Zhong Li Kuang, who was meeting guests in the main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion, was also shocked when he heard the report. He thought, "Didn't Qiu Yizhi go out to be a county magistrate? How come he has returned to the capital in less than three months? Moreover, he didn't even tell me before returning to the capital. He is really too bold."
Zhongli Kuang was so preoccupied that he forgot that there were two vice ministers and a minister from the Ministry of Works sitting in front of him, and even forgot that they were discussing the important matter of dredging the canal. He just sat there in a daze with his tea in hand.
The Minister of Works, Lu Jia, was so anxious that he kept calling out, "Prime Minister, Prime Minister!"
Zhong Li Kuang finally came to his senses from his deep thoughts and said, "I know what you are doing. You should go back and make a budget. I will discuss it with His Majesty and then submit it to His Majesty for his decision. You should know that the emperor is kind and will exempt the people from paying taxes in turn. It is not easy to get money from the Ministry of Revenue. You should make your budget more detailed and tight so that no one can find fault with it. Do you understand?"
Zhongli Kuang had been in charge of the central government for several months, and the ministers in the court had already accumulated a great deal of fear in their hearts for this prime minister who was usually stern and spoke very harshly. Therefore, although Lu Jia was also an old minister, when he heard Zhongli Kuang's question, he could only nod and agree repeatedly.
But he changed the subject and said, "I am already over 60 years old this year, and I am really unable to handle the trivial affairs of the Ministry of Works. I just want to go home and enjoy the happiness of family. If the Prime Minister is free, can you report to the emperor on my behalf and say that I am old and weak and can't bear to drive. Please allow me to retire and go home."
Before Lu Jia finished speaking, Zheng Xin stepped into the hall and said with a smile, "Master Lu, are you clamoring to retire again? In my opinion, you are indeed old, and it is right for you to go home and hug your grandson. I will find a chance to talk to my father about this matter."
When Lu Jia heard this, he saw that it was the emperor coming down, and hurriedly stood up to bow, but Zheng Xin held him back and said, "Lord Lu is a veteran minister of three dynasties, how can I bear your bow? If my father knew about this, wouldn't he scold me for being ignorant?"
Lu Jia was moved by what he heard and said hurriedly: "Your Highness is indeed considerate of my heart! My retirement and return home all depend on your Highness."
Zhong Li Kuang on the side disagreed and said, "I have reported this to the emperor many times. The emperor said: The emperor's brother was in poor health in his later years and was lazy in government affairs. It was Lu Jia's credit that he was able to maintain the passes and water transport in various parts of the Han Dynasty. Although Lu Jia is old, he has sharp ears and eyes and is in good spirits. The details of the Ministry of Works can be handed over to his subordinates, and Lu Jia sitting in the center of the ministry and commanding will not tire him out. The above is the original words of the emperor, please pay attention to it."
Since it was the emperor Zheng Rong's holy will, Lu Jia had to give up the idea of retiring and bowed to Zhongli Kuang as a sign of agreement.
Zheng Xin smiled and said, "It seems that my father still thinks highly of Lord Lu! Recently, someone gave me some wild ginseng, and I think they are of excellent quality. I will go back and select three top-quality ones to send to Lord Lu's residence to nourish his body!"
Although Lu Jia was unable to retire, he felt proud to receive such a reward and thanked Zheng Xin repeatedly.
Zheng Xin turned to the two vice ministers of the Ministry of Works and said, "Lord Lu is over 60 after all, so you need to pay more attention to the trivial affairs of the Ministry. You can also take this opportunity to learn more skills from the old man. Maybe in two years, the emperor will show mercy and allow you to retire. At that time, the vacant position of the Minister of Works may be chosen from one of you two!"
The two assistant ministers of the Ministry of Works were naturally delighted when they heard this, and hurriedly stood up and bowed.
Zhongli Kuang, who was standing by, naturally felt that it was a bit inappropriate to see Zheng Xin winning people's hearts in this way, but it was inconvenient to stop him on the spot in public. He also saw Qiu Yi following closely behind him, so he thought that he must have something important to discuss with him.
Zhong Li Kuang then said to several high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Works with a gloomy face: "Have you all taken note of what I just said? I have something important to discuss with His Highness, so you may leave first!"
He said this in a very cold and stern manner, without leaving any room for maneuver. The Shangshu and the two vice ministers were horrified after hearing this. They dared not say another word and left in a hurry.
Seeing them leave, Zhongli Kuang was about to give Zheng Xin some advice, telling him not to show favors too easily, thus disrupting the order of the court. But he thought that things were different now, he was no longer a teacher in the small Youyan Palace, and Zheng Xin was no longer the little prince who was respectful to him in the past, so he had to swallow the words on his lips and just gave Zheng Xin a cold look.
However, just this one glance made Zheng Xin feel uncomfortable all over. He quickly changed the subject and said, "Master, look who's coming?" After that, he grabbed Qiu Yizi and blocked him in front of him.
Qiu Yizhi was caught by him and was immediately confused. Suddenly, he remembered the dignity of a teacher, so he immediately knelt down, kowtowed several times, and said, "Yizhi, I am honored."
Zhongli Kuang said expressionlessly: "Get up. Let me ask you, why did you come back to the capital when you were doing your job as the magistrate of Shanyin County?"
Qiu Yizi stood up, brushed the dust off his knees, and said, "I am here for Shanyin County. I have just arrived in the county for less than a month, and a major case has occurred. I would like to ask you for advice on how to handle it."
Zhongli Kuang nodded and said, "Your idea is good. However, the Han Dynasty has a population of one million and tens of millions. How many cases can be reported in one day? If every county magistrate is like you, and goes to the capital to appeal every time a case is reported, then wouldn't the capital be filled with officials from all over the country?"
Qiu Yizi bowed and said, "Master, your teaching is correct. However, the circumstances of this case are very complicated and strange, and the attitudes of my two superiors are also very ambiguous. I really have no choice but to come here to ask for your advice."
As he spoke, Qiu Yizi handed the document he had written to Zhongli Kuang, and briefly explained the right and wrong of this "Strange Case of Thirteen Lives", and explained in detail the attitudes of the prefect Cai Min and the governor Yin Chengliang towards the case.
The more Zhongli Kuang listened, the more serious he became, and a layer of gloom gradually covered his face.
He listened patiently to Qiu Yizhi's words, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Zheng Xin say, "I know this Yin Chengliang. He has always claimed to be a gentleman, and he is also a relatively honest official. How come he is so confused when it comes to cases?"
Qiu Yizi frowned and said, "I'm afraid this is not a stupid thing... I'm afraid it's..."
As soon as Qiu Yizhi opened his mouth, Zhong Likuang guessed what he was going to say next, so he interrupted and asked, "So what are your plans for the next step?"
Qiu Yizhi glanced at Zhongli Kuang and said carefully, "In my opinion, if this case is handled seriously, it will inevitably stir up the Jiangnan officialdom; if it is covered up, I am afraid that Jiangnan will continue to be corrupted, and it will be difficult to reassure the people!"
Zhongli Kuang listened to Qiu Yizhi's words word by word, and then said: "It's good that you think this way! I think this case is not a big one, but it involves a lot of people. It also involves official scandals, so it is indeed not something that can be handled arbitrarily. You did the right thing by coming to the capital to inquire about this case in person, and it is not in vain for your experience in the past few years."
Zhongli Kuang has always been mean and cunning, and he rarely praises his students. Qiu Yizi was very moved that he could say this today.
Zheng Xin, who had not spoken for a long time, was a little jealous and said quickly, "I think this matter cannot be taken lightly. How about I go back and write a memorial and I will personally take it to the emperor and let him make the decision?"
Qiu Yizi also meant this, nodded, and was about to agree.
But Zhongli Kuang said firmly: "Yizhi, there is no need to go back. I will go to see the emperor with your elder brother. In my opinion, your matter is the most important matter in the world. There is no time to lose. You should come with us to see the emperor."
Qiu Yizhi didn't expect Zhongli Kuang to be so anxious, but she didn't dare to disobey him, and quickly agreed in unison: "It's just that I'm not wearing official uniform, so I'm going to see the emperor now, isn't it a bit impolite?"
Zheng Xin smiled and said, "You are a seventh-rank official. Even if you wear an official uniform, what can it matter? You, Qiu Yizi, have been the county magistrate for only three days, and you have become so nagging. Come with us to the palace." After that, he pulled Qiu Yizi and walked out the door.
Zhongli Kuang's residence was right next to the imperial city, so the three of them did not bother taking a sedan chair or riding a horse. They walked together and in less than a cup of tea, they arrived at the main entrance of the imperial city.
The Royal Guards guarding the imperial city saw that it was His Highness and Prime Minister Zhongli who came, so they walked around them to verify their identities, and then let them in very respectfully.
When it was Qiu Yi's turn, the gatekeeper stopped him and asked, "Who are you?"
Seeing this, Zheng Xin, who had already entered the imperial city, turned back and said to the soldier, "This is the person I want to take to see the emperor. Please make an exception and let him in."
The soldier was very responsible and said, "Early this morning, our leader said that we must strictly guard the place. No matter who it is, we must verify their identity before letting them in. If I break the rules, I will be scolded, and if something goes wrong, my life will be in danger. Please understand my difficulties, Your Highness!"
After hearing such a long speech, Zheng Xin became impatient and said, "You are just a soldier, but you have to follow so many rules. Who is your leader? Ask him to come out and talk!"
Qiu Yizhi quickly stopped Zheng Xin and said, "Brother, why do you have to get angry with him?"
Then he pulled out a small box from his bosom, took out an object from it, handed it to the soldier and said, "This is what the emperor gave me. He said that with this, I can enter the palace at will. Show it to me!"
Zheng Xin looked closely and saw that it was the name card used by his father when he was still the King of Youyan. He never expected that he had given it to Qiu Yizi at some point. He felt sour in his heart. He finally calmed down and vented his anger by scolding the soldier: "Look carefully, with such a treasure, can't I get past you?"
Although the soldier knew a few words, he didn't know where the item came from, so he hurriedly called out to his superior to come over and check it out. Before he finished speaking, a general wearing the uniform of a military inspector came over quickly to check the situation.
It turned out that this inspector was also a guard at the Prince of Youyan's Palace. Not only did he know the origin of the business card, he was also very familiar with Qiu Yizi. He quickly bowed and said, "I didn't expect that it was Prince Yi who was coming. Why didn't you inform me in advance so that I could come out to greet him?" As he said that, he returned the business card in his hand to Qiu Yizi and invited him into the palace.
The soldier was quite straightforward and reminded: "General, this person has not been identified yet, so you can't let him into the palace casually!"
Zheng Xin grinned at the inspector and said, "Look at the soldiers you brought out! They are really impervious to all kinds of attacks!"
The inspector was immediately panicked when he heard the eldest prince's sarcastic remarks. He scolded the subordinate, "Are you still not done yet? You seem to be quite smart on weekdays, but why are you so stubborn today? I think you should not come here to work from tomorrow. I will transfer you to do odd jobs outside!"
Qiu Yizi tried to smooth things over, saying, "He is also loyal to his duties, and he has the style of our old Youyan army. You must not embarrass him."
After saying that, Qiu Yizi took a step forward and strode towards the imperial city, no longer paying attention to the inspector and soldiers guarding the gate. (To be continued)