FIMA Ch88: What Use Is It

On this day, during the morning court session, Ding Ye, the governor of Shuntian, reported that officials in Ling County, Shandong, had embezzled disaster relief grain, causing the deaths of over ten thousand people in the county.

Additionally, there were students from Ling County, entrusted by others and carrying a blood-written petition by a hundred people, who had come to the capital to file a complaint.

Last summer, Shandong experienced a severe drought.

For several months, not a drop of water was seen, resulting in a massive drought affecting sixteen counties, with no grain harvested.

The autumn taxes for that year had not yet been collected, and the national treasury’s silver had already been sent to the border armies for winter provisions, leaving no funds for disaster relief.

In desperation, Emperor Jianzhao and the six ministries decided that the affected counties should open their granaries and distribute grain, with funds to be allocated from the autumn taxes later to replenish the county granaries.

Let me explain why, after a disaster, grain is transported over long distances for relief rather than opening local granaries.

The primary purpose of county and city granaries in ancient times was to ensure military supplies, with disaster relief or other uses being secondary.

Granaries were crucial for national military affairs and the nation’s foundation.

Therefore, for a place to open its granaries for disaster relief, there must first be a major disaster, then officials at all levels would assess the situation, and finally, it would be reported to the court. Only after the emperor and ministries discussed and agreed would an edict be issued to open the granaries in dire circumstances.

Thus, in television dramas, you often see officials being beheaded for privately opening granaries out of sympathy for the suffering people.

However, the drought in several Shandong counties last year was promptly addressed by the court, which agreed to open local granaries for relief, and even sent disaster relief funds after the autumn taxes were collected. Logically, there should not have been significant casualties.

The Ling County mentioned in Governor Ding Ye’s memorial is an upper-level county in Shandong, with about four thousand households and roughly twenty thousand people.

But according to Ding Ye, nearly ten thousand people died in Ling County during last summer’s drought, almost half the population.

This is horrifying and strongly suggests that the county magistrate did not conduct any relief efforts last year.

So, where is the grain in the granary?

Seeing the bloody handprints on the petition, not only was Emperor Jianzhao enraged, but the court officials also turned their heads in shock.

Alas, it’s too tragic…

Emperor Jianzhao was extremely furious about this matter.

Embezzling granary grain is a thousand times more despicable than privately opening granaries; it is a great national rat.

Furthermore, the drought from last year being reported only this summer indicates that high-level officials in Shandong, or even in the six ministries in the capital, must have been covering it up.

Emperor Jianzhao immediately dispatched Gu Siyuan to lead the Imperial Guards to investigate Ling County.

Firstly, because he trusted Gu Siyuan; secondly, because the whistleblower, Governor Ding Ye of Shuntian, was under the Sixth Prince Xie Xuan.

Gu Siyuan and Xie Xuan had always been at odds, so there would be no bias, and the investigation would be the most truthful.

Gu Siyuan wasted no time.

Upon receiving the verbal order, he immediately mounted his horse with a light cavalry, leading his men out of the city.

“Imperial Guards on duty, all pedestrians make way!”

Gu Siyuan rode swiftly at the front, his black hair flying, while the Imperial Guards behind him loudly waved their hands to clear the way.

From the highest Four Seasons Pavilion in the capital, a glance was cast at the swiftly moving group below.

Governor Ding Ye of Shuntian frowned: “Your Highness, sending Gu Siyuan to investigate, won’t there be any unexpected incidents?”

He also knew that this Deputy General of the Imperial Guards, who also oversaw the capital’s defenses, was most at odds with the Sixth Prince.

After speaking, he received no response for a long time.

Ding Ye hesitantly glanced to the side, only to see his Sixth Prince propping his chin, eyes slightly drooped, wholeheartedly watching the direction in which the Imperial Guards had sped off. The usually cold face bore an unhidden, tender smile, as if looking at a beloved lover.

Ding Ye first sighed, thinking the Sixth Prince was still a young man, naturally prone to youthful admiration and affection.

But in an instant, he realized something was off.

He immediately craned his neck to look out the window, but due to the Imperial Guards’ aggressive way of clearing the road, people had long retreated inside, and there were no beautiful girls around.

So, the prince was really watching those Imperial Guards, but they were all big men…

And none of them were particularly good-looking.

The only one considered good-looking was Gu Siyuan, who had a significant grudge against His Highness.

Could His Highness be smiling while looking at Gu Siyuan?

Ew, Ding Ye felt a chill down his spine and quickly shook his head, thinking he probably drank too much tea earlier and wasn’t thinking clearly.

Watching the group of riders disappear at the end of the avenue.

Xie Xuan slowly turned his head to look at Ding Ye sitting beside him and answered his earlier question: “No need to worry, we have ample evidence this time; it won’t be easily covered up. Besides, given Gu Siyuan’s character, he wouldn’t use public affairs for personal vendettas in such a serious matter.”

“Oh…” Ding Ye responded softly.

But he suddenly felt dazed.

The Sixth Prince was actually speaking well of Gu Siyuan?

No way, his earlier guess, no way…

Xie Xuan squinted at the man with the odd expression: “Lord Ding, what’s wrong?”

Ding Ye quickly replied sternly, “Nothing.”

He suddenly felt a sense of responsibility for holding a big secret.

Ling County in Shandong is twelve hundred miles from the capital, but Gu Siyuan, along the way, only stopped at post stations to change horses, briefly ate and rested, and spent the rest of the time rushing without sleep.

What was originally a nearly ten-day journey was compressed to six days.

Even the accomplices rushing to inform the capital weren’t as fast as him.

When Gu Siyuan and his men arrived in Ling County, it was late at night.

He cut open the county office door with a single sword stroke, and the current county magistrate, Jiang Chengming, was sound asleep, reeking of alcohol.

Two days later, as Gu Siyuan began his return to the capital with the evidence and Jiang Chengming and his deputy Fu Yan, the accomplices just arrived in Ling County.

Upon hearing that the Imperial Guards had already been there and taken people away, the informers directly abandoned their mission, fleeing and never returning, unable to salvage the situation.

Gu Siyuan avoided patrols on his way back to the capital and presented all the evidence and captives.

Since the Shuntian Prefecture was the first to report this case, after much debate, Emperor Jianzhao ordered a joint investigation by the Shuntian Prefecture and the Three Judicial Departments.

Jiang Chengming, the county magistrate, turned out to be a coward.

Once in the Shuntian Prefecture prison, he confessed before even being tortured.

Jiang Chengming originally passed the imperial examinations and became a magistrate with the ambition to achieve great things.

However, he found it difficult to make progress locally.

The local deputy magistrate, county captain, and constables all formed a tight-knit group, paying only lip service to him.

Later, they proudly revealed a secret about Ling County.

Ling County was renowned in Shandong and even nationwide for producing a type of exquisite Yujin wine. A former emperor even wrote a poem about it, further enhancing its reputation.

By the current dynasty, Yujin wine had become a tribute item, with only twenty barrels produced annually, all sent to the Imperial Household Department. Ordinary people couldn’t obtain it.

About a decade ago, a local magistrate, along with the deputy magistrate and village elders, began to exploit this treasure.

They privately commissioned the brewing of Yujin wine.

Initially, they secretly gifted it to higher officials in Shandong to curry favor.

Wine, after all, is consumed and leaves no evidence, unlike other tribute items that could be noticed and reported by colleagues.

But once the seed of ambition is planted, it’s never satisfied. Soon, they decided to start selling Yujin wine.

The Liang Dynasty had been at peace for a long time, with many wealthy merchants, especially in Jiangnan and Shanxi, who lacked for nothing but status symbols.

As a tribute item, Yujin wine was considered highly prestigious.

Thus, a jar of wine could sell for hundreds or thousands of taels of silver, more than a decade’s salary for a magistrate.

The merchants who bought the wine naturally wouldn’t speak out, as both sellers and buyers would be guilty.

Shandong officials, receiving a large share of the wine profits each year, wouldn’t cut off this lucrative path.

Magistrates changed every three years, but the deputy magistrate and village elders, being locals, remained.

So, Ling County had seen six magistrates, all eventually joining this profitable scheme and leaving with full pockets.

The network of official connections tied to this wine meant that former magistrates from Ling County often had smoother career paths than their peers.

Years of mutual protection meant that higher-ups knew nothing of Ling County’s private wine trade.

Yujin wine was more delicious than ordinary wine due to the local grain and water and its meticulous brewing process.

Regular wine yielded three taels from a jin of grain, but Yujin wine yielded only one tael and required local grain to maintain its unique taste.

With the expanding trade, grain became insufficient.

But the annual tribute to higher officials couldn’t be reduced, and they were unwilling to lose large sums of silver.

Naturally, they turned their attention to the local granary.

After all, Liang hadn’t seen war in years, and it was unlikely to reach them; the grain in the granary was just sitting there.

However, no one foresaw last year’s sudden drought in Shandong or the court’s unprecedented decision to have local granaries distribute relief grain.

When it happened, Jiang Chengming panicked.

But under orders from higher-ups and the deputy magistrate, he ruthlessly closed the city gates, forbidding anyone in Ling County from leaving.

Higher-ups also promised to cooperate, ensuring no disaster victims left Shandong.

Ultimately, nearly ten thousand people in Ling County died waiting in the city.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the court turned pale.

Such a great tragedy, and its origin was just a cup of wine…

Emperor Jianzhao was utterly enraged.

He immediately sentenced Jiang Chengming, the deputy magistrate, the county captain, and others to death by slow slicing, with their entire families exiled. Other involved officials from Shandong faced either execution by hanging or exile.

In the decade and more during which Yujin wine had been illicitly brewed, many officials had been promoted from Ling County and Shandong to other places.

They were naturally aware of the situation.

This included the former governor of Shandong and current Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Weng Xiuyong, who had recently been granted a marriage alliance by the emperor, making him the future father-in-law of the Fourth Prince, Xie Huan, just waiting for an auspicious date to formalize the marriage.

Additionally, the former magistrate of Ling County, Yuan Liangping, was the only son of Yuan Xian, the Minister of Revenue and top aide to the First Prince, Xie Hong.

This incident saw not only Xie Xuan’s faction pushing for severe punishment of those involved.

The Second Prince, Xie Kuan’s faction, was also very active, happy to strike at two rivals at once.

The reasons were ample.

Leaving aside the grave crime of stealing from the granary, punishable by the extermination of nine generations, or the wrongful deaths of nearly ten thousand people in Ling County, the illicit brewing of tribute wine was a blatant insult to the imperial family’s authority and dignity.

If even royal family members received a fixed quota, how could treacherous officials and merchants be entitled to enjoy the wine endlessly?

With public outrage boiling over.

Emperor Jianzhao couldn’t go against the tide. Yuan Liangping was sentenced to beheading, while his father, Yuan Xian, was dismissed from office and had his properties confiscated due to his years of service.

The First Prince’s faction suddenly lost a Minister of Revenue, a blow that felt like bleeding out.

The Ministry of Revenue controlled the treasury.

Attracting supporters and maintaining private armies—both required money.

“Xie Xuan, how dare you…” After the court session, Xie Hong directly blocked his path.

Xie Xuan squinted at the man before him: “Elder Brother, do you remember our conversation right here in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony last month?”

Xie Hong’s eyes widened. Back then, to spite Xie Xuan, he had actively proposed Gu Siyuan, Xie Xuan’s mortal enemy, as the commander of the capital garrison.

Revenge came this quickly?

Xie Xuan saw him fall into his thoughts and nodded in satisfaction.

Yet, he also felt a bit sad inside.

Sigh, why didn’t these people believe that he was just a pure-hearted prince wanting to stand up for the people and punish corrupt officials?

On the other side, the entire family of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Weng Xiuyong, was sentenced to exile in Lingnan, a place known for its miasma where no exiled criminal had ever survived.

“Xie Xuan, you madman.” Xie Huan clenched his fists.

Originally, the Weng family was betrothed to him. According to the laws of the dynasty, for royal family members, unless it was a major crime like treason, all other crimes could be reduced by two degrees; for imperial in-laws, it could be reduced by one degree.

The five punishments were caning, flogging, penal servitude, exile, and death. Exile reduced by one degree would become penal servitude, which meant imprisonment. Given the scarcity of food, no one would be punished for decades—keeping someone in prison was like keeping them as a guest of the court, a luxury.

So, penal servitude usually lasted no more than three years.

If he didn’t annul the engagement and married the Weng family’s daughter as his primary consort, the Weng family would become royal in-laws, and their punishment could be reduced, allowing them to survive with some bribery.

However, he was aiming for the throne. How could he have an in-law who was a criminal and had committed such heinous acts, unless he no longer cared about public opinion?

But when he resolutely annulled the engagement, the ministers he was trying to win over looked at him differently, as if he were heartless and unkind.

The loyalty and filial piety he had painstakingly demonstrated at the Empress Dowager’s memorial vanished instantly.

Xie Huan’s eyes were cold.

What did these people know?

How could they understand his dilemma?

It was all Xie Xuan’s fault, this wretched man. If he had known it would come to this, he should have killed him directly at the memorial, avoiding all the trouble.

“Xie Xuan, from now on, it’s either you or me. I won’t rest until you’re dead!”

“What are you saying?” Emperor Jianzhao walked in from outside.

Xie Huan quickly adjusted his expression: “Father.”

Emperor Jianzhao sat down, scrutinizing him for a long time before speaking slowly: “I know this has been hard for you, but is this something you should say?”

Xie Huan lowered his head, realizing the emperor wasn’t truly angry about his words of fratricide, and felt much relieved.

Hmph, Xie Xuan, no matter how much glory you have, in the end, you’re just my shield. The father you think dotes on you doesn’t care about you…

Everything you do is just making a wedding dress for others.

Emperor Jianzhao continued: “This time, it was my oversight. Originally, I granted you the marriage to the Weng family’s daughter because, although Weng Xiuyong was not prominent in court, he actually had many protégés and a vast network. Who knew he would cause such a scandal?”

Xie Huan quickly said: “Father has already exhausted his efforts for me; this was unforeseeable.”

Emperor Jianzhao nodded: “Let this matter pass. You are still young and have many opportunities ahead. I will find you another suitable marriage. Over time, people will forget today’s events.”

“Yes.” Xie Huan responded with a smile.

After a moment’s hesitation, he said: “Father, Xie Xuan has always been deep-minded, but his recent actions seem unusual. Could he have discovered something?”

Emperor Jianzhao’s expression turned serious.

As a father, exploiting his sons was not an honorable act.

After the memorial incident, Xie Xuan might have some suspicions, but it should be mere guesses, as he continued to show affection later on.

Except for the appointment of Gu Siyuan as the commander of the capital garrison, where they had differing opinions, could that have raised suspicions?

“I will have someone investigate this matter thoroughly.”

…

Meanwhile, at the Sixth Prince’s residence, after sending off the loyal ministers under his command.

Turning around, he saw a tall figure sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, a figure he hadn’t seen in a long time.

So, our always deep-thinking Sixth Prince Xie Xuan immediately leapt onto Gu Siyuan, angrily accusing him: “You went to Ling County and back for over ten days, and even after returning to the capital, you didn’t come to see me. Did you meet some little demoness on the road who bewitched you?”

He really missed this person this time.

Gu Siyuan firmly embraced his slender waist with one hand, lightly hooked his lips, and softly said, “With a lively and adorable little lion demon like you waiting for me in the capital, how could I look at any other demons?”

Hearing this, Xie Xuan felt a bit proud but also somewhat annoyed.

Lively and adorable, yes, but how could he call him a little lion demon? Was he really that fierce?

He opened his mouth, ready to bite.

But when his slender white fingers touched this man’s chest and shoulders, though still firm and broad, he could clearly feel that he had lost quite a bit of weight.

Immediately, he couldn’t bring himself to bite. He leaned in to kiss the more prominent Adam’s apple, muttering between his lips, “You’ve lost so much weight, working so hard on purpose to make me feel sorry for you, so I can’t bear to bite you, right? Gu Siyuan, you wretched man, why do you bully me with your tricks?”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

This was a classic case of blaming the victim.

Wasn’t he the one who initially used his beauty as a ploy?

But he couldn’t say that, or it would become another topic of bullying.

He thought for a moment and said calmly, “It’s because Your Highness feels sorry for me; otherwise, the trick wouldn’t work.”

“Gu Siyuan, General Gu, why are you speaking so well today? Let me see if you’ve been possessed by some demon.” Xie Xuan’s slender, jade-like fingers slowly traced towards his lips.

Gu Siyuan stared at him, his expression unchanged, casually saying, “Just touching; what’s the use?”