NABC Chapter 301 Diaomin
Chapter 301 Diaomin
"Short of money?" Emperor Qi Xiao didn't understand what he meant. "Why would he be short of money? Didn't the Ministry of Revenue provide him with funds for his travels?"
Liu Musheng was surprised, then asked cautiously, "May I tell you?"
“Oh, Lord Liu, you’re already before His Majesty, what can’t you say? Speak the truth.” Cheng Hai interjected, also reminding Liu Musheng that he was a sinecure official, not an ordinary citizen.
Liu Musheng had long forgotten that he was an official. He gritted his teeth and began to denounce how vicious and ruthless the mining area was!
"That place wasn't a dense jungle; it was all dirt, rocks, gravel, and barren mountains. Nobody lived there at all. Occasionally, a few dead bodies would pop out of the excavated mine shafts—it was terrifying!"
"There is a group of long-term villagers in the nearby villages, and they are all vicious and cruel. They live by hunting and even eat rats. I heard that they can't get enough to eat, so they eat human flesh. When I first arrived, they extorted two horses from me on the road and killed and ate them."
"If my godfather hadn't sent people to meet us, we might not have even had any horses left, and I would have lost my life in the wilderness!"
"Moreover, I've heard that the mining is extremely difficult, and we can't very well send our own people to explore it, so we still need these people. If we use them for work, we'll have to feed these unruly people first."
"There's no village head here? And no one from the county government to manage things? They just do whatever they want, and they even dare to rob people?!" Emperor Qi Xiao was shocked!
Liu Musheng shook his head. "No, nobody goes to that desolate place. It's only people who have committed crimes and are afraid of being beheaded who flee there to hide. I heard that many criminals have escaped by crossing several mountains from there, because that's Mongolia."
“My brother-in-law was only scouting the border area; otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked coming into such a run-down place!” Liu Musheng said the last sentence cautiously.
Emperor Qi Xiao let out a hiss, his face burning hot.
He hadn't expected the officials in that position to be so irresponsible!
"Damn it! Utterly bastard!"
Liu Musheng was startled and immediately knelt down!
He pounded his forehead on the ground, as if his brains were about to spill out. "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I really didn't spout any nonsense, not a single word of falsehood. It really is that terrible over there!"
Emperor Qi Xiao glared at him, and Cheng Hai went over to help him up. "Your Majesty is not scolding Lord Liu, but scolding the incompetent officials of Huai Prefecture."
Liu Musheng was already drenched in sweat from fright. He staggered as he stood up, almost falling over. "Brother-in-law, no, Lord Yuan went to negotiate with the officials in Huaizhou, but it seems the negotiations didn't yield any results."
"Anyway, he told Yuechu that he had no money, so Yuechu prepared the money, but he was worried that something might happen on the way, and he was also thinking about his brother-in-law, so he asked me to make the trip myself."
Liu Musheng was unaware that the money was being used for private mining and assumed it was an order from His Majesty to conduct the mining.
Therefore, he was neither flustered nor guilty. Apart from the fact that the emperor's aura made him feel inferior, he really couldn't see anything wrong.
Emperor Qi Xiao stared at him for a long time, "Now that you've come back, do you still want to stay in the capital?" Emperor Qi Xiao had also posed a fatal question.
But Liu Musheng couldn't tell the difference. He said directly, "I have to go again in three or four days. Lord Yuan said that the road there is too difficult to travel and we need ponies." Liu Musheng didn't dare to hide anything and explained in great detail.
Emperor Qi Xiao responded lightly, then waved to Cheng Hai, who then led Liu Musheng out.
Liu Musheng was at a loss. He hadn't even kowtowed to His Majesty yet, and he was already leaving?
"Will I still be able to leave Beijing in a few days?" he asked cautiously as he reached the door.
Cheng Hai patted him on the shoulder and gave an irrelevant answer, "Go home and wait."
He had the eunuch escort Liu Musheng away, then turned and went to Emperor Qi Xiao's side.
Liu Musheng hunched over and followed the little eunuch away in a dejected manner. When they reached the palace gate, a night breeze blew by, and he couldn't help but shudder.
I don't know why, but I felt a chill in my heart.
The capital city is really no good place. If it weren't for Wanwan here, he really wouldn't want to come back!
Liu Musheng hurriedly ran home, but Emperor Qi Xiao was still standing on the high platform of the palace.
He didn't look up at the moon, but instead gazed quietly into the distance.
Cheng Hai quietly approached and stood beside Emperor Qi Xiao. "Your Majesty, it's cold. Why don't you go back?"
"I didn't expect that they didn't tell me how difficult it was, and that they were all figuring out a solution on their own." Emperor Qi Xiao's heart was surging with emotion.
Cheng Hai clicked his tongue twice, "His Majesty wants Lord Yuan to act secretly and without making a sound, but it will definitely be difficult to carry out the plan."
We have neither money nor manpower.
So all I could do was spend money, and the people I hired were from the Liu family. Regardless of their abilities, at least they wouldn't say anything out of line.
"Send a letter over there, I agree to his return." Emperor Qi Xiao changed the subject, referring to Prince Chun.
Cheng Hai readily agreed and immediately went to deliver the message that very night.
At this moment, Liu Musheng had already returned to the Princess's residence and was sitting blankly on the chair in the gatehouse, refusing to go in.
Liu Yuechu quickly ran from the inner courtyard to the main gate, and Chen Zhongyao arrived after hearing the news.
"Why don't you go inside? Sitting at the gate, are you acting like a door god?"
"My legs are weak, I can't walk." Liu Musheng was so frightened that his whole body went limp. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "It's terrifying, so terrifying. I'm very sleepy now, but I dare not sleep. If I close my eyes, I can see His Majesty's face."
He was in a daze the whole way, as if he were having a nightmare.
Chen Zhongyao grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back to the backyard. "Sitting at the door discussing His Majesty, are you trying to ruin the Princess's mansion too?"
Liu Yuechu covered her mouth and chuckled. Judging from his demeanor, he had probably survived His Majesty's ordeal and was out of danger.
The group didn't go far; they sat down at the stone table in the front yard.
Liu Musheng stammered as he recounted His Majesty's question, "I acted impulsively and said so much, I don't even know what I should and shouldn't have said?"
“But I’m already back, so no one should be able to take me away, right?” He stared blankly at Chen Zhongyao.
Chen Zhongyao glanced at Liu Yuechu, relieved that she hadn't told Liu Musheng about the "illegal construction." According to him, the matter really wasn't that serious.
"Has His Majesty agreed to let you leave the capital in a few days?" Liu Yuechu asked.
Liu Musheng shook his head vigorously. "I asked, but Eunuch Cheng told me to wait for news and then kicked me out."
"Did His Majesty mention anything about the west?" Liu Musheng asked cautiously.
"What's going on in the west?" Liu Musheng was bewildered again; his mind was a complete mess.
Liu Yuechu and Chen Zhongyao exchanged glances. It seems there are advantages to being foolish? They knew nothing when asked.
As the group was talking, the gatekeeper suddenly came to announce the imperial edict.
Princess Chen had already rested, but she was roused again.
The whole family respectfully set up an incense table to receive the imperial decree. The result was that His Majesty bestowed upon Liu Musheng a fifth-rank sinecure and promoted him by one rank, but said nothing more.