[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 96 [English]

Chapter 94 Raging Waves

Wei Huaigu was imprisoned and interrogated, and Yang Cheng, the chief secretary of Juexi, was also arrested by the Jinyi Guards and taken to the imperial edict.This is a major case of the year in Tianchen, and the civil and military officials of the whole court are paying attention to it.Shen Zechuan acted quickly. Following Yang’s confession, he found out that Wei Huaigu had been reselling military rations since the fourth year of Xiande.

Wei Huaigu, by virtue of his position as Minister of Household Affairs, would purchase military rations from Yang Cheng and resell them to Xi Hongxuan at a high price every time he supervised the distribution of military rations.Xi Hongxuan sent these military rations to the six prefectures of Zhongbo and Xuhai via water and dry roads respectively to make huge profits. In this way, he distributed the land tax among the civilian fields in the thirteen cities of Juexi and borne it by the ordinary people below.

“Since you have been doing this for so long, why did your conscience only realize this time that you want to report Wei Huaigu through the post?” Shen Zechuan looked at Yang Cheng’s confession.

Yang Cheng was imprisoned for a few days, and he lowered his head and said, “This time it is filled with mold, which is different from the past. Libei is going to fight, and the food sent here is poison that will kill the border officers. I am afraid that something will really happen to the prince of Libei.”

There was no one else around the table. Xiao Chiye sat in the shadows and said abruptly: “Are you so sure that these grains can be delivered to the prince’s mouth?”

Yang Cheng moved his arms uneasily, his lips turned white, and said, “I’m just afraid. Although I want to make money, I don’t want to kill myself.”

“Don’t be afraid,” Shen Zechuan glanced at Xiao Chiye and softened his tone to Yang Cheng, “Although this is a prison, it is a case supervised by the emperor himself.If you have anything to say, you can say it here.”

The contrast between the two of them is sharp. Yang Cheng swallowed his saliva and was already in a daze during the interrogation that lasted all night. He said: “I don’t know, I don’t-”

“What don’t you know?Shen Zechuan asked gently.

“I don’t know that something will really happen to Prince Libei…” Yang Cheng choked up as he spoke, “I don’t know…I’m worried that the Libei cavalry will be defeated and the Biansha cavalry will attack again.”

Xiao Chiye leaned forward slightly, his body like an evil beast, and the shadow covered Yang Cheng’s face.He said in a cold voice: “You also know that this batch of military rations can defeat the Libei Iron Cavalry, but you still sealed them in the carriage, you deserve to die.”

Yang Cheng was frightened in Xiao Chiye’s eyes, his throat was blocked, and he cried indistinctly: “Master Hou… I plead guilty, I, I deserve to die…”

“You won’t die,” Shen Zechuan said, with a face as beautiful as a crown jewel and an upturned look full of compassion, “The principal culprit in this case is Wei Huaigu, and he is using his position to coerce you, and there is nothing you can do about it.I understand these difficulties, and so does the Marquis.Yang Cheng, you entered the official position during the Yongyi period, served as an official in Juexi for half your life, became a counselor, and was a high-ranking official in the imperial court who was evaluated by the capital.Now that Jiang Qingshan has left Juexi, he is going to be transferred to Zhongbo as a high official. The position of Juexi Chief Envoy is vacant. Based on your age and seniority, when the Ministry of Officials considers candidates, you are the first choice.You see, you should have a bright future, but it’s not worth sacrificing your future just for that little money.”

Yang Cheng hunched over and sobbed.

“I heard that you were born in Baima Prefecture in your early years. Your family was poor. You lost your father when you were six years old. Your mother raised your brothers and sisters by yourself.She sent you brothers to school and spent most of your life with hardships. Finally, when you became an official and built a government, you made such a big mistake.Shen Zechuan was particularly sympathetic and said, “In the future, she will be left alone and be reviled because of this case. Why are you so cruel?””

Yang Cheng couldn’t help crying loudly. He is a scholar. He knows etiquette, justice and shame. Serving his mother at home is the most filial thing.He covered his face with his hands and cried: “I made such a big mistake that is worse than a pig or a dog. I have no shame to see her again!””

“This case is not settled yet, and whether it should be executed or not is still up for debate.”Xiao Chiye threw away the confession and looked at him, “Since you still know shame, you have not lost your conscience.Whatever I ask you next will not be entered into your confession. If you answer truthfully, I will try my best to save your life so that your mother can spend her remaining years in peace.But if you dare to be perfunctory and prevaricate, I will immediately have you beheaded in front of Duan Chengmen.Your post letter stabbed Wei Huaigu and ruined the golden jobs of many people. You are a person in this business, and you know best what will happen to those orphans and widowed mothers.Without me, Xiao Ce’an, as a guarantee, the lives of your family would be in danger.”

Yang Cheng cried for a long time. When he stopped, Shen Zechuan personally brought him a cup of hot tea.He hurriedly wiped away his tears, thanked him repeatedly, held the tea in his hands and remained silent for a long time, saying: “Master Marquis is willing to protect me…it is your kindness to me again.I don’t dare to ask for an official career again, I just want to be exiled.This case is very involved, and it is not something that can be explained in a short while. I will explain it to Mr. Hou slowly.”

“Since the first year of Xiande in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the national treasury has been depleted greatly.The accounts of the Ministry of Accounts were all in vain. As the first minister of the cabinet, Hua Siqian and Pan Rugui approved many projects that wasted public money, such as the Linlang Garden in Qinzhou. Most of them were not actually built. These gardens were just for the purpose of having a pretext to get approval from the cabinet, and everyone worked together to extract money from the treasury.This is something everyone in the industry knows. Government and businessmen collude, and money really flows into these people’s pockets like running water.”

“In the fourth year of Xiande, Wei Huaigu took me into the water. I tell the truth, Lord Marquis, I know I shouldn’t touch this money, but I have no choice.When local officials came to the capital, Pan and Hua took turns coming to ask for their respect. You must have heard of the most widely spread promotion in those years.The aristocratic family has the dignity of an aristocratic family, but the only people who are really delayed by these Bing Jing and Tan Jing are officials from a humble family like me.If you don’t have money, you can’t get into the center, and if you don’t have money, there will be no errands to do.”

“That year, there was a locust plague in Juexi, and there was no harvest in thirteen cities. It was Jiang Qingshan who took the responsibility and protected us. He forcibly opened the merchant warehouses and released relief grains for the people of Juexi, so there was no famine.Jiang/Qingshan also became a thorn in the side of Juexi’s wealthy businessmen because of this matter. At that time, Qindu also knew that people with gambling debts were chased to his house. At his mother’s age, she had to weave to pay off her debts.But we all know what debt he is repaying. He is repaying a debt for the court.But there is one thing that others don’t know, and we, the Chief Secretary of Juexi, know best, that is, Zhongbo’s defeat was too timely.”

“Why do I say that?At that time, the national treasury was empty, there was a disaster in Juexi, and Libei and Border counties had to deal with the Biansha cavalry. The harvest in Hezhou further down was not good, and people were starving to death in various places at the beginning of the year.The Ministry of Household Affairs was pressed hard, but they had no way to provide relief to local areas because the national treasury had been emptied.Hua Siqian had to give an explanation to various places. Hai Liangyi in the cabinet was also tracing the accounts. Hua Siqian was suddenly in a dilemma and was troubled by this matter.At that time, the Hua family was selling Zhuangzi in Dicheng, and the Xi family took over. We all know that Hua Siqian wanted to backfill the treasury and smooth things over.But such a big vacancy could not be filled by he alone, so Hua Siqian began to ask other people for accounts.”

“I don’t know whether Hua Siqian got the money back, but at this pass, the Biansha cavalry raided the Chashi River, the Duanzhou garrison was defeated miserably, and Shen Weigui retreated, resulting in Zhongbo being defeated again and again.The two-line support of the Libei Iron Cavalry and the Qidong garrison stopped the Biansha tribe from further deepening at the gate of Qandu. However, although the homeland was taken back, the massacred city had become an empty city.Juexi’s subsequent reissue of relief food will be food from the six states of Zhongbo.”

Shen Zechuan suddenly stood up and stood in the darkness without speaking.

Xiao Chi’s ambition was also cold. He and Shen Zechuan had made so many assumptions, but they never thought that Zhongbo’s defeat might be to fill the empty granary in the rear and pay off the debts of Hua Siqian and the officials who were trapped in the National Bank investigation dilemma.

“That’s hundreds of thousands of people,” Shen Zechuan supported the table numbly, looked ahead, and said hoarsely, “That’s… that’s the lives of 40,000 soldiers… Do you know what you’re talking about…”

Shen Zechuan was caught off guard by these words. He spent six years convincing himself that these people might have died in a power struggle.These living people, these young lives, they all existed like Ji Mu.Duanzhou is the first gate, they died so tragically, and the singing echoing in the tea stone sinkhole is Shen Zechuan’s lifelong nightmare.

Zhongbo was defeated and suffered countless victims.No one collected the bodies of the soldiers who died in the battle, and blood flooded the dreams of the survivors.

Yang Cheng held his head in this depressing atmosphere and said, “I’m really scared to fill the army rations this time.Zhongbo still has a chance of rescue, but Libei can only rely on Luoxia Pass for support.Once the Biansha Cavalry breaks through Libei, I will be a sinner forever!”

“Zhongbo was defeated, and the Biansha cavalry arrived at such a coincidence!It was not accidental that the Vipers moved their troops south, but they had received the news.”Xiao Chiye’s teeth were cold.

So this encounter between the Viper Tribe and Xiao Jiming in the Hongyan East Mountains was by no means a coincidence.There are people everywhere in Qudu, Zhongbo, Libei, and even Qidong spreading messages for the Twelve Biansha tribes.They raise the Biansha Twelve Branches just like raising a hungry jackal. When necessary, they let it in and eat all the traces that cannot be wiped clean.

“I don’t know if anyone in the central government is doing such a thing,” Yang Cheng said fearfully, “but this time it’s really dangerous… The treasury already has savings, and the accounts of the Ministry of Accounts and the Cabinet are also being strictly scrutinized. If we let the Biansha cavalry enter the country again, it would be betrayal.I don’t know… I don’t dare to bet. My private messages are being monitored, so I can only tell Qudu through Yibao!”

“Since you want to report Wei Huaigu,” Shen Zechuan suddenly mentioned Yang Cheng, “why did you have to put up the Ministry of Household sign when you sent the post urgently?Once this letter enters the capital, it will fall into the hands of Wei Huaigu as soon as possible!”

Yang Cheng couldn’t hold the teacup firmly, and trembled with the sound of the porcelain cup breaking: “No, no!The sign I hung is obviously from the Ministry of Punishment!”

Shen Zechuan was stunned.

Yang Cheng also showed fear and said in disbelief: “If this post letter falls into the hands of Wei Huaigu, I will definitely die!I know that Kong Qiu, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, is very courageous. He is not from a noble family and will never delay and hide things for Wei Huaigu. So before leaving, I confirmed again and again that I am in charge of the Ministry of Punishment!”

“It’s a trap,” Xiao Chiye supported Shen Zechuan with a fierce look in his eyes, “This time it was not Wei Huaigu who did it. When Wei Huaigu received the message, he knew that someone had read the content. This was a silent coercion. He must surrender!”