Chapter 495.3: The Pit One Dug, Others Certainly Will Fill

Although it was an ordinary memorandum, it was still sent out from the northwest battlefield. As such, the speed absolutely won’t be slow either, at most just needing seven to eight days. It absolutely won’t be like the other local official’s memorandum, the slow ones needing to take at least a month to arrive.

After having the memorandum sent out, Fu Yun Ting wrote another letter giving it to his personal guard———-someone specifically in charge of delivering messages that Li Hong Yuan left for him. Afterwards, Fu Yun Ting no longer concerned himself. In any case, he had self-awareness, knowing that he was disliked by Jin Qinwang. Aside from the war, the matters of the capital, just don’t count on Jin Qinwang telling him. To be unable to personally see Le Cheng Emperor’s reaction, Fu Yun Ting still felt a tiny bit regretful. However, recalling the various things Jin Qinwang did, he couldn’t help but somewhat take pleasure at Le Cheng Emperor’s misfortune. You, as the ruler, lack virtue, not knowing the severity, yet in the end, still got schemed by your own son in all kinds of ways, letting the things you want to do all come to nothing. Every time it was practically vomiting blood in anger, yet just assumed it was an accident arising from many factors, completely unaware that someone was playing tricks behind the back. Thinking to here, Fu Yun Ting felt that even the melancholic feeling of getting targeted by Le Cheng Emperor all dispersed quite a bit.

As one can imagine, after Le Cheng Emperor saw the memorandum, just how interesting that complexion of his was. And by that time, the entire imperial court, for the most part, all knew about the matters on the memorandum. Le Cheng Emperor practically wanted to have Fu Yun Ting skinned alive. A miscalculation, truly a miscalculation. Never thought that for Fu Yun Ting, even if not having his father’s generation’s strict teachings since childhood, he was still an expert in battles.

However, the more it was like this, didn’t it more so proved that the Fu family had the ambitions of wolves? Else, why go learn those things? That’s why, the Fu family sure enough can’t be kept!

Not only the Wu’an Marquis branch, the entire Fu clan all can’t be kept, even if the closest ones with the Wu’an Marquis Manor were already outside of three relations and didn’t really come and go much. Who knows whether or not it was specifically done for him to see. Le Cheng Emperor however still didn’t regret having Fu Yun Ting sent to the battlefield, because only that way would the excuse for exterminating the clan be the easiest to find.

The court officials on one hand commended those merchants’ righteousness, while on the other hand questioned, for such a big matter, exactly who was responsible, should ought to be dragged out and severely punished. Also, with the urgent matters taken care of, they naturally should greatly focus on investigating those missing grains’ whereabout. That wasn’t just a tiny bit of grains, but several hundred thousands stones[1] of grains. This much grain absolutely wasn’t something a person or two can swallow. This was practically just a very serious embezzlement case. To not investigate, one cannot quell the people’s anger; to not investigate, one cannot face those soldiers that nearly met with mishap.

Because they didn’t know Le Cheng Emperor’s true thoughts, therefore each gave their own views, full of fervor. Le Cheng Emperor watched from above. Aside from feeling sullen, it was still just feeling sullen, nearly suffering from internal bleeding. Because, aside from his own angle, the court officials were right. If the commander wasn’t Fu Yun Ting, he would just be even angrier than them, even more so wanting to have those vermins dug out.

“Enough, all shut up for this emperor!” Le Cheng Emperor angrily shouted, massaging his pulsing temple. This matter can’t be pressed down. Once pressed down, he, this emperor, will just get called into question. Fortunately, the grains disappearing, there was indeed this matter, so it was just investigating from this side. And this matter not getting discovered and reported in time, that was also the Ministry of Revenue’s responsibility. Additionally, towards not informing the northwest army in time, he can also easily grab a scapegoat.

However, continuing like this, the court officials sooner or later will realize, towards Fu Yun Ting, towards the Wu’an Marquis Manor, and towards the Fu clan, his Majesty wasn’t just finding them unpleasant that simple, and won’t just erase past animosities because Fu Yun Ting amassed repeated military achievements, genuinely accepting and entrusting him with heavy responsibility, because Le Cheng Emperor’s emotions sooner or later will thoroughly be unable to be concealed.

It was easy to see, with such a matter of great concern, it was the Ministry of Justice and Judicial Court working together again. At the same time, Le Cheng Emperor also had the Head of the Inner Cabinet, as well as the Head Minister of Appointments added in. The latter two weren’t for investigating the case, but rather for the sake of overseeing. Additionally, a portion of the Black Clad Guards led by Li Su Yan also accompanied along to take care of possible thorny problems. The important officials of the Ministry of Revenue that were ‘carrying guilt’ also couldn’t sit out either.

Soon, this party very quickly left the capital.

Just, in less than two days after leaving the capital, they just encountered refugees.

Qi Yuan, these last two years, have had favorable weather. Even during the flood the year before last, the south never once had refugees. This year, never heard of someplace suffering from natural disaster, so where did the refugees come from?

The others looked to one another in dismay.

Ruan Rui Zhong and Luo Pei Shan were rather well aware inside, but on the surface, they similarly appeared endlessly surprised, each and every one all an expert in acting.

As the Head Cabinet Minister, assisting the emperor in handling major matters of the country, when encountering refugees, he naturally can’t ignore.

To not ask one would not know, but once asked, quite a few people nearly jumped in alarm, especially those among them that were endorsed by Rui Qinwang.

Rui Qinwang had just been ‘released from his sentence’, yet immediately caused big trouble again? The matter this time, if solidified, then it won’t just be forfeiting the salary and getting locked in confinement that simple.

Each and every one all madly roared inside. Rui Qinwang didn’t understand, but did the people by his side all not understand too? How come they just caused such a matter?

The people accompanying Rui Qinwang, although not all his people, there were still two or three of his trusted aides and advisors following along. Speaking of which, they were also quite wronged and dejected. From the beginning, they’d already told Rui Qinwang that it wasn’t appropriate. During special times, taking a bit of emergency measures was also allowed. However, Rui Qinwang refused to listen, insisting that he had an understanding inside.

They also told him that the people below in charge of collecting the grains can’t be easily trusted and need to somewhat guard against. However, Rui Qinwang just saw the peace and prosperity in the ‘square of land’ under his eyes and just said they’d thought too much. No matter how daring, it was still impossible for them to disobey him.

Saying more, yet the master won’t listen, even feeling you were annoying, no matter who all would feel cold inside.

The whereabouts of the missing grains still haven’t been investigated, yet another incident just appeared, and it was obvious that it couldn’t be ignored either. As such, the final decision was to divide into two groups.

Rui Qinwang can be said to have committed a huge blunder and most likely will get ‘escorted’ back to the capital. As such, Li Su Yan certainly will be present, and this matter was also relatively clear, so the Ministry of Justice and Judicial Court both just divided out a few people. Just, these commoners need to be arranged for, and they also need the local officials to cooperate. Thus, Ruan Rui Zhong decided to personally head over.

When Rui Qinwang saw Ruan Rui Zhong’s party, he can be said to be very shocked. Pressing down the suspicions in his heart, he exchanged a few greetings and said that he was about to have the third batch of grains sent out.

Ruan Rui Zhong stared at him, lightly sighing. His abilities were actually not bad, but unfortunately, he completely wasn’t Jin Qinwang’s opponent.

Along the way, he’d learned that those refugees, two to three hundred were actually from the nearby villages. In reality, it was still far from needing to leave one’s home. For them to do this, even avoiding the local authorities, to put it bluntly, it was just having been arranged by someone. But, because they didn’t really travel far, the twists and turns in this really wasn’t easy to investigate. Moreover, after sending them back, their place indeed didn’t have anything to eat, just feeling that in the bustling capital, with the emperor present, he will make a stand for them. Can you say that they didn’t consider things thoroughly, and that this way, they simply can’t reach the capital? Can you even say that what they did was wrong?

It was merely the bait to draw out the terrible mess Rui Qinwang caused.

So what if someone is skeptical? These commoners, no matter what is asked, they all don’t know anything. In the end, it was also nothing more than feeling that someone must have felt that Rui Qinwang was not benevolent, thus wishing to attract the imperial court’s attention. Even if unable to catch this ‘righteous person’, it was still impossible to have these ‘ignorant masses’ kacha-ed.

Ruan Rui Zhong had everything briefly explained. They needed to ‘invite’ Rui Qinwang back to the capital.

Rui Qinwang was entirely dumbstruck, completely unable to speak. Before taking the job, he was wholeheartedly thinking that this time, definitely can win imperial father’s favor, yet in the end…………..

[1] 石 – lit. stone, dry measure for grains in ancient times, equal to ten dou(斗). From what I could find about these old units of measurement, based on the 1929 reform of the measurement system, 1 stone is about 100 liters by modern definition. However I want to add that throughout the various dynasties these units of measurements differ greatly between dynasties. Basically 1 stone in the Han dynasty was about 20 liters, while 1 stone in the Song dynasty was about 70 liters. It’s quite common for units of measurements to change greatly throughout history.