Prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 119

The Sizhou Dam has been urgently repaired for half a month, and more than half of it has been completed, and it will be ready for use in five or six days.Dou Shihai still has a sense of accomplishment for this. As far as he knows, the progress of dams in several nearby states is far less than that of Sizhou.Moreover, the dam in Sizhou City is relatively larger and longer.

"Hey! Work hard on your own, and personally supervise the work all day long. As long as the dam is repaired, the grain from five or six states from the south can be transported to Kaifeng smoothly. Dou Shihai stood in the temporary pergola beside the dam, muttering to himself.After more than ten days, he has become thinner and darker, which is really commendable for the magistrate.

At this moment, he saw a carriage galloping towards him from the direction of Sizhou City, and when he got close, he recognized that this carriage was the carriage of his in-law Wang Hongtao.

"Father-in-law! What's the rush?" Wang Hongtao got out of the car, walked quickly to the shed in small steps, and Dou Shihai got up and asked.

Wang Hongtao had a gloomy face and did not speak, but glanced to both sides. Seeing this, Dou Shihai said to several government officials guarding both sides: "You guys go to the dam and take a look."

After several government officials left, Wang Hongtao explained the matter in detail.

Hearing this, Dou Shihai couldn't help but become extremely ugly, his expression fluctuated, and he frowned in thought.

"Father-in-law! Are you sure he belongs to Uncle Xiangfu?" After a while, Dou Shihai took a deep breath, forced himself to regain his composure, and asked in a deep voice.

"My lord! Although we are still not [-]% sure, there are very few warriors who can ride horses in the vicinity of Sizhou, let alone fifteen. Although the number does not match what you said, they have the ability and motivation to fight Our idea is only Xiangfu Bo." Wang Hongtao said with narrowed eyes.

"I heard from Wu Gang that Ye Chen wanted to visit the mountains and rivers nearby, but... Ye Chen accidentally found a place to hoard grain while visiting the Puzhaowang Temple, or that Xiang Fu Bo got the news in advance and went straight to Going to Puzhaowang Temple... This is very important. If it was just a coincidence that Uncle Xiangfu ran into him, I can come forward now, and I should be able to take over the matter with one sentence, and I will try the case myself. But if it is not a coincidence, It was Ye Chen who got the news in advance, so the matter might not be that simple." Dou Shihai said in a deep voice with his eyes flickering.

Wang Hongtao's expression changed when he heard the words, and he said, "Your Excellency, what you mean is that Uncle Xiang Fu came here for our hoarding of food."

Dou Shihai frowned, and said, "Dear father! Why are you panicking? This is only a possibility, and judging from the news I got and the assassination of Xiang Fubo that happened in the city yesterday, this possibility is not very high." .However, what is the real situation, we have to see Ye Chen to discuss this matter."

In Chuzhou City, Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi didn't live in the inn, and of course they wouldn't move to the prefect's mansion in the backyard of the government office to live with Wei Wang Zhao Dezhao.Instead, he lived in a post station.

At this time, Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi were sitting in a courtyard specially isolated by them in the post station, looking gloomy at the confession paper that had just been tortured and extorted in their hands, and their expressions became more and more ugly.

"The things these little fish confessed point to Huang Dongming, the big grain gentry in Chuzhou, but these people only know that Huang Dongming is hoarding grain, they don't know where Huang Dongming's grain is hidden, and they don't know whether Huang Dongming is related to the prefect of Chuzhou Zheng Zheng. The result is collusion." Wang Xin said a little dejectedly.

"It's a pity that Huang Dongming still has an official status as a wine tax envoy from the ninth rank. Otherwise, if he is arrested and tortured, he will be able to tell everything." Hu Zhengyi looked unwilling.

"Time is running out. His Royal Highness King Wei has sent people to ask him several times." Wang Xin frowned, furious in his heart.

"Why don't we just secretly capture the shopkeeper of Huang Dongming's grain store?" Hu Zhengyi said.

"Hmph! It's too late now. You forgot to ask Huang Dongming's shopkeeper at the front desk of the grain shop yesterday. The old man said that Huang Dongming's two big shopkeepers and the big butler suddenly asked for leave the day before we came to Chuzhou. I went to visit relatives in other places." Wang Xin said with a headache.

"Oh! It's really not possible. I can only take some risks and arrest Huang Dongming. Even if he is impeached and dismissed because of this matter afterwards, as long as Zheng Chenggong, the prefect of Chuzhou, is brought down, and Zhao Xianggong and the governor are involved through him My lord will soon restore us to our original posts, and it will definitely be better than before. In addition, we can give His Royal Highness King Wei an explanation." Hu Zhengyi gritted his teeth and said.

Wang Xin's eyes flickered, his face fluctuated, and he was obviously weighing the gains and losses and making a decision.

At this moment, a follower came to report that two guards of Uncle Xiangfu came to see him with Uncle Xiangfu's badge.The two looked at each other with doubts on their faces, but they still let people in.

After hearing what the guards sent by Ye Chen said, Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi jumped up, ecstatic, as if they had been beaten with chicken blood. After a little discussion, the two split up, and Wang Xin went to see Zhao Dezhao, king of Wei.Hu Zheng and his group rushed to Puzhaowang Temple in Sizhou.

In the mansion of the prefect of Chuzhou, Wei Wang Zhao Dezhao met Wang Xin, and before the latter could speak, he took the lead to ask: "Master Wang! Is there any evidence that the local grain gentry has been hoarding grain for personal gain?" Zhao Dezhao's tone was a bit unkind, Seven days ago, he promised to stand for Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi to bear the order of the Zhengshitang, so that they could torture and extract a confession, but now nearly seven days have passed, and there is still no progress. How can this not make him feel dissatisfied.

Wang Xin also knew this, so these days he kept his posture very low in front of Zhao Dezhao, and behaved very respectfully.Even if the matter has progressed now, it is also the credit of Ye Chen, but no matter who finds the evidence, finally presides over the review of the case, and completes the killing of one and others, it is their Kaifeng Mansion.Zhao Kuangyin asked Kaifeng government to send someone, and specified that it was an official, which gave him the power to investigate and deal with illegal matters in the collection and delivery of grain.Otherwise, Zhao Dezhao would not have the guts to delegate power to Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi, let them torture and extract confessions, and even sent 100 of the [-] imperial guards who came with him to Hu Zhengyi and Wang Xin, It is used to facilitate case investigation.

Of course, as for the plan of Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi to uphold Zhao Guangyi's selfishness and want to seize the opportunity to take down one of the local magistrates from Zhao Pu's family, and even take the opportunity to take Zhao Pula into the water, Zhao Dezhao has understood it to this day.But in order to successfully complete the food raising event that he was responsible for the first time, Zhao Dezhao had to pretend not to see it.However, deep down in his heart, Zhao Dezhao was naturally closer to Zhao Pu who proposed to make him king. For Zhao Guangyi, who had a deeper ultimate conflict with him, no matter what, he would never be able to get together with him.

Wang Xin immediately told about Ye Chen's discovery in Sizhou.

Although Zhao Dezhao was surprised when he heard it, he was still very happy, and couldn't help feeling that it was Ye Chen who finally did it.

At this moment, Zhao Dezhao's attendants came in and said that Huangfutong and Li You were asking for an audience.The two of them received a secret report just now, saying that Wang Xin came looking for King Wei with an excited face. Guessing that Wang Xin had found some evidence, he was worried, so he took the initiative to take a look.

It was inconvenient for Zhao Dezhao to block Zhao Pu's people from the door, so as not to make Zhao Pu mistakenly think that he was too close to people from Kaifeng Mansion, so despite Wang Xin's dissatisfaction, he let them in.

Under the questioning of Huangfutong and Li You, Wang Xin naturally looked at each other with a cold face and would not say a word.But Zhao Dezhao didn't know what was in his mind, but he simply said the matter again.

Wang Xin was naturally very dissatisfied, but he couldn't say anything in front of Wei Wang, but his face was a little ugly.However, the matter has come to this point, and the two sides have already torn their skins. Zhao Dezhao is determined to make an example, so as to deter the county officials and merchants in various states and counties, so as to successfully complete the matter of raising food.Wang Xin was not afraid that Huangfutong and Li You could change Zhao Dezhao's mind.

In addition, Hu Zhengyi had already gone to Sizhou, a hundred miles away. Even if Huangfutong and Li You wanted to inform Dou Shihai, it was too late.Maybe Zhao Dezhao also thought of this, so he said it.

Wang Xin thought about it secretly, and he already understood Zhao Dezhao's intentions. His Royal Highness King Wei wanted to show his favor to Zhao Pu.It is nothing more than to say that the news that should be communicated has been communicated to you, and the convenience that should be given has also been given to you. If Zhao Pu's people are dragged into the water again, it will not be my business.

Huangfutong and Li You congratulated King Wei with a slightly stiff expression, and looked at each other. Huangfutong bowed his hands and praised King Wei: "Xiang Fubo has done a good job. As long as the evidence of these crimes is verified now, we will not be afraid of the grain gentry hoarding grain in Sizhou." If you don’t submit obediently, from my point of view, this matter can be handed over to Dou Shihai, the prefect of Sizhou, who will preside over it and try his best to solve the case.”

Wang Xin's color changed suddenly, his eyes were like knives, he stared at Huangfutong, and said coldly: "Mr. Huangfu, don't forget that this time, the imperial envoy of His Majesty wrote very clearly that all illegal cases related to food collection are Hu Zhengyi and I can investigate in detail."

Li You said with a sneer, "I came here from Kaifeng, how would I handle the case without the assistance of the local chief?"

They were Zhao Pu's confidants and advisers, and they knew that Dou Shihai was an official strongly recommended by Zhao Pu. If Dou Shihai fell, Zhao Guangyi would definitely arrange for people to impeach Zhao Pu, so they must do their best to protect Dou Shihai.

Wang Xin snorted coldly, and said: "Mr. Li's words are wrong. It's okay for the prince to spend two lives here. My Kaifeng Mansion handles the case locally and has its own procedures. Because the matter involves officials, it is natural that Sizhou's Observation envoys and supervisory envoys have been called, and they are currently inspecting grain purchases in nearby counties and towns. They can be recalled urgently, and they will jointly investigate the case with Hu Zhengyi, and King Wei Qiantui is in charge of the overall situation."

Compared with other dynasties, officials in the Song Dynasty were more able to be included in the system. Whether it was a local chief official or an imperial envoy sent by the imperial court, under normal circumstances, they did not have absolute arbitrary power.

(End of this chapter)