Time flies by like a white horse, and another month has passed in the blink of an eye. It was late autumn, and it had been more than two months since Qin Mubai and the others set off from Chang'an.
In the past month or so, Qin Mubai has basically not been involved in the case anymore, but has been assisting Li Ke in relieving the people. Winter is about to begin, and the victims must prepare their supplies for the winter in advance. There are quite a lot of people from two or three counties. From civil affairs to military affairs, Li Ke was required to make the final decision on all slightly larger matters. Because of this, Li Ke has obviously lost weight over the past period of time. The little belly fat that he had gained from being pampered and doing nothing in the palace has disappeared. Although the whole person looks a little haggard, he looks more capable.
After spending more than a month together, Qin Mubai got to know Li Ke even deeper. Before, Li Ke gave him a general feeling that he was smart, capable, wealthy, young and mature. After more than a month of busy work, Qin Mubai saw the pragmatic and down-to-earth side of Li Ke.
Qin Mubai never expected that a prince who had lived in the capital since childhood and grew up in the palace would be so familiar with the government affairs of local states and counties, and he would be familiar with all kinds of things without any awkwardness. Now, he has an account of the money, grain, and armor in every warehouse up and down Jiangzhou. He knows which embankments need to be reinforced and where the victims are still short of cold clothes and winter mattresses. In addition, he can memorize all officials and even ordinary people who have had a chance encounter with him and will never make a mistake. Qin Mubai was amazed by his powerful memory.
Moreover, the aloof Li Ke does not only know how to command. He would even go up to the embankment to carry wood and earth to strengthen the flood defenses. He would also take off his shoes and go down to the flooded fields to inspect the damaged crop fields with the victims to determine the damage. When he was tired from work or missed the time, he would lie down on the ground and sleep like a common man, eating some dry food that ordinary soldiers and common men would eat to satisfy his hunger.
Maybe it was for show, maybe he wanted to do something sincerely, in short, the current Li Ke has changed, and he is no longer the former Prince Taiping who was idle in the palace. Officials and people of all sizes in Jiangzhou all praised him for his diligence, pragmatism and dedication to the people.
In just two months, Li Ke gained a lot of hearts and reputation in the Jiangzhou area.
What Qin Mubai did the most was direct the soldiers to do things. In fact, they are the real main force in disaster relief and people's relief. It is difficult for ordinary civilians to organize, and most of their families have suffered disasters, so it is difficult to recruit them forcefully. Recruiting civilian laborers from other places is also more difficult and costly. As a result, Qin Mubai became a "foreman". General Li Ke made the overall decision and was busy "putting on a show". Qin Mubai was the real "project manager". He had nearly 10,000 soldiers who were mobilized according to his instructions and were busy traveling between several counties to help the victims rebuild their houses. , delivering money, food and materials, etc.
In the past two months, Qin Mubai has been really busy. This is busier than at any time in Baiqi. From when I get up in the morning to when I close my eyes at night, there is almost no time to sit down and drink a glass of water. I often eat on horseback. The two or three disaster-stricken counties, large or small, are hundreds of miles away. It is common to be in County A in the morning, County B in the evening, and County C again early the next morning.
Overall, Qin Mubai has really learned something in the past two months. Local states and counties are different from those in the imperial palace. There are more people here. If people are distracted, they will easily disperse, and it will be difficult to lead the team. It is much more difficult to do things now than when Bai Qi gave an order and no one dared to do anything.
Especially during disasters, people instinctively want to survive and often become more excited, sensitive and even violent. People from the two villages often quarreled over uneven relief distributed by the imperial court, and there were cases of conflicts between victims wielding hoes. In the past two months, Qin Mubai led people to suppress and appease such conflicts no less than ten times, many of which were bloody. A group of people were also arrested, but most of them were released after being comforted and persuaded. After all, they were all citizens of the Tang Dynasty. They lost their homes and property due to disasters, and some of them had people die in their families. It is understandable how they felt.
Man-made disasters are often more terrifying than natural disasters. No wonder the emperor sent troops during disaster relief. Because a civil commotion may occur at any time during a disaster!
While Li Ke and Qin Mubai were busy with these matters, Quan Wanji's private investigation of the case was also carried out very quickly and covertly.
During several in-depth conversations with him, Qin Mubai learned that Quan Wanji was almost 100% sure that the mastermind behind the Jiangzhou case was Shengnan Hou Zhang Tianci. Starting from embezzlement of flood control funds allocated by the court, and then to the floods that flooded Jishan City, the murder of Zhu Chengwen, the forced evictions of victims and looting of property, and the purchase of old rice at low prices and passing it off as good quality and sent it to the army as military rations for disaster relief... this Everything was done by the conspiracy of Zhang Tianci and his group.
The criminals naturally include Cheng Songnian, the governor of Jiangzhou, Ma Kun, the military commander of Jiangzhou Prefecture, and Liao Lirong, the county commander of Jishan County. The suicide note did not surprise Qin Mubai. It was forged by Liao Lirong, under the arrangement and instruction of Cheng Songnian, by imitating the handwriting of his boss and "confidant friend" Zhu Chengwen. Now, the most important witness, Liao Lirong, has confessed, and Qin Mubai has cleverly set up a name to publicize that he sent him to the capital to urge the court to issue relief money and food. In fact, he has been captured by Baiqi, who is secretly and tightly controlled. Protected.
Now, all the evidence is conclusive. As long as the emperor orders Yushitai and Dali Temple to approve the documents and send people, Sheng Nanhou and his group can be arrested and brought to justice at any time.
The investigation of the case has reached this level, and the truth has basically been revealed. It is time for the final showdown. Quan Wanji went to Qin Mubai to discuss how to deal with this last important step.
Qin Mubai thought for a long time and said, "Mr. Quan, I think we need to perform two big plays now."
"How to act?" Quan Wanji asked.
"The first big drama was used to confuse ordinary people." Qin Mubai said, "Now, I have to give in to Mr. Quan and break up with His Highness the King of Wu. You might as well find an excuse to have a big quarrel, it's best The more people know about it, the better. This will pave the way for future events.”
Quan Wanji frowned, thought for a moment and then nodded: "That's very good. At that time, King Wu concealed the case of Sheng Nanhou and did not report it, but I suddenly betrayed him and revealed the matter to the emperor. With me and King Wu With the previous conflicts as a foreshadowing, everything will seem to go as it should.”
"It's just... I have to feel wronged, sir." Qin Mubai sighed softly, "Sir, you are always upright and upright, and you have a deep relationship with the King of Wu as a teacher and student. Now... you are asked to openly confront the King of Wu and make trouble with him. Falling out and telling the truth is tantamount to being accused of betrayal.”
"Haha! Those who achieve great things don't stick to trivial matters!" Quan Wanji laughed without scruples, "What does a little slander and false reputation mean? It is the duty of a minister to be loyal to the person he is responsible for and die as a minister. Don't say it is to suffer a little. It’s unjust, even if I sacrifice this head for the sake of the emperor and the king of Wu, I will not hesitate to do so!”
"Hmm... Okay." Qin Mubai nodded solemnly and continued, "I will perform this second scene for His Majesty the Emperor. Before leaving, His Majesty the Emperor gave me and King Wu a I have the authority to directly submit a secret report, and if there are any major opportunities or undecided matters, I will report it to the emperor for decision. I will ask the King of Wu to write a secret report to the emperor, but I will only talk about the urgent need for money and food, lack of manpower, and the local officials' disobedience. In short, I did not mention the case. But I secretly reported the case to the emperor in detail, and vaguely insinuated that the king of Wu had the intention of protecting the criminals and not allowing me to pursue Sheng Nanhou. This preconception left an impression on the emperor. The emperor would think that the king of Wu knew the truth, but he deliberately stopped the investigation because it involved the prince. However, I had a bad relationship with the king of Wu and secretly complained to him. After the conflict between Mr. Quan and the King of Wu, he revealed the matter directly to the court to show that the King of Wu wanted to protect the prince and betrayed his family. "Mr. Quan, what do you think?"
"Very good! Appropriate!" Quan Wanji said these two words in a deep voice and chuckled, "These two strategies are enough to confuse everyone. On the surface, it seems that King Wu would rather resist the decree because he does not want to involve the prince. The emperor will definitely punish us for having a quarrel with the two of us, but he will also be secretly happy. Furthermore, your secret report and my public impeachment will make the case known to the emperor and be made public, which will win the victory over Nanhou. Such evil thieves will never escape justice! This is so wonderful!"
"Actually, I have another intention." Qin Mubai paused mid-sentence and said softly, "What does the emperor hate the most? He hates that his ministers form cliques and collude to deceive him, or that the needle cannot penetrate the water. Those who don’t want to join Lashantou form a gang. Among the people sent by the emperor this time, Wu Shang and you and I are the three most important. Therefore, we behave in discord in front of the emperor, especially when we come together to oppose it. King Wu, on the other hand, will be more convincing to the emperor, which will make the emperor think that we are not following King Wu's instructions and are telling lies. If the three of us speak the same words, the emperor will become suspicious and think that we have colluded. "
"That makes sense!" Quan Wanji caressed his short beard, looked at Qin Mubai with his old eyes, and said with a smile, "Young people are terrible! I didn't expect General Qin, who was only twenty years old, to be like this You are resourceful and have a deep understanding of people's hearts. No wonder you are able to become a hundred knights, gain a foothold in the palace, and gain the emperor's trust. It turns out that you are so wise and clever that you are almost a monster!"
"Sir, that's ridiculous!" Qin Mubai said with a bitter smile, "I have been with the emperor for a long time, and I have to learn to think more about things. The more I think about it, the more I will become a little bit lazy."
"Why be too modest!" Quan Wanji suddenly changed his expression, pointed at Qin Mubai seriously, and said in a deep voice, "You will definitely have a bright future in the future. I am never wrong when I judge people!"