Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 110

Chapter 110

The Crown Prince demanded that Yan Shang be recalled.

Mu Wanyao agreed with this suggestion.

In her view, Yan Shang had offended too many interest groups by staying in Shuzhong, making him no longer safe. He truly needed to return. However, because this suggestion was proposed by the Crown Prince, Mu Wanyao’s political sensitivity caused her to pause; she did not agree on the spot.

Mu Wanyao furrowed her brows: "Wait another two days."

She did not believe the Crown Prince would care about Yan Shang’s safety. Yan Shang was not like Yang Si; how could the Crown Prince be so concerned about Yan Shang? The Crown Prince must have had other motives.

The Crown Prince spoke earnestly: "Yaoyao..."

Mu Wanyao replied firmly: "Wait another two days."

She looked at the Crown Prince, adding with concern: "If there is no better news from Shuzhong in these two days, I will have him return. Perhaps he can handle the current situation? Using a fake illness to trick him... it just doesn’t feel right."

The Crown Prince wanted to persuade her further, but seeing Mu Wanyao’s expression, he pressed his brows together and ultimately suppressed his persuasive words. Mu Wanyao was no longer the person she used to be; the Crown Prince could no longer force her to do things she was unwilling to do, as he once could.

Having arrived through the rain and left through the rain, the Crown Prince departed from the Danyang Princess Mansion in low spirits. On his way back to the Eastern Palace, he instructed the Vice Minister of Revenue to come to Mu Wanyao’s place over the next two days to persuade her, insisting that Yan Shang must be brought back.

If Mu Wanyao ultimately refused to cooperate... the Crown Prince would rather forge evidence of Mu Wanyao’s illness than let Yan Shang stay.

Before two days had passed, the Crown Prince was burning with impatience, and Mu Wanyao summoned the Vice Minister of Revenue. As a high-ranking official who had emerged from the Princess’s mansion, the Vice Minister of Revenue naturally came at the beck and call of the Princess of Danyang. The Vice Minister stood under the eaves waiting for the Princess’s orders, but Mu Wanyao invited him into the study to drink tea.

The Vice Minister took his seat opposite Mu Wanyao. Although the maid of the Princess’s mansion had brewed fragrant tea, he only took a sip and dared not drink more.

Mu Wanyao stared at him: "Was it you who suggested to the Crown Prince that Yan Shang be recalled?"

The Vice Minister lowered his eyes: "Yes."

Mu Wanyao tapped her fingers on the desk, pondering for a moment. She asked: "Is the situation in Shuzhong truly that dangerous?"

The Vice Minister: "It is. If Second Young Master Yan does not return, he could truly lose his life in Shuzhong. I beg Your Highness to assist..."

Mu Wanyao interrupted his drivel: "I have already read the memorials submitted by the Ministry of Revenue; I understand these matters well enough. But I still do not understand why you all insist on Yan Shang returning. Granted, Yan Shang’s stay in Shuzhong might be dangerous, but I do not believe anyone among you should be worried about the life of a mere seventh-rank petty official. Furthermore, I believe Yan Shang has the ability to handle the affairs in Shuzhong; he would not challenge a situation he could not cope with.

"Although I am also worried about his safety, I am simultaneously confident in his abilities. You haven't known Yan Shang for just a day or two; having worked with him for so long, you should be even more aware of his skills. How is it that as soon as there is a change in Shuzhong, you are all anxious to have him return? What is the inside story here?"

The Vice Minister remained silent, afraid to speak.

Mu Wanyao said coldly: "Speak! If you do not speak, how can I help you?"

After a long while, the Vice Minister gave a bitter smile: "Your Highness should know by now that in Shuzhong, officials shield one another, and officials and merchants collude, which easily creates a massive case. Yan Shang is young and hot-blooded; I fear he will escalate the case. If it escalates, where will we find so many officials to fill the vacancies? Moreover, our interests will also be damaged. Is Your Highness not afraid of this?"

Mu Wanyao was silent for a moment.

She whispered: "You mean the Ministry of Revenue cannot stay out of this either. Is it possible that the matter will reach us?"

She slammed the table: "You have such audacity!"

The Vice Minister smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue is the wealthiest department; how could we not have some collusion with the officials below? If we were to truly argue about it, I fear the Ministry of Personnel is not clean either. But this disaster relief was initiated by the Ministry of Revenue, not the Ministry of Personnel. If Second Young Master Yan investigates too deeply, it will only involve us... and the Emperor will not allow too much involvement. Your Highness’s and the Crown Prince’s power base lies in the Ministry of Revenue; how could we allow any mistakes?"

Mu Wanyao paused for a long while, her voice softer: "Then let the matter remain in Shuzhong and be resolved there."

The Vice Minister looked up: "Your Highness, we all hope the matter is resolved in Shuzhong. It is only that we fear Second Young Master Yan will refuse."

Mu Wanyao gritted her teeth: "Ridiculous! Why would he refuse? Does he have to force us to our deaths? I know him; he is not that type!"

The Vice Minister: "What if the Prefect of Yizhou happens to be my cousin?"

The expression in Mu Wanyao’s eyes suddenly went blank.

Her voice turned cold: "What did you say?"

The Vice Minister stood up, brushed his sleeves, and knelt before Mu Wanyao, tasting bitterness in his mouth: "The current Prefect of Yizhou is a cousin from my own clan. Although I do not have much contact with him in daily life... he is still of the same clan. How could there truly be no connection? I fear someone could easily link me to the case through the Prefect of Yizhou. And if they link it to me, the Ministry of Revenue will be in jeopardy."

Mu Wanyao did not say a word. She held her teacup, and without a moment’s hesitation, threw a cup of hot tea at him.

"Thud—"

The white porcelain teacup landed on the carpet; it did not shatter because of the rug, but it made a dull sound. The Vice Minister was covered in boiling hot tea and tea stains from head to toe, and the hot water dripped down his collar. He knelt on the floor in panic, not daring to get up.

Mu Wanyao looked at him as if she wanted to devour him.

She gritted her teeth: "You have such audacity! Knowing this matter, you actually dared to let Yan Shang go to Shuzhong? What were you thinking back then? How could you dare let Yan Shang go?"

The Vice Minister: "None of us expected that instead of providing disaster relief, he would run off to investigate the things behind it... We didn’t expect he could actually find it out, and that he wouldn’t stop! Now that we are stuck on the tiger’s back, we can only beg Your Highness to take action and have Second Young Master Yan return. If Second Young Master Yan continues like this, I fear my official position will be lost..."

The Vice Minister was one of the key figures in Mu Wanyao’s hands; how could she be willing to suffer such a loss?

She was so angry that blood rushed to her face, her eyes nearly splitting. She wished she could strangle this group of idiots. Even she usually trod carefully, avoiding conflict with Yan Shang over such matters. And yet, the Ministry of Revenue and the Crown Prince dared to let Yan Shang investigate! Had the incident where Yan Shang shot the head of the Zheng family without hesitation not taught them enough?

Had they not realized what kind of person Yan Shang was?

Someone so devoted to the people and the public interest was inherently different from those who profited from their class interests. Such a person would never naturally stand in their position to consider problems!

Therefore, most of the time, Mu Wanyao avoided letting Yan Shang know too much about her affairs. She did not even dare to expose the truths she kept, yet the Ministry of Revenue actually dared to.

However, this group of fools in the Ministry of Revenue... Mu Wanyao paced the room, finally understanding why the Crown Prince was in such torment. Mu Wanyao also felt worried; she was afraid that if Yan Shang insisted on investigating and offended the officials of Shuzhong, he would never be able to come back, and she was also afraid he would truly uncover the Ministry of Revenue and make an enemy of every official there...

She could not let Yan Shang harm her own interests!

Her status was supported by these officials; what she possessed was not necessarily free from the spoils of these officials... She could not let Yan Shang destroy everything.

Mu Wanyao closed her eyes and made a firm decision: "Xia Rong, come in! Immediately send a message to Shuzhong saying I am severely ill, that my life is fading, and order Yan Shang to return!"

She looked at the Vice Minister of Revenue again, her voice cold: "You may send other officials to Shuzhong to replace him.

"And another thing! Fill in your accounts clearly! Especially you! Do not let that cousin of yours implicate you. If necessary, get rid of your cousin directly! Let Shuzhong be the final point of explosion for this matter; do not let it return to Chang'an! How dare you make me fix your loopholes... If you make any more mistakes, you might as well die to apologize."

Xia Rong rushed out to write the letter according to the Princess’s instructions.

The Vice Minister of Revenue agreed repeatedly, promising to remedy the situation. He let out a sigh of relief in his heart, thinking that as long as the Princess was willing to take action, surely she could make Yan Shang turn back, right? It was rumored throughout the court that Second Young Master Yan and the Princess had a very close relationship. Even if Yan Shang wouldn't give them face, would he not give the Princess face? —

It had not rained in Shuzhong.

The county where Yan Shang resided was in a state of panic due to Yan Shang’s impeachment of the officials.

And on Yan Shang’s side, he had already learned: "The Prefect of Yizhou is actually the cousin of the Vice Minister of Revenue in the central court."

Even a page like Yun Shu realized that the case his young master was involved in was no minor matter. Yun Shu was deeply worried: "Young Master, if you continue to investigate, I fear it will lead to Chang'an. The situation will become serious... Young Master’s official position might not be secure."

Yan Shang was silent.

He had feared such things from the very beginning; he had not expected his prediction to come true. Thinking of Chang'an... he also hesitated, knowing that if the case were returned to Chang'an, he would not be offending one or two people, but a whole group. With his low official rank, he feared it would be difficult to protect himself.

Yan Shang sighed softly and said in a low voice: "I also hope the matter can come to a conclusion here in Shuzhong."

Seeing that his young master was not being reckless and insisting on making a scene, Yun Shu sighed in relief. He had been worried that if his young master was stubborn, he would have a falling out with the Princess... To be honest, his young master’s current standing was largely due to the Princess’s protection. If not for her protection, Second Young Master’s climb in office would not have been so smooth.

It was best not to offend the Princess.

Yan Shang said: "Let’s go see the Prefect of Yizhou and have a talk with him."

Yan Shang and Yun Shu led some servants, leaving the impoverished county where they were stationed and heading toward Shu County. There were ten counties under Yizhou, and Shu County was the seat of the Yizhou administration, as well as the base of the Prefect’s power. Having sorted out the small county, Yan Shang naturally needed to meet the highest-ranking official in Yizhou.

Yizhou had always been a land of mountains and ridges with rugged roads. As Yan Shang and his party traveled through the mountains, they hired knights-errant for protection to prevent encountering bandits. But even with such caution, when the group was exhausted from traveling through the mountains, bandits descended from the sky, surrounding Yan Shang and his party.

The bandits were incredibly arrogant, each with a hideous face.

Yun Shu stood in front of Yan Shang nervously and shouted: "Audacious! Do you know who we are..."

The other party laughed wildly: "Aren't you just dog officials? Bah, you forced us into a dead end, so today we will act on behalf of heaven and kill you all!"

The guards on Yan Shang’s side drew their swords, watching the bandits surround them and charge down in disorder. The fighting was endless. Yun Shu was terrified, dragging Yan Shang and pleading for him to escape.

Yan Shang smiled bitterly. He observed everything, seeing the formation the other party used to surround them, and then noticing some bandits sitting on high rocks without coming down, just staring at them. Yan Shang knew the other side had been prepared long ago; escape was impossible.

Moreover...

Yan Shang muttered to himself: "So that’s where the missing household registers were."

Yun Shu did not understand what his young master was talking about: "What household registers?"

Yan Shang stared at these bandits and raised his voice so the bandits sitting high on the rocks could hear him: "After the disaster, the population of Shuzhong plummeted. According to disaster data from other counties in previous years, it should have been impossible for so many people to vanish all at once. I had always wondered if a drought could kill so many people... Now I understand, it wasn't that they died; they were commoners who had no choice but to go up into the mountains to become bandits!"

The bandits in the middle of the fight paused.

The bandits sitting high above stared with sharp, murderous eyes.

Yan Shang stared at them and said calmly: "You were ordinary commoners who mainly farmed. Being forced into the mountains to become bandits, do you really want to be bandits forever and never return to a normal life?"

He said: "After farming for decades, and because of a single change in the weather, you begin a life of killing and looting, abandoning your household registers, being forgotten by the imperial court, and becoming bandits to be annihilated? Even if you are willing, are your children and descendants willing to be bandits?

"If I die here today, a court official dying at your hands, you will never have the possibility of restoring your civilian status!"

The bandit sitting high above stood up abruptly. Many bandits were in an uproar; even many of those in the middle of the fight stopped. They looked around in panic; after all, they were not real bandits, but people forced into this step by the world. So, hearing Yan Shang say they would never have the possibility of restoring their civilian status, they all hesitated for a moment.

The bandit leader cursed and shouted: "Brothers, don’t listen to his nonsense! It is dog officials like him who forced us into the mountains to become bandits. His words cannot be trusted..."

"Nonsense!" The opinions among the bandits were not unified. When the leader gave the order, another voice came from behind the mountain. Both the government guards and the bandits looked over, seeing a burly man leaping out, his eyes filled with anger.

The man shouted: "How could you actually dare to kill a court official?"

When the bandits saw the man, they were all excited: "Second Master..."

The original leader naturally was the First Master; he hummed lightly, but did not oppose the "Second Master" intervening.

Yan Shang’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he looked at the Second Master thoughtfully... The Second Master turned his head and saw the handsome gentleman in long robes and jade belt below, his eyes glowing with excitement. Regardless of his brothers, he jumped down from the mountain head and knelt before Yan Shang.

The man looked up, agitated: "Young Master!"

Yan Shang looked at the man kneeling before him, revealed a surprised smile, and bent down to help him stand up: "Han Shuxing? How did you end up in this state?"

The bandits were dissatisfied: "Second Master, why do you know this dog official..."

Han Shuxing was humble and excited when facing Yan Shang, but when he turned his face toward the bandits, he grew cold: "Presumptuous! How dare you behave this way before Second Young Master Yan! I tell you, even if all the officials in this world are wrong, Second Young Master Yan would never collude with them. There must be a misunderstanding..."

The bandits were indignant: "But isn't he bringing guards to exterminate the bandits?"

Yan Shang raised an eyebrow and said: "I actually feel it would be more appropriate to say you came to kill me."

With that, both sides were stunned, realizing there was a discrepancy in the information and that something had gone wrong—

Originally, these bandits had heard a secret report that a high-ranking official from the imperial court was coming to exterminate the bandits and destroy those who had turned from commoners into bandits, so that the household registers could be kept clean without leaving traces. They were indignant and naturally did not want to be killed.

Since they received the news, they had to act in advance.

As for Han Shuxing, after leaving Chang'an, he traveled aimlessly, and by coincidence, came to Shuzhong just in time for the great drought. Han Shuxing saw these commoners losing their fertile land and unable to make a living, having no choice but to go into the mountains to become bandits. Out of pity, he helped them.

Since then, Han Shuxing had been stuck with them, inexplicably becoming their Second Master.

That night, Yan Shang stayed in the mountains and heard the bandits explain the situation. Once the information from both sides was compared, Yan Shang knew that the person who wanted to borrow the bandits’ hands to get rid of him was likely the entire body of Yizhou officials. Yun Shu was stunned and terrified: If everyone in Yizhou wanted Second Young Master Yan to die here, how could Second Young Master Yan escape?

Especially with these bandits around.

Han Shuxing knelt before Yan Shang on behalf of the bandits and pleaded: "Young Master, they are not evil people; they were all forced into this by the world. If only their civilian status could be restored..."

A fire burned in the dark mountain cave. The bandits stood around in a messy group. The First Master led his brothers to look at this side with vigilance, simply not believing that Yan Shang, as an official, would not care about their crimes and help them restore their civilian status.

Yan Shang sat in the darkness, looking at them. His gaze swept over the faces of these bandits one by one. He saw the bravado they pretended to have and the fierce look they tried so hard to act out. He saw their chaotic weaponry, some even having gone up the mountain holding long plows for farming...

For a moment, he thought of the disaster victims, refugees, and displaced people he had seen when he followed his parents through Jiangnan in his childhood.

He saw how many people starved to death on the roadside, how many people chased their carriage, and his parents dared not stop, fearing the displaced people would overwhelm them...

The young Yan Shang asked his parents: "Is it always like this?"

His mother hugged his shoulders and sighed softly: "It is always like this.

"So Second Young Master, if you ever truly become an official, you might as well help these people..."

All things from the past rang in his ears;

All things before his eyes stood out clearly.

In the quiet, amidst the questioning and panic of the crowd, Yan Shang closed his eyes, thinking what kind of world this was, to force people to such a point—

When he opened his eyes again, Yan Shang helped Han Shuxing up and whispered: "I will have your civilian status restored."

The bandits were in an uproar.

That bandit leader, the First Master, stood straight and could not help but ask with a strained voice: "Are you going to make us pay some price?"

Yan Shang looked at them, his heart aching, and only said: "You do not need to pay any price."

Some bandits were uneasy: "But after all, we killed people..."

Yan Shang whispered: "There have been far too many people killing. You killed people, and the Yizhou officials are also killing people. How could I possibly count them one by one?" —

The Prefect of Yizhou thought that by leaking the news and letting the bandits, who hated the officials to the bone, kill Second Young Master Yan, he could sit back and relax, and comfortably be an official.

But two days later, the Prefect of Yizhou saw Yan Shang alive.

Not only did Yan Shang arrive, but he also brought along a sturdy bandit and summoned all the officials in Yizhou—

The Prefect of Yizhou was terrified, looking at all the officials standing in the courtyard.

They saw the bandit Han Shuxing, who was bound by guards and kneeling at Yan Shang’s feet, and felt only horror in their hearts, wondering if the plan had been exposed and if Yan Shang was going to settle accounts with all of them?

But how could he settle accounts with everyone! —

In the gloomy afternoon, Yan Shang sat in the courtyard of the Prefect’s residence, waiting for all the officials to arrive and take their seats.

When all the officials were uneasy, Yan Shang spoke: "Everyone, I have been in Yizhou for more than two months, and I have been dealing with you for a while. You also know that I have never trusted you and have harbored suspicions about you... Recently, I was assassinated by bandits again. Thanks to my good fortune, I did not die at the hands of those bandits.

"And I interrogated these bandits and finally figured out who wanted to kill me."

The grass in the courtyard was yellow, withered due to the lack of water.

In the humid air, everyone was drenched in sweat after sweat. They kept wiping their sweat with their sleeves, and hearing Yan Shang speak clearly, they sweated even more. They looked at each other, and a flash of ruthlessness welled up in their hearts—

If Second Young Master Yan truly dared to make all of them fall, they would kill Second Young Master Yan right here today!

Yan Shang looked at their expressions, feeling bitter inside. He knew exactly what these people were thinking, but he truly could not let everyone fall. He could only choose the most heinous among them and negotiate conditions.

Yan Shang’s gaze fell on the face of the Prefect of Yizhou, who was wiping his sweat incessantly.

The gazes of all the officials followed Yan Shang and landed on the Prefect of Yizhou’s face. Some were bewildered, some suddenly realized, some were terrified, and some were excited—

That humid afternoon, Yan Shang reached a secret agreement with these officials.

All the blame was pushed onto the Prefect of Yizhou. No matter how much the Prefect claimed he was wronged, all these officials spoke in unison, standing on Yan Shang’s side and supporting a court official.

Yan Shang would memorialize the imperial court to dismiss the Prefect of Yizhou’s official position and take him to the capital for trial. The officials of Yizhou nodded one after another, saying that the Young Master had worked hard.

In return, they cooperated with Yan Shang, began to re-compile the household registers of Yizhou, demanded that the bandits hiding in the mountains return home, and began to contribute silver, voluntarily helping these commoners resettle and redistribute land.

Everyone in Yizhou waited for water to be diverted from various places, or for rain from heaven to resolve the drought in Yizhou—

In early September, Yan Shang had finally smoothed things over with the officials of Yizhou. The officials were willing to set their minds at ease and let Yan Shang take the Prefect of Yizhou to the capital for trial. They received Yan Shang’s guarantee: as long as they resettled the people, Yan Shang would not make any major changes to their official positions...

It was at this time that Yan Shang received a letter from Chang'an. The imperial court had sent new officials to replace him, waiting in Shuzhong for rain; and Danyang Princess was seriously ill. The letter written by people from the Princess’s mansion had been sent half a month ago. Yan Shang was burning with anxiety, not knowing the extent of Mu Wanyao’s illness to warrant such a letter.

Having rushed through the handover of his duties, and leaving the officials to slowly bring the Prefect of Yizhou to Chang'an, Yan Shang took the lead, whipping his horse to ride back to Chang'an as fast as he could—

Yan Shang had been gone from Shuzhong for only ten days when torrential rain hit Shuzhong, and the drought was finally resolved.

Five days later, fierce bandits appeared in Shuzhong, and the real mountain bandits came down from the mountains to slaughter commoners. The people who had returned to civilian status after coming down from the mountains that day survived the drought, but they did not survive the bandits’ looting.

Yizhou defined this event as an accident. The new Prefect of Yizhou had not been appointed, and these officials were in a mess, casually commanding troops to suppress the bandits, yet they did not achieve any results—

In late September, after Han Shuxing buried all his brothers, he went up the mountain to challenge those bandits.

Afterward, he learned from the bandits who the person really was who wanted to kill those commoners.

Han Shuxing sat in front of his brothers’ graves in the mountains for a whole night, silently drinking for a whole night.

The next day, he smashed the wine jar and turned to leave. He took his sword to Chang'an, wanting to demand an answer from the murderer—

At the same time, Yan Shang returned to Chang'an. He was covered in dust, and without even stopping to wash, he first went to visit the Princess’s mansion to inquire about the Princess’s condition.

But the Princess was not in the mansion.

The maids in the mansion mumbled: "Her Highness’s illness? It’s, it’s already healed."

Yan Shang stood in the courtyard of the Princess’s mansion, quietly looking at the maid whose eyes were flickering and who did not dare to look him in the eye.

His heart grew as cold as ice; human hearts are the coldest of all.

Autumn maple leaves swirled across Chang'an. Under the red-leaf tree, Yan Shang suddenly had a guess—perhaps she had never been ill at all.

It was just to trick him into returning.