead, catching up with them.

Seeing him rushing over, someone inevitably greeted him, asking where he had been and why he was so late.

"Still talking about it! I used to hear of 'golden on the outside, rags within' and thought it was just a story; now I've actually seen it, and realized such people and such things truly exist!"

These words drew everyone's gazes from front to back and left to right.

"What's going on?"

"Who offended Sir Liao?"

Tuiguan Liao had been waiting for exactly this question, and immediately spread the story of Cai Xiu's deeds.

Those of high rank and power might like juniors to come forward and strive on their own, but here all were prefectural and county officials.

Though they held official status, their ranks were not high; they had to serve above and manage below, caught in the middle like a board squeezed between two sides.

Everyone has their own difficulties; such mid-level officials, if their subordinates were useless, had to grit their teeth and carry on, or if their subordinates caused a mess, they had to turn around and clean it up. Hearing this, nearly everyone changed expression.

"He's just a student, without even official status, and he actually went halfway to intercept Li Canzheng?!"

"No way?! He bypassed you, his direct superior, and ran to report to the top? If the Prefect or Vice Prefect finds out..."

"Old Liao, shouldn't you go explain to Vice Prefect Yu?"

"Acting rashly is not good! Better to greet Lu Can first; he knows the superiors' minds best. Let him help beat the drum and say a few good words for you, so the higher-ups don't develop misgivings!"

"How to explain?" Tuiguan Liao said, full of bitterness. "He was someone I insisted on keeping, and I am his direct supervisor. He's just a student; the higher-ups won't blame him, they'll only say I, the one in charge, failed to teach him well!"

"How could that be! Wasn't it said that his arithmetic and writing were good, so he was specially kept?"

"Oh please, this fellow is good at putting on airs. I vaguely heard from below that all those errands were done by students seconded to the Six Routes Transport Commission. Even back at Liu Ta He he often acted like this; he's a habitual offender!"

Someone couldn't help but say: "You already knew, so why didn't you say?!"

Tuiguan Liao also had a gloomy face, saying: "Junior brother, since you know, you should at least have given me a hint!"

The speaker earlier was also a bit embarrassed, saying: "I only vaguely heard rumors; who knew the gossip would turn out to be true!"

He added: "His poetry and prose are good, and he has some reputation. In the past, many superiors praised him for being thorough in his work and proper in his conduct. I have no proof, just heard a few wind-catching rumors; if I say this, wouldn't I be ruining a junior's future?"

Tuiguan Liao said unhappily: "Praised by superiors? It's all because Lv Zhongchang led him astray; now he himself can't even protect himself!"

He repeated Li Zhai's comments on Cai Xiu, embellishing them with added vinegar and oil.

Those comments, properly speaking, were actually a well-meaning reminder to a junior, teaching him how to conduct himself.

But after passing through Tuiguan Liao's mouth, one part original intent and ten thousand two thousand parts his own understanding, everyone present knew how the current Vice Chancellor Li Zhai had fiery golden eyes and exposed on the spot Taixue student Cai Xiu's fabricated data. The latter had long been in the habit of making up numbers, and this time not only reported beyond his level but also deceived his superiors, using every petty trick—only to be outsmarted by his own cleverness.

Li Canzheng had a prime minister's stomach that could hold a boat, and did not pursue the matter, but specially warned him once, telling the student to focus his mind on the proper path henceforth.

"Henceforth? Proper path?"

Wasn't the meaning of these words criticizing Cai Xiu for currently walking a crooked and evil path?

Canzheng had set his mind, and everyone began to pour oil on the fire.

"Old Liao, you've really planted a big one this time! When you wanted to keep him, I already felt it wasn't right—this person has something about him that can't be put into words. Back at Liu Ta He, when that group of students gathered on the high platform and some died or were injured, though it couldn't be said to be his fault, nor could he be blamed, everyone else was involved while only he was completely unharmed. Isn't that suspicious?"

"Exactly! Allocating grain and fodder supplies is such a major matter, concerning people's livelihoods. He's just a student, not even entered officialdom, and yet he dared to fabricate! What dog gall! What dog gall!!"

"In such a matter, you must first clear yourself. Nowadays students are not as simple as we were in our day; they're all very shrewd. This is another sinister one. He dared to talk nonsense in front of Li Canzheng. With that mouth of his, when he goes back, to extricate himself, won't he fabricate stories about you to the death!"

"Right. When this group of students finishes their secondment, you should still tell Lu Can on that side, issue an official document back, and explain clearly to the Taixue?"

But someone sang the red face, saying: "Better not issue the document after all. After all, they're students; having such things on paper..."

"So it's not your reputation that's bad?!"

"Ai ai! Why are you in such a hurry!" The one who sang the red face suddenly turned white-faced. "Not issuing an official document, you can send a private letter, or have someone spread the word among acquaintances! Otherwise, if someone who doesn't know sees us going directly to the Taixue, there'll be no end to talk of small officials bullying Taixue students and not knowing how to tolerate people!"

Just as everyone was offering ideas, before the words here were finished, they heard a commotion rising from ahead.

Everyone hurriedly looked toward the sound, and saw that not far ahead was the dock.

In the past, coming here, one could see at a glance the porters unloading cargo, boats coming and going, carts, mules and horses, and the rushing river water.

But this time, not a single one could be seen—only heads.

Head after head clustered together, the crowd surging, shoulder to shoulder, packed tight.

Many patrol soldiers and patrol officers kept dispersing the crowd, shouting, to prevent trampling.

Vendors stood on their own stools craning to look; others stood on stones or borrowed chairs from nearby homes; still others climbed the wall tops. Front and back, all were shouting.

"They're here!"

"They're here! They're here! It's the grain ships! It really is the grain ships!!"

"Now we don't have to fear having no grain to eat!"

"Now let's see if those profiteers dare to raise prices!"

"How many ships?! Old Li, you're standing high, can you see?!"

"So many! So many! One, three, ten... I'm going, my eyes are flowered and I can't count!"

The one standing high was pulled down by the crowd.

"Don't occupy the toilet without shitting! You can't count? You probably don't know numbers! Let me come!"

The speaker rushed up to stand there.

Those around crowded around him asking: "Count quickly! How many?! How many?!"

"Two, four, eight... Old Heaven, too many, I really can't see clearly!"

Li Zhai came in person, and a group of patrol soldiers and yamen runners forcibly cleared a path through the dense crowd for the assembled officials.

Prefectural Judge Liao and the others no longer cared about any Cai Xiu, and hurriedly chased after them together.

The river water flowed through the city; everyone stood at the open space by the dock looking upstream, boat after boat coming from far to near, weaving across the water, truly as dense as woven cloth and shuttles, an endless stream.

"How can there be so many boats?!"

"Where did they come from? Can't unload them all at once?"

Some officials couldn't help but whisper and discuss among themselves.

There were countless boats; when far away they looked densely packed, but once they sailed a bit closer, one could see that there was still a considerable distance between boat and boat.

The boats were full to the brim with tribute grain, bag after bag, bulging and round, forming high arches, and tied tightly with ropes, looking very pleasing.

Li Zhai stood at the very front and naturally heard the voices speaking behind him.

He did not speak, but silently replied in his heart.

——How was it done? It was still because of that Han Li.

The youngster sent word early, telling the city to prepare storerooms, arrange the dock, and have manpower ready to receive them, saying that for the first time they must make a grand show to help the superior official calm the emotions of everyone in the city.

This youngster had done the same thing once before in Hua Prefecture; after Walking Reception saw it with his own eyes, he sent a memorial back to the Capital, and the Emperor even let him see the memorial.

Back then they traveled by land; countless commoners from Weizhou traveled by boat and over mountains, some pushing carts, some carrying loads on their backs or shoulders, gathering halfway, and once enough people had assembled, the ranks wound into the city, deliberately circling the city several times, and finally, because there was no place to unload, they had to find the Zhou Xue, temples, and other places to barely store them temporarily.

Back then he saw words and praised a young person as formidable; now seeing with his own eyes the scene of hundreds of boats contending on the river, Li Zhai still had only that one sentence in his heart.

——Indeed, the young are formidable!

As the boats docked one after another, countless laborers arranged in advance helped unload the grain and transport it to the storerooms; although the commoners were urged away by the yamen runners, none were willing to go far, but gathered along both sides of the road, watching load after load, cart after cart of grain being carried away before their eyes.

At the same time, seeing such a scene, scattered individuals quietly slipped out of the crowd and ran back desperately.

Not long after, messengers came one after another from grain shops, grain stores, and other shops and residences throughout the city.

"Sir! Big trouble!! The river channel is open, grain from the south has arrived!"

"Zhai, it's not good! That Li Xianggong wasn't bluffing; he really got grain—just today there are at least two or three hundred boats, I don't know where they came from or how they were dispatched! The whole city is watching! Our grain probably can't be hidden anymore!"

"Sir! Your uncle sent word telling you to open the granary and sell grain quickly, be careful that the official will have free time and then punish the merchants hoarding supplies during the chaos!"

……

……

With these voices, and with batches of boats, carts, and horses arriving daily one after another, transporting grain and supplies, continuously replenishing and being dispatched along with countless soldiers, though it could not stop the disaster, relying on Li Zhai holding the city, planning in the tent and managing the overall situation, and with at least surface unity from top to bottom, all relief and aid work proceeded in an orderly manner.

As for Cai Xiu, from this day on, the work in his hands never stopped.

Prefectural Judge Liao was even too lazy to inquire personally, but directly handed him over to the clerks below.

The old clerks observed expressions and acted upon hearing the wind, driving this Scholar of the Imperial Academy around in circles.

Cai Xiu was ordered about by a group of petty clerks in the yamen, facing mountains of case files; when he returned to his lodgings, eight times out of ten he was refused entry—since something had happened and Li Zhai was nearby, those young masters dared not move out again, so they could only stay in the lodgings, and even their servants could not be used openly.

Everyone knew Cai Xiu had been kept at the yamen working every day recently and could only return after dark, so they deliberately locked the door from the inside; in the middle of the night, no matter how he knocked and shouted outside, until he really couldn't stand it and was about to go find an inn, did they grudgingly and cursingly open the door.

Cai Xiu could do nothing about this group of young masters; to their faces he didn't even dare to fart, but in the yamen he wanted to file a complaint, yet he had offended Prefectural Judge Liao, knowing that this torment was mostly the other's hint; going to complain would only bring humiliation upon himself.

He endured for some days, tried every means, even offered bribes to superiors and set a banquet wanting to make peace with that group of young masters, but failed repeatedly, to no avail.

As days passed, he used to be a person surrounded by everyone, receiving praise and hearing compliments, with others only offering admiration; where had he ever experienced such exclusion and disdain? He truly couldn't go on like this, it was extremely hard to endure.

He knew the treatment here would not improve, so he tried to arrange a return to the Capital.

However, Chan Prefecture would not let him go, only saying that as the head person in contact with the students, the students had not yet returned, and moreover something had happened at Liu Ta He; until there was a result for the aftermath of the group of dead and injured young masters, he could not leave for a single day.

Cai Xiu was so angry his nose twisted.

After searching for so long, there were still two people who were neither seen alive nor found dead.

Those people got on stage themselves, fell into the water themselves, got hurt themselves, died themselves; what did it have to do with him? If they couldn't be found for a lifetime, did he have to stay in Chan Prefecture for a lifetime?!

Cai Xiu at this time used every means he had to return to the Capital, not knowing what he would face after returning—this is a later matter, to be set aside for now.

And a hundred li away, there was likewise a person who used every means he had, wanting to finish the work quickly and hurry back to the Capital.

At high noon, after finally finishing the spot checks that should be done, rechecking what should be rechecked, and revising two memorials, Kong Fuyang finally couldn't help but stretch a big lazy waist.

Even though young, rising before daybreak and busy until now, his neck still felt sore and the back of his neck stiff.

He saw people collapsed all around front, back, left, and right, some lying down, some leaning, napping from exhaustion; he stood up, walked out the door, wanting to move his body.

To facilitate work, these past days everyone had been crowded sleeping on the boats; at this time the boat was stopped by the shore, although fairly stable, it was ultimately different from solid ground.

Kong Fuyang didn't know how to swim; he wanted to step on solid ground, so he walked toward the bow where it was moored to the shore.

He had walked no more than two steps when he saw a person facing the riverbank, back to him.

Seeing that the back was familiar, Kong Fuyang went up and greeted him.

He had just called out once when the person for some reason shuddered; something in his hand slipped, startling him into juggling, his hands randomly catching and grabbing in the air; fortunately he finally caught it, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Kong Fuyang laughed heartily and asked: "What are you eating? Why are you hiding here like a mouse?"

The person hurriedly made a shushing gesture, then opened his palm to reveal the thing inside, saying: "I just went to talk to Head Han about something; he said I've been calculating and comparing quickly lately, and casually gave them to me; there were originally only two pieces. I was embarrassed to go in, otherwise if people saw it, giving it wasn't right, not giving it wasn't right either!"

Seeing the other cherish it so carefully, Kong Fuyang leaned over to look one more time.

In that palm lay a brown piece of sugar.

The sugar piece was strip-shaped, obviously cut open; inside the cross-section were oval or pale yellow or milky white kernels; its color and appearance did not resemble any sweets Kong Fuyang had eaten before; though ordinary, he clearly saw beside it oil paper crumpled into wrinkles, with a corner of a seal stamped on the oil paper, faintly revealing a clerical script "Song" character.

He suddenly became excited.

Only yesterday had he finally met up with Han Li's boat group; after the two met, they had been talking business and handling affairs, with no time to chat, and hadn't gotten anything from the other; now seeing this sugar, Kong Fuyang's still somewhat muddled brain immediately was no longer sleepy.

So this sugar was surnamed Song!

Then I know it well!

"It's actually from Zheng Yan! I haven't even eaten it! What does it taste like? What kind of sugar is it? Is it delicious?!"

?? Thank you everyone for monthly tickets, Xiaoxiang tickets, recommendation tickets, and various votes; thank you for subscription and support.

? I've been writing very hard; originally thought I could see Xiao Miao today, but it seems I'll have to wait until tomorrow QAQ