Sixty-nine, young tiger

  "For a moment's luck, it has actually made this villain so arrogant!"

  Zhang Hua, the governor of Wuwei Prefecture, was an official who came from a scholarly background and had always looked down on military men. He learned about the incident of the young guards killing people in the street that afternoon, when the attendants of two merchants, Fan and Wang, reported it to him.

  In his eyes, the Yu family was nothing but a group of unruly subjects to be ruled. Although Yu Yixuan had the status of a holder of a imperial examination degree, it didn't count for much. In fact, every time Yu Guozhen killed a pirate from Water Margin Lake, he felt as if he had been slapped in the face.

  For Yu Yixuan and Yu Guozhen, killing bandits is a merit, but for him as the head of this Wuwei Prefecture, it's a slap in the face. The unrest below has led to the rise of bandits, and because of this, he had already received a mediocre evaluation for the past year!

  In name, the Xiang'an Patrol Office should be under his command. In fact, this patrol office was even established by him petitioning to the imperial court - the Yu family had paid 1,500 taels of silver for this, and he had received 1,000 taels, while the remaining 500 taels were divided among his subordinates. This wasn't a big deal in itself; all he needed to do was report it to the central government departments, and then appoint someone to take charge, and Yu Yixuan would also have to obey him. However, because this matter had driven one of the Grand Secretaries out of the capital, and Yu Yixuan's appointment was also issued by imperial decree, this made him extremely embarrassed.

  He was just a small Zhi Zhou, competing with the great Ming emperor for attention, that would be too foolish. And since Yu Yixuan was appointed by the emperor himself, even if he wanted to reprimand him, he had to consider whether someone would report this matter to the imperial court.

  Seeing him with a face full of anger, his companion Lu Hui said in a low voice: "Sir, this matter must be handled carefully."

  "I know, I know, the Yu family has stirred up a big trouble. Just the other day, they even arrested Wang Haoxian. How could I not know? But this matter must be handled properly. Those two Shanxi merchants also have people backing them!"

  "Why should adults worry about such things? There are officials like Tongzhi and Zhoupan who will take care of them. Why does the adult need to worry?" Rong Hui smiled and said, "Adults just think too much for the people!"

  Zhang Hua Xuan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Zhong Jie, I can push, but they don't know how to push?"

  "The governor returned the paper, saying that this matter should be handled by the prefecture. If it were someone else, they would certainly push for it to happen as soon as possible. But with our prefecture governor... Hmph! The only worry is not having a chance to take action!"

  "What's the meaning of this?"

  "Sir, we have a nickname for Wen Zhongweng in the city, 'Wen Qianwei'. It's said that he has no hobbies and loves money. Moreover, this man is bold and has deep connections. If he finds out that the Yu family has obtained several tens of thousands of taels of silver from selling the pearl cultivation method..."

  "Tens of thousands of taels!" Zhang Huazong felt as if his eyes were covered with a sheet of white, and all he saw was the glint of silver.

  For three years, the Qing government had been in power, and ten million silver flowers were spent. Even for an official like the governor, it would take a lot of effort to get tens of thousands of taels of silver, and even then, they would have to risk being skinned alive. Zhang Hua looked down on the Yu family, and the main reason was that the Yu family had easily made tens of thousands of taels of silver by selling some kind of pearl!

  If I had this kind of skill... how great would that be!

  What made Zhang Huajun most depressed was that he had heard that the Yu family still kept two copies of the Zhongzhu technique to be given away, and in his opinion, it was only natural for him to have one. If not for him, where would the Yu family get the title of Xiang'an Patrol Officer? A mere 1,000 taels of silver could buy off his own self-respect, this is treating oneself like a beggar!

  "Has Wen Weizheng really gone mad from greed?" Thinking of this, Zhang Huazong made up his mind: "Alright, I'll let you handle it."

  Anyway, even if he fails, he won't have any losses, this is the key for Zhang Hua to make up his mind.

  "Your Excellency can rest assured, if Wen Quanwei gets something, he wouldn't dare not share some with you. If both sides are at a stalemate, Your Excellency can take advantage of the situation and benefit from it. And if Wen Quanwei hits a brick wall, Your Excellency can also curry favor with the Yu family." Luo Hui chuckled and said: "Your Excellency is in an unbeatable position, so this matter is something to be celebrated!"

  "Haha, Zhongji, you're really good at talking." Zhang Huazhu burst out laughing.

  "It's better not to delay, so I'll go and take care of things for the adults right away." Lu Hui nodded his hands.

  Zhang Huashou didn't ask him how to do it. As an official, one must learn to turn a deaf ear and pretend not to know. Even if one is as keen-sighted as autumn down, one cannot shout it out for all the world to know. Otherwise, every step would be difficult to take.

  After leaving the county government office, Luo Hui strolled around the street for a while, then walked slowly to a tea house. As a Shaoxing native, he enjoyed drinking yellow wine and tea, and this tea house was one of his regular haunts. Just as he had stepped onto the second floor of the tea house, someone called out: "Over here! Over here!"

  Luo smiled and walked over, the man led him to a position by the window, then bowed his hands respectfully: "How are you?"

  "The adults agreed and the matter was settled by Wen Zhou's judgment."

  "Zhong Qi brother must have exerted a lot of effort, come on, let's drink this cup!" The man brought his arm over, and the two hands touched in their sleeves, and between the touch of fingers, Luo Hui's smile on her face turned into great joy.

  "Brother Han, if this matter is successful, you will also gain a lot of benefits, won't you?" He smiled and said: "But the Yu family is not an easy bone to gnaw on, how will Governor Zhou deal with them?"

  "People's hearts are like iron, and the law is like a furnace. Even if it's hard to gnaw on bones, how can you resist the government?" Chen Tong, also known as Han Ying, was an expert in criminal law and taxation, just like Luo Hui. At that time, there were many scholars who only knew how to write eight-legged essays and flatter, but didn't understand worldly affairs. They would often become local officials by luck, but couldn't govern effectively. Even if they knew how to govern a place, they would often be overwhelmed by the complexity of the work, so "private secretaries" like Chen Tong emerged to assist them. Among these private secretaries, those from Shaoxing were particularly skilled at calculations and clever at handling affairs, earning them the nickname "Shaoxing masters".

  During the late Qing dynasty, the Shaoxing teachers were extremely prosperous. The reason was that when the Qing dynasty first entered the Central Plains, almost all of them were uneducated and untalented people who took charge of local officials. These Tartar officials were mostly useless, and even how to exploit the common people did not know, they had to rely on someone to support them before they could understand civil affairs.

  "What else is Han Ying hiding from me?" Luo Hui shook his head: "Isn't Wen Tong's judgment related to the imperial court's Wen Xiang?"

  "Haha, this matter can be said to anyone, but it cannot be said to Brother Luo. You and I understand each other... Speaking of which, does Brother Luo still remember Shen Qingyuan?"

  "Who's the one who went to Liaodong?" Lu Hui glanced at him, slightly disdainful: "This young man was full of vigor and ambition, saying he wanted to go to Liaodong as a staff officer, striving for a great achievement. Has there been any news about him now?"

  "Guess?"

  "Nowadays, the situation in Liaodong is really beyond my guess... Could it be that he has entered Sun's military tent?"

  Sun Jinglue, also known as Sun Chengzong, had already returned home to retire due to the defeat at the Daling River. The last person who could stabilize the situation in Liaodong for the Ming dynasty had quietly left the stage, only owing a final tragic curtain call. Luo Hui, as a staff officer, naturally learned of this from the report from the Tang camp. He said so with the intention of ridiculing Shen Wenguang, whose reputation was far and clear.

  "Why don't you guess General Huang Long or Shang Kexi of Guanglu Island?"

  "Haha, Han Ying, stop pretending and just say it already."

  "It is said that in the second year of Chongzhen, he fell into the hands of the Eastern Barbarians. Now, he is in the Wen Guan of the Eastern Barbarians and has gained great favor from the Khan." Chen Dong lowered his voice: "So, it turns out that he went to serve as a staff officer for the Khan, haha..."

  The two of them burst out laughing, and after a while, Luo slowly said: "This person can actually do such a thing. Anyway, it's all from the same origin... If I were him, I'd rather die than surrender. To betray one's lord or country, I'm afraid there would be no face to meet our ancestors."

  "I think merchants have their own interests, and what we eat is not the king's salary, why should we be loyal to the king?"

  The two of them talked until this point and had nothing more to say, so they bowed to each other again and bid farewell.

  Chen Dong left the tea house and arrived at the State Judge's mansion without stopping for a moment. The State Judge's mansion was not far from the Provincial Governor's mansion, both were government offices. Chen Dong entered through the side door, and soon, State Judge Quan Wei appeared on the public platform with a stern expression.

  "Ma Ye Shu, gather all the able-bodied men from Bow Hand Village and follow me to Xiangyang!"

  Upon receiving this order, Ma Ye, as the leader of the captors, was taken aback for a moment, and his face turned even uglier than if he were crying.

  He was well-informed and naturally knew that the followers of Shanxi Jin merchants would report Yu Guozhen's case. Now, the county magistrate has given this order, isn't it to let him capture Yu Guozhen?

  He doesn't have the guts for this!

  Nowadays, Yu Guozhen's rumors are well-known in Wuwei Prefecture. At the age of 16, he single-handedly killed a group of thieves and bandits. The surrounding villains also fled to Wuwei, saying that "the young tiger can already eat people". When people from Wuwei Prefecture go out and argue with others, they often mention his name: "Don't underestimate us Wuwei people, I know Yu Youxiong (Young Tiger) of Xiang'an, be careful or I'll ask him to come and help me!"

  "Adults, cannot be helped, cannot be helped!" He hastily said: "That Yu Guozhen's matter... cannot be helped."

  "What are you afraid of!" Wen Quanwei sneered, "Are you still afraid that he will kill officials and rebel? Bring some more militiamen, archers and village braves, select some sharp blades from the armory, he has only over a hundred family guards, bullying the Water Bandit gang is barely possible, but with hundreds of militiamen, dare he make a move?"

  Ma Ye uncle swallowed hard, looking at Wen Zhou judge, he felt that the eyes of this judge were full of silver light, and it was impossible to persuade him to change his mind. His face looked more difficult than crying, and he muttered: "Your Honor, doesn't Xiang'an have a patrol inspector? Why not order the patrol inspector to capture Yu Guozhen and bring him back?"

  "Shut up, you scoundrel! Are you trying to deceive me? Do you think I don't dare to hit your board?" Wen Quanwei snorted and said: "Follow me to capture him, what are you afraid of!"

  The county magistrate was only a third-rate figure in the province, so what he feared most was that the lower-ranking officials and runners would look down on him. He was already somewhat angry at this point. Ma Ye Shu was quick-witted and knew that if he refused again, he might be beaten with a board first.

  "He suddenly had an idea: 'Sir, sir, it's not that the little one is unwilling to serve, but Yu Guozhen has a notorious reputation and is known as a young tiger. His family has many evil servants, and capturing villains is the duty of small people. But sir, you are a precious person, how can you put yourself in danger?'"

  Hearing this, Wen Weijun nodded in agreement: "That makes sense... Since that's the case, I won't go personally. You go and capture him..."

  At this point, he saw his staff member Chen Dong crooked his mouth and asked: "Han Ying, what do you want to say?"

  "Ah-choo!" Chen Dong said with a cough: "Marshal Ma, if Yu Guozhen escapes, it will still be on your head. You can take his place and pay with your life."

  Ma Yezi cursed in his heart. Originally, he wanted to go to Xiang'an himself, make a show of force, and sell a good one to Yu Guozhen, letting him hide would be fine. But Chen Dong saw through his intentions and actually blocked the way for him. Now he has no choice but to think of another plan, in order to save himself, he can't help but harm Yu Guozhen a bit.

  "Adults and petty people have a plan..." He said in a low voice.