"Mother, am I wrong?" Fu Zhiyu couldn't help asking Yuan Wanyun on the way back in the carriage, "Why is it like this again? We have already left the palace, but we still have to encounter these insidious moves that are not presentable."
Yuan Wanyun felt sorry for him and slowly stroked her son's soft hair.
"It's not your fault," she comforted him, "Xiaobao did nothing wrong, but sometimes things can't always go as you wish."
Fu Zhiyu felt extremely exhausted. He thought again, many things cannot be considered in terms of right or wrong. If he had established a little prestige when he first arrived in Jiangnan, based on his status, who would be so bold as to take action in such an occasion
Now that the matter is over, if he and the others want to take action next, it would not be a big deal if they only target him, but he is afraid that it will affect other people.
He was already frustrated, but what if they targeted his mother? What if, like in the original novel, they were eyeing the entire Yuan family with their eyes wide open
He didn't speak for a long time in the carriage. Yuan Wanyun knew that he was in a bad mood and needed to be alone for a while, so he didn't disturb him anymore.
Fu Zhiyu was not a person without temper, and he could not easily tolerate this anger. Even if he calmed down, rationally speaking, if he took a step back at this time, others might think he was easier to bully.
Since he came to Jiangnan, he was afraid that his arrival would make people uneasy and disturb their normal lives, so he insisted that everything run as it was, and he relaxed a lot.
Yuan Jiangxing received the imperial edict and led troops to guard Jiangnan. He was obviously a man with military power. Even Emperor Qingyuan could not control him before. He was very free to do whatever he wanted. After arriving in Jiangnan, because of Fu Zhiyu's style, he was always very polite to others. Yuan Jiangwen also always relied on himself to do business and never relied on Fu Zhiyu's power to engage in malicious competition. Instead, the family lived more cautiously than before.
Now it seems that he was wrong to do this, as it makes people feel that he can just step on it for fun, right
Fu Zhiyu didn't sleep all night, and he seemed to have made a decision in his heart.
The next day, Yuan Jiangxing learned about this matter.
After a brief discussion with Fu Zhiyu, he led his troops directly to the residence of the Luanzhou prefect. Early in the morning, they rudely pulled the sleeping Luanzhou prefect out of his bed. Four soldiers almost lifted him up and dragged him to the lobby outside.
"What are you doing!" The governor was anxious. He was used to being a tyrant and hadn't been so embarrassed in a long time. "Do you know who I am? Are you so barbaric? Put me down!"
This matter was not suitable for the public to watch, so Fu Zhiyu asked people to close the door. The ground of Luanzhou Prefecture's Mansion was very large, and after the door was closed, no sound from inside could be heard outside.
In front of the hall, the maids and servants of the prefect's mansion were kneeling on the ground, and the prefect himself was pressed at the front, unable to move.
Fu Zhiyu sat on a chair in the middle of the lobby. He was dressed formally, which was unusual for him today. The Luanzhou prefect was still wearing his sleeping jacket. When he looked up at him, he saw the four-clawed golden dragon embroidered on his clothes.
Once he made up his mind, he acted quickly.
Fu Zhiyu was the only king in the court who was granted fiefdom and ceded land. The emperor awarded him clothes with a four-clawed golden dragon, which was only a step away from the five-clawed golden dragon of the highest authority.
Everyone knows that Fu Zhiyu is very special, and there are all kinds of rumors. Some say that he once saved the life of the current emperor and has an unusual relationship with the Xie family, which is why he has such a noble status.
So, at first, no one dared to touch him, and they were very cautious, for fear of getting into trouble. But as time went on, it seemed... nothing happened
The emperor has not been to Jiangnan for three years, and the Xie family seems to have forgotten about this place. The new King of Jiangnan does not care about things. Except for not accepting visiting cards and not seeing people, he is easy to talk to about other things. Such a gentle temperament makes people have strange thoughts.
The entire Jiangnan region belongs to Fu Zhiyu. If this person is easy to control, wouldn’t this be a great opportunity
This incense burner is just a test.
The Luanzhou governor was forced to his knees by the soldiers. He actually knew clearly why this happened. However, Fu Zhiyu had always been very polite and courteous to him before. He looked like he had a good temper and was easy to deceive. Now he was sitting in front of the hall with his brows lowered, and he didn't seem to be very angry. He was just drinking tea.
Maybe only the Yuan family knew about it, and Yuan Jiangxing was just angry. It was normal for him to vent his anger for his nephew.
The Luanzhou governor comforted himself. He felt that he had some confidence in his heart and dared to look up at Fu Zhiyu.
At this time, he had not yet taken seriously the situation that he saw three incense sticks penetrating the bottom of the copper burner when he checked it yesterday. He just looked at Fu Zhiyu's gentle appearance. The deep-rooted impression of the past three years was not so easy to shake. He felt that as long as he pretended to be innocent, he could get away with it.
"Prince Zhao," the governor of Luanzhou looked aggrieved, "What are you doing...?"
Fu Zhiyu put down the teacup in his hand, looked down at him, and said, "What? Are you still playing dumb with me?"
The Luanzhou prefect was in charge of all matters concerning sacrifice, and he was the one who came to me to explain the procedures, so it was impossible for him not to know about these steps.
Fu Zhiyu wanted to know from him who was behind this and who was instructing him to do this.
"What are you talking about?" The governor of Luanzhou looked confused. "Did I do anything wrong?"
Fu Zhiyu kindly reminded him again: "Yesterday, about the sacrifice."
"Is there anything going on with the sacrifice?" He still looked confused. "Isn't everything going well? Look, the temple fair is about to start today, it's very lively outside, and there are still a lot of things to do at the government office..."
Fu Zhiyu put down the teacup, rubbed his eyebrows, and sighed.
It turns out that one should not be too nice to others. Things have come to this point, and this person still dares to play dumb in front of him. This is enough to show how much room for imagination his previous actions gave to others, so that they thought they could get away with it this way, and even started to talk about other things.
Fu Zhiyu raised his hand and made a gentle downward gesture.
Yuan Jiangxing understood and took a step forward. His words could be heard throughout the hall.
"Thirty military sticks, beat him first. If he faints, pour a basin of cold water on him. Continue after he wakes up."
The governor of Luanzhou had never been beaten with a military stick in his life. He even had a smile on his face and thought Fu Zhiyu was just trying to scare him.
But when the soldiers brought up the executioner's tools, he felt something was wrong.
“Wait… wait!”
But the soldiers did not listen to him. They put him on a wooden bench and tied his hands and feet.
The governor was still wearing his sleeping clothes, which had almost no ability to withstand blows. When he was hit by a solid military stick, he trembled all over and then let out a howl like a pig being slaughtered.
"Too noisy," Fu Zhiyu said, "Find something to cover his mouth."
During the short moment when he was looking for the cloth strip, he had already been hit by the third stick. In fact, the governor of Luanzhou could not bear the first stick. The soldiers Yuan Jiangxing brought with him were all his former soldiers, who used to guard the border. Naturally, they were much more severe than those detectives in the government.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything!"
"No, there's still time to talk after you've been beaten with thirty military sticks," Fu Zhiyu said, "I also brought two doctors with you, so you won't die. I gave you chances, twice, but you didn't cherish them and turned a deaf ear to my words."
Killing the chicken to scare the monkey and to frighten the tiger, there is no reason to let it go easily.
After the thirty blows of military sticks, the prefect had already fainted. The entire government was silent, and no one dared to come out to stop them.
"Bring a basin of cold water." Yuan Jiangxing glanced at him, "Didn't he want to talk? Now it's his turn to speak."
It is the beginning of spring now, and the weather is still cold in the morning. Many people still have to wear cotton clothes at this time. The water just drawn from the well is freezing cold. After a bucket of water is poured down, the unconscious person wakes up immediately.
After being beaten with a stick, the prefect's face turned red with anger. He struggled a few times on the bench, but couldn't stand up, so he stared at Fu Zhiyu with eyes as if he wanted to eat him alive.
"You're crazy!" He didn't dare to say anything else outrageous, considering the soldiers still surrounding him. "You, you, you don't have the law! I'm an official appointed by the court. What law do I have to use to carry out lynching?!"
The governor of Luanzhou must have really gotten used to the carefree life in the past three years and is now extremely angry. When he said this, Fu Zhiyu even laughed.
"I think you are confused. Thirty military sticks have not yet awakened you," Fu Zhiyu said. He slowly stood up from his seat and looked down at him. "I am the King of Jiangnan. Jiangnan is my fiefdom. I am the king here."
The Luanzhou prefect was speechless, his teeth were clenched and cold sweat broke out on his face.
"Who instructed you to do this?" Fu Zhiyu asked him.
The governor knew that this was almost an ultimatum. If he didn't say anything at this point, it would probably not be something that could be resolved with thirty military sticks.
The soldiers behind him were on full alert, waiting for Fu Zhiyu's order.
"The Deng and Qian families asked me to help," he said quickly, "I..."
"You want to test my abilities, too, don't you?" Fu Zhiyu raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "You have so many ideas."
Luanzhou City is the capital of Jiangnan and also the most prosperous place here. In the past, there was a Jiangnan Governor in charge of it. When Fu Zhiyu came, the governor could no longer control him, so he became the most powerful official in Jiangnan and became powerful.
"To be honest, I am not without responsibility. When I first came to Jiangnan, you definitely wouldn't dare to do anything," Fu Zhiyu sighed, "I thought it was simple. Since you have received the order, you can't just leave it alone. If you continue like this, problems will arise sooner or later."
"You..." The Luanzhou governor looked at him and uttered only one word before being interrupted by Fu Zhiyu.
"But if there is a problem, it must be solved," Fu Zhiyu continued, "so from now on, you are no longer the governor of Luanzhou."
"you… !"
Fu Zhiyu waved his hand and said, "Don't get excited. You should have thought of this the moment I walked in."
He is not a fool, how could he be allowed to remain as an official
"Let your uncle temporarily take over the duties of the governor of Luanzhou," Fu Zhiyu bowed his head and said to Yuan Jiangxing, "You have many people you can trust, and they can be used in various handovers. Jiangnan is so big, I don't believe that you can't find a few people who can be used. Why do you have to use this person with ulterior motives?"