***
Xia County is located in the southwest of Shanxi Province, not far from Tongguan. It was named after the capital of the Xia Dynasty, which was built here by Dayu's son. Sima Guang, who was good at breaking jars when he was a child, was from Xia County.
With Zhongtiao Mountain in the east and Jiwang Mountain in the west, the territory is rich in grapes and is currently one of the important production areas of Daqin wine.
Speaking of Xia County wine, there is an interesting story. In the Song Dynasty, Chinese people did not know how to make wine. They brewed wine cakes like white wine. As a result, the grapes they brewed were naturally bitter and astringent, and very difficult to drink. Therefore, the wine from the Western Regions was more expensive than mink fur in the Central Plains.
During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, a man from Xia County fled to Zhongtiao Mountain to escape the war. A basket of grapes drying in his home was ignored, and the grape juice naturally dripped into a sugar jar below. A few months later, the war subsided, and the owner returned home to find that the jar had turned into delicious wine.
Since then, Xia County's wine has been passed down and become famous all over the world.
The mountains near Linyao Village were covered with grapes, and almost every household nearby made wine. Kant, a 100-householder of Yebushou, led his men to Jianyao Village, posing as wine merchants, and went from village to village to buy wine while spreading false news:
"When we passed by Chang'an, we heard a piece of news related to your Xia County. I heard that there was a woman named Yang Liu in Xia County who went to Chang'an to beat the drum to appeal for her son's injustice. The emperor personally tried the case..."
"Oh, this case happened in Linyao Village, which is next to us. Yang Liu is from Linyao Village. Mr. Kang, can you tell me how the case is going now?"
"That's right, that's right, Shopkeeper Kang, tell us quickly."
"What happened? Look at what you're asking. Who is the emperor today? He can summon the plague god to be struck by thunder, and he can calculate that there are gold mines in Luzon with just a few calculations... Have you heard of this Luzon? It's far away. If the emperor today can even calculate those, then it must be easy to solve a murder case. I heard that when the emperor saw the murder weapon, he saw the fingerprints on it. Then he compared it with Yang Guan's fingerprints. Guess what?"
"How is it? Shopkeeper Kang, please stop keeping me in suspense and tell me how it is."
"Why did you have to press your fingerprints when you signed the contract? That's because everyone's fingerprints are different. If they match, then they must be the same person. But this time they don't match, which means Yang Guan is not the murderer at all."
"Ah! Yang Guan is not the murderer of Xia Niang, then who is the real murderer?"
"Yes, Shopkeeper Kang. Who is the real murderer?"
"Don't worry, let me drink some water. It's like this. After the emperor confirmed that the real murderer was someone else, he counted with his fingers and I heard that he figured out who the murderer was."
"Then why didn't the emperor send anyone to catch the real culprit?"
"Who said they didn't send it? Not only did they send it, but they arrived in a hurry."
"Boss Kang, that's not right. If the official came in a hurry, then how come the news you heard later arrived first?"
"You don't know this. I heard that the leader's horse suddenly fell down due to exhaustion from traveling day and night. He was injured and delayed for two days. I estimate that they should arrive tomorrow."
"I see. I hope the police will come soon and catch that damn murderer."
"Yes, yes, yes. It is unjust that such people should not be brought to justice."
"... ... ... "
The news spread by Kant and others spread quickly to the villages near Linyao Village like a gust of wind. Everyone in the village was talking about it, and it could be said that it spread like wildfire.
At night, Kant gathered more than a hundred night guards and set up a dragnet in Linyao Village and two neighboring villages. Kant believed that the real murderer would never be able to remain calm.
No matter who he is, if anyone moves a little bit tonight, we will arrest them all and compare their fingerprints one by one. If the real murderer can really hold his temper, we will have to work harder and compare the fingerprints of the men in the three nearby villages one by one.
It is understood that Xia Niang seldom shows up in public because she is engaged. In addition, in a mountain village like this, there are few strangers except for some merchants who come to buy wine. Therefore, it can be judged that it is unlikely that the crime was committed by an outsider.
After lurking for a night, Kant and his team caught thirteen people with abnormal behavior. One of them was named Tang Geng, who sneaked out of the house with a bag on his back at three o'clock in the morning and was the most suspicious.
After catching this man, Kant immediately took him to the back mountain and lit a fire to compare fingerprints. Before he finished the comparison, the man named Tang Geng had turned pale with fright. The final comparison result also proved that the fingerprint copied from the dagger matched the fingerprint on his right ring finger.
This was irrefutable evidence, and Kant couldn't help but laugh to his men around him, "We've found the real culprit, so the brothers don't have to work any more, just retreat."
"Yes, Master Baihu."
"Liu Yun, I'll leave the person to you. Immediately ask him to explain the course of the crime and whether there are any blood-stained clothes or other items hidden."
"Don't worry, sir. I will dig out all his eighteen generations of ancestors."
The torches went out and the mountain was pitch black. On this cold winter night, the north wind was howling across the mountains. Suddenly, a scream was heard, like the howling of ghosts and wolves. If anyone heard it, their hair would stand on end.
In less than a cup of tea, Tang Geng confessed everything and obediently took Kant and others to dig out the blood-stained clothes from his own vegetable garden.
"Call it a day." Following Kant's order, Ye Bushou and Tang Geng quickly disappeared into the night, as if nothing had happened. In the quiet mountain village, there were only a dozen people who had been captured and were still in shock.
***
In Chang'an City, Qin Mu convened a small court meeting. The officials who went to the palace were mainly the civil and military officials who accompanied the emperor, a total of only twenty-three.
After more than two months of recuperation, Ma Wannian's condition had basically improved. After changing into a military officer's court uniform, he came to the court and paid homage to Qin Mu on the throne. He said with a face full of shame, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have failed to defend Lanzhou. I have failed your Majesty's trust. Please forgive me."
Although Qin Mu and Qin Liangyu were distant relatives separated by more than ten generations, given that Qin Mu respected his sister Qin Liangyu very much and Ma Wannian was Qin Liangyu's only grandson, Sima An and others in the palace avoided mentioning the fact that Ma Wannian lost Lanzhou.
Today, Ma Wannian took the initiative to go to the palace to apologize, and everyone wanted to see how Qin Mu would deal with him.
Qin Mu turned to the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Gu Jun'en, and asked, "Mr. Gu, how should Ma Wannian be dealt with according to the law if he loses Lanzhou?"
Gu Jun'en had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer, "Your Majesty, General Ma was the commander-in-chief, and the loss of Lanzhou is unforgivable, but there are extenuating circumstances."
"excusable?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. General Ma's family has fought for two dynasties for generations and is loyal to the country. The loss of Lanzhou this time was not due to General Ma's negligence. He was injured by a stray arrow and could no longer command the army, which led to the defeat of Lanzhou. The responsibility is not entirely on General Ma."
Qin Mu said calmly, "I believe that my sister would never want her grandson to shirk responsibility. Gu Qing, don't worry. Just deal with it according to the law. I will personally explain to my sister."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"General Wan, you haven't fully recovered yet, go back and take good care of yourself."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. Long live your Majesty. Long live your Majesty. Long, long live your Majesty."
After Ma Wannian withdrew, Sima An and others thought that the emperor would talk about the case of Yang Guan's murder. This case has now triggered a trend of "presumption of innocence" and "presumption of guilt", which is getting more and more intense. Everyone in the market is talking about it.
However, unexpectedly, Qin Mu did not mention this matter and instead talked about planting trees.
"The 800-li Qinchuan Plain nourished the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties. However, since the Tang Dynasty, Guanzhong has gradually become dilapidated. The lower reaches of the Yellow River have also frequently changed their course, causing shocking disasters time and time again.
Overgrazing has turned many grasslands that were once lush and green into deserts, and excessive reclamation and logging have caused serious soil erosion in Guanzhong and the Loess Plateau.
My dear ministers, if our Great Qin wants to establish a lasting foundation, we cannot just focus on the present. Water and soil management in Guanzhong and the upper reaches of the Yellow River must be started immediately. We must reduce grazing, reduce reclamation, strictly prohibit logging, and encourage tree planting. This series of measures must be formulated as soon as possible. "
Before Qin Mu ascended the throne, he issued an edict prohibiting the random cutting of trees when he went to Guanzhong to worship the mausoleum. However, the war was not over at that time, and everyone thought that the emperor just issued the edict on a whim and did not pay much attention to it.
After hearing what Qin Mu said, the ministers in the palace realized that the emperor was serious this time.
Sima An thought to himself that the emperor suppressed the issue of the prince's relocation and the current trend, and instead discussed the management of the water and soil in the upper reaches of the Yellow River;
At first glance, the emperor seemed to be incoherent, but after repeated reflection, Sima An felt that things were not that simple. The emperor probably had a grand and comprehensive plan, but it had not yet surfaced. (To be continued...)
...