The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0741 Great Waves

The common people of Buxian County in Cangzhou📹 rose in rebellion, seizing the granaries and killing the local magistrate and county deputy. Although the uprising was swiftly quelled, the Emperor still dispatched an Imperial Envoy upon hearing about it.

The Imperial Envoy sent by the Emperor was Chiang Jing, who was also Yuchenʼs cousin. Since Yuchen became Empress, the Emperor had also come to value members of the Chiang family. It was not that Yuchen was unwilling to promote her maternal family, but rather that several descendants of the third branch of the Han family were all ʼAdou, who cannot be helped. Even Han Jingyan remained only a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and was never promoted.

Chiang Jing, however, was highly capable. After arriving in Cangzhou📹, he quickly discovered the cause. It turned out that the Magistrate of Buxian County had imposed harsh and excessive taxes. Aside from all kinds of heavy levies, as the New Year approached, he even demanded that everyone pay a ʼbraid taxʼ. As the name suggests, this tax was levied on anyone with a braid. Those yamen runners were no different from bandits—if they couldnʼt collect taxes, they would seize chickens and drag away dogs. If there were nothing left, they would take people as collateral. By the end of the year, many commoners could no longer survive, which led them to revolt.

After reading the memorial, the Emperor ordered the immediate execution of the magistrate and the other officials involved, and the public display of their heads.

No one objected to the Emperorʼs decision.

After the court session had ended, Yan Wushuang smiled at the Eldest Master Yu and said, ”With such heavy taxation in Buxian County, only a little over forty thousand taels of silver were confiscated. Donʼt you find that strange, Eldest Master Yu?” That region of Cangzhou📹 was rotten to the core. More precisely, the local officials had all become local emperors.

Eldest Master Yu looked wary as he asked back, ”What is Duke Yan trying to say?”

Yan Wushuang smiled. ”What could I possibly say? Iʼm merely a bit puzzled. Since Eldest Master Yu doesnʼt wish to speak, then forget it.” After speaking, he strode out of the palace.

The Eldest Master Yu watched Yan Wushuangʼs departing figure. Among all the officials in the Imperial Court, Yan Wushuang was the one he found hardest to read. When he acted, he was extremely ruthless, yet aside from that, he showed no other unusual behaviour.

Upon arriving at the inner palace, the Emperorʼs face was filled with anger.

Yuchen already knew about the situation in Cangzhou📹. Seeing the Emperorʼs expression, how could she not know the reason? So she brought him a cup of hot tea. ”Have some tea and calm your anger.”

The Emperor did not take the tea, however, and instead said, ”I entrusted him with such an important responsibility, and this is how he handles the affairs?” How could the Emperor not know that there was something fishy behind the Buxian matter? It was just that the officials below were protecting one another, and Chiang Jing had not pointed out anything improper, so the Emperor had no grounds to rectify Cangzhou📹.

Yuchen placed the tea on the golden nanmu🔗 table, sat beside the Emperor, and softly inquired, ”Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?”

The Emperor threw the memorial from his sleeve onto the table and said, ”See for yourself whatʼs going on.” They claimed disasters had occurred to those above, so not only were there no taxes, but they also requested disaster relief from the Imperial Court. Meanwhile, they imposed harsh, excessive taxes on the common people, making it impossible for them to survive, and thereby triggering uprisings and rebellions.

Thinking of this, the Emperor slammed his palm onto the golden nanmu🔗 table and barked, ”They all deserve to be k!lled.”

The teacup shook violently from the impact and spilt its contents. Yuchen was greatly startled and quickly called to Shiqin, ”Bring burn medicine at once!”

The Emperor waved his hand. ”Thereʼs no need to make a fuss. I wasnʼt scalded.” The tea hadnʼt even touched the Emperorʼs hand at all.

Yuchen examined the memorial carefully, only to find that it contained bland, overly proper writing. She frowned slightly. ”Your Majesty, did Biaoge not submit a secret memorial?” Even Yuchen knew that confiscating more than forty thousand taels of silver from the county magistrateʼs residence was not right. If the magistrate had only embezzled that amount, it wouldnʼt have driven the common people to rebellion. Therefore, there must be an issue with where the money went, yet this memorial did not mention it at all.

The Emperor said coldly, ”There was no secret memorial.” If there had been one, he wouldnʼt be this angry. Back then, Chiang Jing was appointed as the Imperial Envoy not only because he was capable, but also because the Chiang family supported him. Yet he never expected such a result—how could he not be furious?

Yuchen shook her head. ”Impossible—he must have submitted a secret memorial.” Even she knew there was more to this case, so how could Chiang Jing have found nothing? As for the possibility that Chiang Jing had discovered something but chosen not to report it, Yuchen felt that was highly unlikely.

The Emperorʼs expression changed instantly as he asked, ”You mean the secret memorial was intercepted?” If an openly submitted memorial were stopped, that wouldnʼt be strange. After all, it passed through several hands, so if even one step went wrong, it wouldnʼt reach the Imperial desk. However, a secret memorial was delivered directly, so if even that had been intercepted, one could imagine how brazen the perpetrator must be.

Yuchen said, ”Your Majesty, we can only learn the truth of this matter once Biaoge returns to the capital.”

Unfortunately, Chiang Jing would never return to the capital again. He had been beaten to death by an angry mob, and all of his attendants had been k!lled too. When the news reached the capital, Yuchen shook her head. ”How is this possible? With so many guards by Biaogeʼs side, how could he have been beaten to death by a mob?”

Zhao Shi, the Eldest Lady Chiang, wiped away her tears and said, ”The Marquis said that the Second Lord must have been set up.” The Marquis Chiang was in poor health, and his eldest son, Chiang Wei, had already inherited the title.

Yuchenʼs face was as cold as frost. After a while, she spoke, ”No matter who is behind this, I will make them pay with their lives for Er Biaoge.” To dare strike with such vicious cruelty was the same as completely disregarding both the Emperor and herself.

Zhao Shi had come to inform Yuchen of this matter in order to ascertain her position on it. Now that Yuchen had made her feelings clear, Zhao Shi could report back: ”Your Majesty the Empress, the old matriarch is in poor health, so we are currently keeping this matter from her.”

Yuchen nodded. ”This matter must not be known to Waizumu.” The Chiang familyʼs old matriarch was advanced in age and had long been in poor health.

Zhao Shi promised, ”Donʼt worry, she wonʼt find out.” If the old matriarch were to learn of it, the Chiang family would have to take time off to mourn. However, this could only be concealed for a year or so at most—any longer would be impossible.

Hearing this, Yuchen felt reassured. When Marquis Chiang was injured in a previous accident, they had also hidden it from the old matriarch. Fortunately, he had eventually returned. Although his health was poor, he did come back alive.

It turned out that Yuchen had reassured herself too early. Early the following morning, she heard that the Old Lady Chiang had passed away.

Upon hearing the news, Yuchen was momentarily stunned, but she quickly recovered. ”What happened?”

Zhao Shi cried as she replied, ”The old matriarch learned that the Second Lord was gone and couldnʼt catch her breath; then she passed away.” The incident had happened so suddenly that everyone was terrified upon receiving the news.

Suppressing her anger, Yuchen asked, ”Who told Waizumu that Er Biaoge had d!ed?” Waizumu had been recuperating all along, attended only by personal servants.

With tears welling in her eyes, Zhao Shi said, ”It was Jiao Xing—she was the one who attended her last night.”

Yuchen naturally knew who this Jiao Xing was. Jiao Xing had been bought from outside, and because she was clever and quick-witted, she was favoured by the Chiang family matriarch and kept by her side. It took Jiao Xing ten years to climb up the ranks from the lowest-ranking menial maid to personal maid. ”Who instructed her to harm Waizumu?”

Zhao Shi shook her head. ”Jiao Xing is already dead—she threw herself into a well.” With Jiao Xing dead, there was no evidence left to prove anything.

On that very day, Chiang Wei submitted a memorial requesting leave for mourning. As a woman, Zhao Shi did not understand how deep the waters ran in this matter. However, Chiang Wei saw the danger—if he continued working for the Emperor, the entire Chiang family would be dragged down with him. Therefore, to preserve the Chiang family, Chiang Wei chose to withdraw.

At this moment, Yan Wushuang stepped forward voluntarily and said, ”Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Buxian County and investigate this matter thoroughly.”

The Eldest Master Yu, however, had a bad feeling about this suggestion, so he stepped forward to recommend Lin Fengyuan as the Imperial Envoy instead. Lin Fengyuan had returned to the capital as soon as he settled his matter, and now he was serving in the infantry battalion.

Compared to Yan Wushuang, the Emperor trusted Lin Fengyuan more. He immediately appointed him as the Imperial Envoy to investigate the affairs in Cangzhou📹 thoroughly.

However, Lin Fengyuan also encountered an accident. On his way back to the capital, he was ambushed and fell from his horse. His life was not in danger, but he broke his leg.

Ah Da looked at Lin Fengyuanʼs swollen foot, which resembled a pigʼs trotter. Such an injury would take a hundred days for the muscles and bones to heal, leaving him out of action for three months. Ah Da cursed, ”That b@stard! If I find out who did this, Iʼll take his life!” To actually use a black hand on the road — truly despicable.

Lin Fengyuan said, ”Iʼll be away for three months. You and Gu Jiu can manage the camp in my absence.” He had joined midway through and was initially excluded by the subordinate generals. It took him half a year to gain their complete submission. Nevertheless, Lin Fengyuan was very frustrated. Rebellions were breaking out everywhere, yet the three military camps outside the capital remained inactive. He was extremely fed up and was currently trying to find a way to secure a position within the army.

Ah Da found Lin Fengyuanʼs attitude strange. ”General, why arenʼt you angry at all?”

Lin Fengyuan smiled. ”Whatʼs there to be angry about? Weʼll remember this grudge for now. One day, theyʼll repay it with interest.”

Puzzled, Ah Da asked, ”We havenʼt even found out who the culprit is yet. How do you already know who did it?”

Lin Fengyuan replied, ”If itʼs not the Yu family, then it must be Yan Wushuang. It canʼt be anyone else.” As for whether it was the Yu family or Yan Wushuang, as long as they kept investigating, they would uncover some spider silk and horse tracks.

Ultimately, the Emperor assigned Chen Yu to go to Cangzhou📹 rather than Yan Wushuang.

Marquis Taining reminded Chen Yu, ”Yu-er, you must act cautiously this time.” He felt that the situation in Cangzhou📹 was not as simple as it appeared.

Chen Yu nodded.

After some thought, Marquis Taining continued, ”Something has happened in Cangzhou📹, and I feel uneasy. Yu-er, I want your younger brother to return to the capital.” Having trained outside for so long, he must have matured considerably. Returning to the capital would also make him a valuable support.

However, Chen Yu disagreed. ”The waters in the capital are getting murkier. If Second Brother returns, he will definitely be drawn into it. Dad, itʼs better to let him remain in the provinces. As an upright and incorruptible official, he wonʼt be implicated if something happens.”

Marquis Taining considered this and decided, ”Weʼll discuss this after you return from Cangzhou📹.” They would observe the situation first before deciding whether to recall the younger son to the capital.