Chapter 295 Thriller

After chatting with Daiyu about the old things of the Shi family all night, before leaving the house the next day, Mrs. Chen was still instructing her husband.

Noticing the worried look on the lady's face, Chen Heng knew that Yu'er was worried about the evening banquet. Apart from a few words of comfort, he couldn't say much more.

After sending the two ladies out of the house properly, Chen Heng first handled official business in the county government for half a day, and then got on the carriage and walked to the government office.

There are really too many banquets recently, but he doesn't like drinking, which is really annoying.

But people in the officialdom have too many things that they can't help. On the surface, Shi Ding came with the matter of suppressing bandits. With this big banner, everyone in Songjiang Prefecture has to revolve around the imperial envoy.

Even Chen Heng had to put down the half-cleaned Lou County, not to mention other officials.

But surprisingly, not many people attended today's banquet. When Chen Heng arrived at the government office, he only saw Liu Yanzhang and Shi Ding, accompanied by Jia Lian, Baoyu, and Xue Pan.

Everyone waited for a while, and soon the commander of Songjiang Guard and four deputy commanders arrived as scheduled.

Chen Heng had never dealt with these military officers. In name, the other party only obeyed the control of the prefect of Songjiang.

He was far from a local magistrate who could be touched on weekdays. The difference between civil and military affairs was here.

From the fact that the other party saluted Liu Yanzhang first and then greeted Shi Ding after entering, it can also be seen that the commander of Songjiang had a good grasp of the measure.

It was rare for the imperial envoy to come to the door, so Liu Yanzhang had to please and make friends. After everyone arrived, everyone moved to the painted boat on the river.

Yes, it was the place of fireworks that the people often talked about. But it was different from Ruanjia Lane. The painted boats on the rivers and lakes were mostly where official prostitutes lived. The advantage was that they were quiet and there was no disturbance from outsiders.

The prefect chose this place on purpose, naturally hoping that Shi Ding would feel at home.

As soon as he sat down, he said in advance that he would welcome Shi Ding today. Anyone who talked about official business at the table would be fined three cups of wine.

There was nothing much to say about the process of this banquet. In essence, several important figures in Songjiang Prefecture communicated with the imperial envoy Shi Ding.

Everyone met each other and made a splash for the subsequent bandit suppression.

Because the reception was for military generals, the entertainment involved was very different from the gathering of literati.

In the previous banquet, most people played flying flowers and recited poems. Everyone did some elegant things to have fun with each other.

Today, the combination of several military generals and children of nobles has changed the routine.

Wine is naturally indispensable, and there is no shortage of female musicians to accompany them. On top of this, I don’t know where Liu Yanzhang came up with the idea, but he actually invited a lot of official prostitutes to accompany him.

Although it was the first time for Chen Heng to deal with this group of people, he was not unfamiliar with them. The so-called official prostitutes were naturally different from the girls in the brothel.

Most of them were the family members of the convicted officials, and they became slaves after their homes were confiscated.

This kind of punishment was intended to be a warning. But compared with the clean and neat beheading, the struggle and despair of falling from the top of the cloud into the quagmire, I don’t know which kind of punishment is more torturous.

Chen Heng, who couldn’t drink, really found it difficult to integrate into the jubilant atmosphere. A group of soldiers and ruffians, bound in the camp for a long time. Today, they have time to let loose.

Most of the official prostitutes were daughters of wealthy families before, how could they stand this entanglement. But their status was low, and they couldn’t resist. They could only smile and try their best to protect their vitals in public.

The official prostitute who was responsible for serving Chen Heng looked good. Unfortunately, Chen Heng didn’t have much interest in her, and the other party was also happy to meet someone who was easy to get along with.

Apart from blocking the wine for Chen Heng, there were not many boring things that happened during the whole process.

The atmosphere gradually turned to a climax, and everyone was busy having fun. Chen Heng watched for a while, and couldn't help but take the opportunity to go out for a breath of fresh air under the name of going to the next shift.

When he came to the bow of the pleasure boat, he saw a round moon sinking in the water waves, which made people like it very much. The air outside was quieter after all. Chen Heng stood there for a while, and saw a scholar in brocade clothes crossing the bridge with a lantern in the distance.

In this scene, he suddenly remembered the scene of Baoyu before he became a monk and met Shi Xiangyun, who had become a prostitute in a certain place.

In the TV series, the two said goodbye with tears. The picture paused on the distant boat shadow, and Shi Xiangyun kept saying "Brother, save me".

Thinking back to the bustle of the Grand View Garden in the past, it was really touching.

Whether the prosperity of the prosperous times was a dream or not, it is still unknown.

But Chen Heng, who was bored, suddenly remembered something. Why did Shi Xiangyun become a prostitute? !

This thought appeared in his mind like thunder. Chen Heng shuddered. Looking at the gentle moonlight again, he felt a chill in his heart.

People only know that the family members of officials whose property was confiscated would become slaves.

But in fact, there are also levels of confiscating property. The Qing Dynasty can be said to be the most fond of confiscating property in all dynasties.

When it comes to them, they usually encounter corruption cases, and there will be procedures for confiscating property. This is an auxiliary punishment after the main offender is sentenced.

And the female family members becoming official prostitutes is an auxiliary of the auxiliary. It is generally only used in cases of great corruption.

This kind of case shocked the court and the country. Not killing is not enough to appease the public anger. Not confiscating property is difficult to warn future generations. Your Majesty and the three officials will use this unprecedented method.

Because the female family members became official prostitutes, the men in the family must have the only result of exile.

In addition to the major corruption cases, there is another crime that will definitely use this punishment.

The provincial, metropolitan and palace examinations all require the examination of cases, and Chen Heng is very clear about this.

He knows that the crime is called treason.

The common people prefer to call it: rebellion.

Chen Heng has been in this world for a long time.

Now he is an official appointed by the court, how could he not know the angle and strength of the judgment of the Ministry of Justice and other three courts.

As long as there is some room for maneuver, everyone will leave some respect and affection for the convicted court officials.

After all, no one knows what kind of students and old officials the other party hides in private, and when he secretly showed favor to someone.

The first to make a burial, will there be no descendants? Leave a way out when doing things, so that we can meet again in the future.

After the Jia family was confiscated, Jia Zheng was still able to take his children back to his hometown to live a miserable life. This is the reason.

And why did Shi Xiangyun, who was also from the four great families, become an official prostitute and was finally met by Jia Baoyu, who was determined to become a monk, on the bridge?

Chen Heng's heart tightened inexplicably, and he felt that the evening breeze was cold for no reason.

He was young and ignorant at the time. He mistakenly believed some comments on the Internet and thought that the Shi family was in financial difficulties and sold Shi Xiangyun to the official kiln.

Now think about it, it was pure bullshit. Which elder dared to do this, bullying an orphan girl without a father or mother, and the descendant of a noble family. I am afraid that it will anger the entire noble group and be unacceptable to them.

After a long time of deep thinking, Chen Heng could not come to a clear conclusion for a while.

But he had been out for a while, and the official prostitute who was responsible for serving Chen Heng had already leaned out to call for Master Chen.

Without thinking too much, Chen Heng hurriedly turned back to the sight of everyone. At this stage, everyone was already seven or eight points drunk.

Several deputy commanders were using the alcohol to persuade Shi Ding to talk about his great achievements on the battlefield.

As the third room of a wealthy family, Shi Ding, who was honored with the title of Zhongjing Hou, naturally had his own history of making a fortune.

Compared with him, Jia Zheng, who only got the position of Langzhong in the Ministry of Works. He was also a little weaker in his official career.

Shi Ding just said a few words, and everyone was amazed.

The dangers on the battlefield and the bloody fights between the two armies are all things that others and outsiders cannot experience. Listening to the flattery of the crowd, Shi Ding also had a smile on his face.

He was able to fight for his own title as the third son of the Shi family. His reputation among the nobles is also beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Li Zhi even deliberately established him as a model, so he gave him the title of Zhongjing Hou. He hoped that the noble children of the capital would not lie in their comfort zone and could inherit their ancestors' aspirations.

The climax of the banquet was the gift-giving of Jia Lian and Xue Pan. These two people were Shi Ding's juniors, and they gave some generous gifts, and the censor knew that he could not find fault.

This was the first time that Chen Heng was so eager for someone to accept this bribe.

But even when Shi Ding was drunk, he ordered his servants to take one or two of the generous gifts, as a token of his acceptance of the younger generation's intentions.

All other valuable things were asked to be taken back by Jia Lian and Xue Pan.

Seeing that even Liu Yanzhang praised Shi Ding's behavior, Chen Heng's sense of horror in his heart suddenly became stronger.

Zhongjing, Zhongjing.

Who are you loyal to?

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After the banquet, the carriage of the mansion was driven by Yan Xiaoer and Liu Xianglian. Chen Heng had a gloomy face and didn't speak since he got on the carriage.

Liu and Yan didn't know what happened to their master, so they had to escort Chen Heng home carefully.

As soon as he entered the mansion, Chen Heng asked Zijuan to pass a few words to Daiyu. He turned and went into the study, locked the doors and windows, and stayed there all night.

Daiyu and Yinglian knew that their husband suddenly did this because he must have some important things that he couldn't figure out. Although they were worried, they didn't come to disturb him.

One asked Zijuan to make ginseng tea, and the other asked Qingwen to bring some snacks.

Chen Heng, who was eager to be alone, only ordered the two to put the things outside the door, and didn't even let Zijuan and Qingwen see him.

Afterwards, the two maids went back to report. Daiyu and Yinglian looked at each other and both noticed something was wrong.

But what could they do if their husband didn't show up? Daiyu had no choice but to persuade Yinglian to go back to her room and rest first.

On the morning of the second day, Chen Heng, who looked quite haggard, appeared in front of the family and ordered someone to call Xinda, who was busy outside.

Xinda didn't know what happened in the mansion. Seeing the dark clouds under his brother's eyes, he was shocked and asked with concern: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Chen Heng waved his hand. Some things were really inconvenient to say more. He took out the letter he had written last night, looked at Xinda and said: "I have an important matter that you have to do in person."

Xinda's expression suddenly became serious when he heard it. These days, he was helping Pan Youan deal with the commercial street, and occasionally he had to run around in the countryside to supervise the summer harvest in various villages.

But these two major events, compared with Chen Heng's solemn expression, became unimportant.

"Second brother, you tell me."

The two brothers were alone, and Xinda didn't care to call him "sir".

Chen Heng handed the letter to him very carefully, and said in a deep voice: "I need you to go to the capital and hand this letter to my father-in-law in person."

"Yes." Xinda didn't ask anything, but after taking the letter, he immediately put it in his arms and smoothed his clothes.

"In the afternoon, I will ask your sister-in-law to prepare some gifts for you. You can go out in the name of giving gifts to the family. Remember, this letter must be received by my father-in-law. When he writes back to you, you can come back."

"Yes." Xinda nodded hurriedly. He hadn't seen Chen Heng so serious for a long time.

After making such arrangements, Chen Heng waved his hand to signal him to leave first, and called Daiyu over. The couple discussed for a while, and in the afternoon, Xinda took a few gifts and rushed to the capital.

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Huating County Office suddenly lost a letter, and this matter did not attract many people's attention. In the past few days, the people and officials in the city have been attracted by the quarrel between Chen Heng and Shi Ding.

Now that the summer harvest is imminent, Shi Ding intends to raise troops to suppress bandits. It's not that this matter cannot be done, but it cannot be done at this moment, let alone mobilize troops.

The border is in urgent need of military rations, and Songjiang has already undertaken the transportation. If there is also the suppression of bandits and summer harvest, how can the young and strong in the government be enough?

Although there are 5,000 officers and soldiers going out, the civilians and labor animals are several times more. Shi Ding did not even say a specific regulation, but just held the identity of the imperial envoy and insisted on the cooperation of Songjiang Prefecture.

Liu Yanzhang was naturally willing to cooperate, and would rather offend the people than the imperial envoy. He didn't even sit firmly in the position of prefect.

Chen Heng was possessed by the power of his father-in-law, and was not afraid of Shi Ding's stubbornness at all. He insisted on asking when the war started and when it was expected to end.

Jiangnan is a land of fish and rice, and is another important granary besides Guangdong, Guangxi and Hunan. Not to mention tens of thousands of young and strong men, even hundreds or thousands of them left for no reason. At the time of summer harvest, it would be a headache for local officials.

Shi Ding was also puzzled. He had turned a blind eye to the matter of the city gate, so why did Chen Heng still hold on to him?

Chen Heng didn't want to alert the enemy. If Shi Ding hadn't asked for tens of thousands of civilians, he would never have dared to confront him.

There was really no way. Far worries are far worries, and near difficulties are more important. If these civilians were really allowed to leave, how could the people of Songjiang live?

Shi Ding was really annoyed by Chen Heng's entanglement, and he scolded Liu Yanzhang in front of him: "I have traveled all over Jiangnan, and I have never seen a county magistrate who dared to confront the imperial envoy."

Chen Heng was also annoyed. He was easy-going most of the time. If he really encountered something, he would be tougher than most people. He said directly, "That's great. Today is a good opportunity for you to meet him. The head of a county is also an official appointed by the court."

Didn't we sit and drink wine a few days ago? Shi Ding was angry again and again, and scolded Liu Yanzhang, "Is this how the prefectural governor indulges his subordinates?"

Liu Yanzhang laughed and began to stammer in public. Shi Ding, you are indeed an imperial envoy of the court, but Chen Heng also has Lin Yushi and the prince behind him.

If you two really want to bring the lawsuit to the emperor, it's hard to say whether the emperor will help you or him.

Besides, Liu Yanzhang also felt that Shi Ding was a bit too much. The summer harvest is coming soon. This is the assessment standard for local officials in various places, and it is also a life-threatening rope around the neck.

You, Mr. Shi, just farted in the sky casually and took away the young and strong in the country without paying for it. Who will do the summer harvest in Songjiang Prefecture? Who will make up for the losses? Will you care if the court asks?

How can people follow you with confidence if you don't say anything?

Seeing Liu Yanzhang become a paper-pasting craftsman, Shi Ding was too lazy to talk nonsense with the incompetent prefect. He shouted at Chen Heng, "Do you really want to obstruct it?"

"It's not that I don't agree with this matter." The blush from the previous quarrel faded slightly, but Chen Heng still refused to give in and said bluntly, "Your Excellency did not give me a rule. Second, you didn't say when this bandit suppression will start and when. Please forgive me for my incompetence and difficulty in issuing official documents to recruit civilians in the county."

"You are just a seventh-rank county magistrate, and you want to discuss military affairs?"

Seeing Shi Ding using his official position to argue, Chen Heng even more choked: "The livelihood of the people is also a national affair. There is another thing, I hope the imperial envoy will know. I am not a seventh-rank county magistrate. I am actually a sixth-rank state governor. Before leaving Beijing, His Majesty ordered me to manage all matters in the state."

Hearing Chen Heng's words, Shi Ding subconsciously looked at Liu Yanzhang and saw him nodding silently. He knew that Chen Heng had not lied to him. Shi Ding had no choice but to point at him and say, "Okay, okay, if you don't agree, naturally someone else will."

"No one in Songjiang Prefecture will agree to the imperial envoy." Chen Heng also said harshly. There are seven counties and one hall in Songjiang. Except for Jinshan County and Fengxian County, Chen Heng is not sure. In the other six places, Chen Heng asked himself if he could stop this matter.

It's not that Chen Heng doesn't know the significance of robbers to keep the country safe. Shi Ding, who is unclear about the situation, doesn't say that suppressing bandits is a good thing for the court itself.

But the people of Songjiang have already been conscripted for corvée last year. The people's strength must be used, and it must be maintained. If the people under his rule are really treated as animals, should he go to suppress the bandits, or go...?

Chen Heng really didn't want to think too much, so he could only bear this matter at this moment. He didn't want to succumb to Shi Ding's power and watch this happen.

Shi Ding was so angry that he couldn't help but look at Liu Yanzhang and cursed: "Who is the prefect of Songjiang between you two?"

"Of course it's Lord Liu." Chen Heng immediately answered and looked at Liu Yanzhang together.

Suddenly being stared at by the two people like this, Liu Yanzhang secretly said in his heart that it was bad.

No way, no way. You two favorites in front of the emperor quarreled, how come the ball was kicked to me.

Liu Yanzhang was also a veteran in the officialdom. Seeing that he couldn't make a judgment in person for the time being, he simply laughed and said: "Everyone is dedicated to serving the court. Why are you still quarreling when you are talking nicely? I think it's better to sit down and have a meal first. Let's discuss it in the long run, okay?"

This hand-dragging tactic was really used just right. Shi Ding already knew that Liu Yanzhang was unwilling to stand on his side, nor did he want to continue to talk nonsense with the two.

He didn't hold Chen Heng's pigtail. Now there is no way to force Chen Heng to bow his head as an imperial envoy.

In the final analysis, both of them have the privilege of being able to hear directly from the emperor. Even the imperial envoys on inspection dare not take Chen Heng's official hat without reason.

"I will report this matter to your majesty." After saying this politely, Shi Ding hated Chen Heng in front of him even more.

"I will also explain to Your Majesty in person." Chen Heng said solemnly, clasping his fists without showing any fear.

After the two dragons had finished fighting, Liu Yanzhang sat and watched them leave. Only then did he think with emotion in his own position: This prefectural position is not as exciting as the prefectural governor.

I may have to take a leave tomorrow, because my good friend of more than ten years is getting married, and I want to be the best man!!! The main thing is that I have to get up early, I have to go to bed early at night, and I will be busy tomorrow. I will find a way to see if I can write something on my phone.