Chapter 59
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“I was thinking…” Han Jiao gazed intently at the big boss. “Your Highness, since you are well-versed in military strategy, is there a way to capture those more than thirty thousand refugees alive?”
Xie Duo was taken aback. Before he could respond, Senior Minister Xu corrected, “Those thirty thousand people can no longer be called refugees. They should be termed rebels, and even if captured, they’ll face punishment, making it impossible for them to settle in the new county.”
Han Jiao was thunderstruck, turned to Senior Minister Xu, and said urgently, “Master, we can’t lay all the blame on the refugees. The main instigator of this unrest is the Right Deputy Censor!”
Senior Minister Xu’s expression changed. “Why do you say that?”
Han Jiao indignantly recounted the events of the previous day to Senior Minister Xu. “This Master Right Deputy Censor forced these refugees into a corner just to fulfill his duties. If all the officials in the court treat human lives so callously, what about my benevolent and fatherly Great Chu…”
“Master Han,” Senior Minister Xu interrupted him, fearing that he might speak recklessly and make matters worse. “It seems I didn’t think it through properly. The Censor insisted on following the old rules, and he doesn’t understand flexibility. In the past, such treatment of refugees didn’t lead to rebellion. This time, since it has caused chaos, the court will surely learn from this and will certainly consider your pacification strategy in the future.”
Han Jiao, upon hearing this, felt his heart sink.
Senior Minister Xu’s words made it clear that the Right Deputy Censor was merely following the law. At most, he lacked flexibility, not inciting rebellion.
The number of refugees who suffered casualties remained within reasonable limits. Ironically, Senior Minister Xu subtly implied that the thirty thousand rebel refugees were to blame because “in the past, refugees didn’t revolt like this.”
It seemed the victims were wrongly accused!
Han Jiao was infuriated.
He was even trembling with anger.
The official before didn’t make him feel so hopeless. After all, the Right Deputy Censor was just a minor figure in the bureaucratic world.
Upon further thought, he should have guessed that Senior Minister Xu was this kind of person.
In the novel, Senior Minister Xu was unwaveringly loyal to Prince Yan. But in the end, he was securing his position as the chief advisor. Senior Minister Xu was efficient in his work, so Han Jiao doesn’t harbor any ill feelings towards him. However, after Prince Yan ascended, this old man’s ruthless purging of the Crown Prince’s faction made Han Jiao uneasy.
After all, at that time, Xie Duo had already taken his own life. Before he died, he had helped Prince Yan remove other obstacles. This could be seen as a form of redemption. It wasn’t necessary for Senior Minister Xu to fabricate a rebellion case.
Looking back now, it appeared that all Senior Minister Xu truly valued was power and status. In his eyes, a lack of flexibility and a disregard for human lives weren’t major offenses. Disobedience and lack of loyalty to his commands were the unforgivable sins.
Han Jiao even suspected that the reason Prince Yan was distancing himself from Han Jiao wasn’t solely due to the Eldest Prince’s false accusations. It might also be because of Senior Minister Xu’s suspicion. After all, what this old man truly prized wasn’t an official’s abilities but their loyalty. Even if Han Jiao had the slightest suspicion clinging to him, Senior Minister Xu wouldn’t allow him to remain by Prince Yan’s side.
This old man was even worse than Senior Minister Li.
This thought suddenly crossed Han Jiao’s mind.
In the novel, Senior Minister Li, despite harboring ambitions to manipulate the puppets and control the government, fundamentally, he aimed to obtain the highest authority to efficiently apply his governance skills.
At this moment, Han Jiao surprisingly understood Senior Minister Li’s unwavering pursuit of political power.
Yesterday, as he watched the officials and soldiers oppress the common people, Han Jiao felt a strong urge to become the Emperor and command the entire realm. He now realized that Senior Minister Li, in his younger days, had probably faced such situations of helplessness. Gradually, he gave in to the temptation of power.
Seeing that Han Jiao had fallen silent, Senior Minister Xu bid farewell with a smile.
Han Jiao snapped back to attention and continued to argue relentlessly with Senior Minister Xu for those refugees. “Initially, the court ordered the refugees to gather north of the city and wait for resettlement without disturbing the capital’s order. Those refugees obediently complied without a word. They endured hunger and cold in a corner of the imperial capital without complaints, without urging. They just waited, hoping for the court to keep its promise. They waited for two whole days and nights. Without any guidance or consolation, the court suddenly sent soldiers to forcibly drive them out of the city! The court should understand that these disaster-stricken people have endured beatings and abuse all the way here, driven by the guards of various provinces and counties. Now that they’ve reached the imperial capital, this is their last hope. Even if they stay in the most inconspicuous corner, they still believe that the ruler has their well-being at heart. Not one of them wants trouble. If the official responsible for resettling the refugees had a little more patience, would they have ended up on this desperate path?”
Senior Minister Xu’s expression shifted slightly, clearly showing his anger. How could this minor official from the Hanlin Academy dare to speak up for the people in front of the Prime Minister?
However, the Ninth Prince was still standing nearby, and as the Prime Minister, Senior Minister Xu couldn’t engage in a dispute with an inconspicuous Hanlin Academy scholar. So, he resorted to a more amicable tone and subtly criticized Han Jiao in front of the Ninth Prince, “Master Han’s words, filled with heartfelt compassion for the people, truly moved me. Yesterday, I had intended to appoint Master Han as the special envoy for refugee resettlement. Unfortunately, Master Han is indifferent to fame and position and declined to accept the practical role. Otherwise, today’s disaster might have been averted.”
“……”
Han Jiao felt as though he had been slapped hard. He stared blankly at Senior Minister Xu, unable to speak a word.
“This rebellion must be urgently addressed,” Senior Minister Xu politely nodded to the Ninth Prince. “This old man shall take his leave.”
With that, he hastily entered Wenhua Hall, leaving Han Jiao standing there, stunned.
The Ninth Prince stood behind Han Jiao, unsure of what to say. The little child prodigy seemed emotionally shaken.
“The matter of the refugees will be handled appropriately by the court,” Xie Duo reassured for once. “When the time comes, I can request Father Emperor to be lenient in his judgment.”
A moment of silence followed.
“I couldn’t argue with him,” Han Jiao spoke in a hoarse voice.
“What?” Xie Duo didn’t quite catch it, but he saw the little child prodigy slowly turn around, tears in his eyes as he looked at Xie Duo. “I couldn’t outwit Senior Minister Xu.”
The little child prodigy’s emotions were far from normal. Xie Duo nodded in agreement. “Senior Minister Xu is quite eloquent.”
Han Jiao’s voice sounded even more despondent. “According to what he said, he’s blaming me for lacking courage?”
Xie Duo instinctively took a step back, turned away from the little child prodigy, and sternly reminded him, “Your eyes have turned red.”
Han Jiao, feeling wronged, pouted in front of the big boss.
Xie Duo noticed it and took a sharp breath, one hand fiddling with the tassel of his belt, nervously cautioning, “Han Xiaobai, you’re not going to cry, are you?”
A teenager of this age wasn’t good at handling others’ sadness. The tears in Han Jiao’s eyes left the Ninth Prince at a loss.
If what had upset Han Jiao wasn’t Senior Minister Xu, Xie Duo would have already dragged the culprit out and let Han Jiao deal with it himself.
Losing an argument to Senior Minister Xu, even Father Emperor would have to admit defeat. Xie Duo hoped the little child prodigy understood this and immediately stopped gazing at him with teary eyes. It made him feel quite inept.
“Why isn’t Your Highness saying anything!” Han Jiao couldn’t wait for the consolation from the big boss, and his emotions spiraled out of control.
Xie Duo dared not make eye contact with the child prodigy anymore. He gazed at the distant white clouds and said, “What would you like me to say?”
“Is it my fault that the refugees have gone out of control?” Han Jiao felt deeply wronged.
“It’s the fault of that Censor,” the Ninth Prince responded promptly.
Han Jiao felt somewhat relieved by this answer. He stepped closer, looking at the big boss with hopeful eyes. “Those disaster-stricken people have been waiting anxiously for too long. They aren’t rebels. If the military is deployed to suppress them, more than half of them might end up dead.”
Xie Duo tried to comfort him, “Perhaps when they run out of food, they’ll come down and surrender.”
“They are already frightened and won’t trust the court anymore. The bigger issue is that the court won’t wait for them to run out of food. The soldiers might directly set fire to the mountains…”
“That makes sense.”
“I want to save them, as many as I can.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“That’s the very question I wanted to ask Your Highness.” Han Jiao looked at the big boss with anticipation. “Do you have a way to capture the refugees on the mountains alive?”
“Whether they stay alive or not depends on them. If they resist vigorously, the soldiers will have no choice but to fight back.”
Han Jiao suddenly felt disheartened and muttered, “Even Your Highness can’t do it?”
Xie Duo was momentarily stunned, but these words ignited his determination. He lowered his eyes and retorted to the little child prodigy, “There is nothing in this world that this Prince cannot accomplish.”
Han Jiao’s eyes lit up. He grabbed the big boss’ arm. “Really? Your Highness, come with me to the outskirts of the city! Please be there to lead us!”
The attendants at the entrance of Wenhua Hall were all sneaking glances, trying to learn the tricks of the Hanlin Academy’s child prodigy in winning the Ninth Prince’s favor. The more they watched, the more confused they became…
This kind of clingy behavior… if not handled well, wouldn’t the Ninth Prince dismember the person trying it?
Xie Duo noticed the prying eyes around and swiftly pulled his arm from the little child prodigy’s embrace. He then held onto Han Jiao’s arm and quickly walked to a corner of the palace alley, where he finally released the little child prodigy. “The resettlement of the refugees is the court’s responsibility. I cannot interfere, and the military won’t obey my orders.”
“Your Highness, you can request His Majesty to assign you this responsibility.”
Xie Duo looked rather displeased. “If Father Emperor gets involved in pacifying the refugees, he will share the blame for casualties among the refugees and the soldiers. It cannot involve Father Emperor. Only by swiftly quelling the rebellion will the court report to the Emperor.”
This statement awakened Han Jiao.
It turned out that the so-called “blinding the wise monarch” didn’t mean the Emperor was truly kept in the dark. It meant he pretended not to know, and in the end, no matter the scale of the disaster, the responsibility fell on the officials below. The Emperor always loved the people like his own children, forever misled by treacherous ministers.
Formerly, Han Jiao found fault with Prince Yan for being too unyielding and not avoiding suspicion. But in this critical moment, he realized how rare a monarch like Prince Yan, who was willing to shoulder the burden for the people, truly was.
“Is there really no solution at all?” Han Jiao was filled with despair.
Seeing the little child prodigy’s eyes welling up with tears again, Xie Duo felt a bit anxious for no reason. He furrowed his brow, carefully considered it, then replied, “Go find Sixth Brother. Senior Minister Xu listens to him. If Sixth Brother makes Senior Minister Xu listen to my commands, then I can be of help.”
“Yes… yes! We can go to the Sixth Prince!” Han Jiao was so excited that he almost jumped up. He grabbed the big boss’ hand and swiftly headed towards the palace gate.
Xie Duo hadn’t reacted in time and instinctively pulled back, inadvertently tugging the little child prodigy hanging onto his hand, causing them both to stumble back. The little child prodigy, as soft as cotton, was nestled in his arms.
“Mmm…” Though his nose smarted from the bump, Han Jiao buried his face in the big boss’ chest without lifting his head. He even chuckled softly.
The emotionally unsteady little cotton ball was rubbing against Xie Duo’s chest, making his heart race irregularly.
Suddenly, Han Jiao lifted his head, his pair of still-reddened peach blossom eyes sparkling as he looked at the most remarkable “salted fish” of Great Chu. He genuinely praised with a rainbow-like fart, “Your Highness, you’re truly amazing.”
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