White-robed Minister

0017 [Yu Shanyuan's Experience]

After the three got to know each other, they went together to the inner yamen (government office).

After some explanation, Xu Lai and Yang Shu were told to wait, but Yu Shanyuan was immediately invited inside.

Seeing this, Xu Lai couldn't help but smile. It was so comfortable dealing with smart people.

Yesterday, he deliberately brought up Yu Shanyuan, saying that he was being ostracized and didn't want to continue working. He also mentioned that Yu Shanyuan was a relative of Yu Jing, just to get the two civil officials to bring Yu Shanyuan over.

Clearly, Magistrate Shen and Registrar Wang not only understood, but also acted very quickly!

Yu Shanyuan himself was a little confused at this moment, wondering why he had been invited by Magistrate Shen.

On the night the Maritime Trade Route was robbed, he was sleeping in the Sandbar camp when he was suddenly awakened by shouts and found that the surroundings were in chaos.

Thinking that the salt bandits had come to kill him, he rushed out of the straw hut and found a secluded spot to lie down and pretend to be dead.

This was Yu Shanyuan's carefully considered plan to save his life.

First, there was no way to escape; the camp was located on an island in the middle of the river, but he couldn't swim.

Secondly, we cannot stay in the straw huts, because the salt bandits will definitely burn down the barracks.

Third, one should not lie in a location with convenient transportation, as one is easily trampled to death by salt bandits and fleeing soldiers.

Fourth, the sandbar camp had little wealth. If the salt bandits were to launch a night raid, it would undoubtedly be to rout the government troops and facilitate the subsequent looting of the county town. Therefore, the salt bandits wouldn't bother searching for corpses to finish off the enemy; feigning death in a secluded location would ensure their survival.

The logic is sound, and the plan is perfect!

Yu Shanyuan lay there pretending to be dead for a while, but gradually he realized something was wrong.

He carefully got up and cautiously observed the situation. He found that it was pitch black with no torches, but flames were shooting into the sky from the direction of the county town.

"Gather the troops! Gather the troops!"

Yu Shanyuan, still determined to get things done, immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "The salt bandits haven't attacked yet, they're looting the county town! Quickly gather the defeated troops, take a boat, and catch the salt bandits off guard!"

However, nobody listened to what he was saying.

The soldiers, hastily assembled from able-bodied men, were so frightened by the firelight and shouts from the opposite bank that they broke into a panic and completely lost their minds.

Even the regular patrolmen were led into a riot within the camp!

Fortunately, this place is located on an island in the river. Apart from a few people who jumped into the river to escape, the rest ran around aimlessly until they were exhausted. After losing their strength, they slowly recovered.

Yu Shanyuan found Liang Dutou by the water and asked him to immediately gather the defeated soldiers and sail to the other side to make a name for himself.

But Chief Liang immediately berated him, "Get out of here! Where are there any more boats?"

Only then did Yu Shanyuan realize that Chief Liang was only wearing a single layer of clothing, standing there barefoot, and his whole body was already soaked.

However, when the camp was in chaos, Liang, the head constable, tried to escape by boat in a panic. In the darkness, he was pushed off the boat by the soldiers and could only swim back to the sandbar, shivering from the cold.

"The boat's gone?" Yu Shanyuan said. "Inspector Huang is right outside the county town!"

This reminder startled Chief Liang.

Deputy Inspector Huang Bao disliked the poor living conditions in Shazhou and went to stay in a brothel near the South City Wharf. His reason was that it would be convenient for leading troops!

There are indeed soldiers there.

Warships with a slightly deeper draft could not dock on sandbars and shallows, so all the "large ships" were moored at the South City Wharf.

The fire broke out in the area of ​​the outlying district near the dock—the brothel where Inspector Huang was staying was also located in that area.

Did they burn Inspector Huang to death?

Under the dim moonlight, Yu Shanyuan and Liang Dutou looked at each other in bewilderment.

Soon, they heard the sound of drums and bugles.

At the time, Yu Shanyuan didn't know what had happened, but he could roughly imagine the whole process the next day—

Deputy Inspector Huang Bao was fast asleep, embracing a prostitute, when he was awakened by shouts for help from the neighboring street. Thinking it was a night raid by salt bandits, Inspector Huang was frantically carried away by his henchmen. Once outside, they discovered it was just a fire, so they returned to the brothel to look for drums and horns.

That's right, even the military drummers and buglers were in brothels!

When Inspector Huang arrived at the dock with his personal guards, he found that all his warships had been frightened away, so he beat the drums and blew the horns to summon the patrol ships.

The patrol boats didn't actually escape very far, because when they anchored at dusk, they would inevitably drop anchor and lay down their oars, making it impossible to sail away immediately.

As the sailors were setting up their anchors and oars, they gradually came to their senses and realized that it was just a fire outside the city. But fearing that there might be salt bandits, they sailed all their warships away from the dock, completely forgetting about Inspector Huang's life or death.

The warships only gradually gathered together when they heard the sound of drums and horns.

It is said that Inspector Huang, with his uncanny foresight, immediately told the sailors, "Quickly follow me to Yinsha Wharf! The salt bandits are surely looting shops and merchant ships!"

Unfortunately, Inspector Huang was lying in a brothel during the day and was unaware that a merchant ship was heading north.

And then, tragedy struck...

In the dead of night, Yu Shanyuan was catching up on sleep in his shack when he was awakened by Liang Dutou's furious roar: "The maritime transport ship has been hijacked! Everyone come with me. Soldiers and clerks alike must go to the villages and countryside to search for the lost treasures!"

Yu Shanyuan could only yawn as he waited to board the ship.

Countless boats belonging to the Tanka people were requisitioned by the patrol soldiers at night, carrying people from the sandbar to Yinsha Wharf.

Unable to gather enough torches on short notice, Yu Shanyuan could only wrap straw around bamboo poles, light them, and lead his men to the countryside to search for treasure.

He hadn't gone far when his makeshift torch burned out.

Yu Shanyuan was exhausted and sleepy, so he simply sat down on the edge of the field and took a nap.

The search continued from late at night until noon, and scattered treasures were discovered one after another.

But most of the officers and soldiers were complaining bitterly, because the military rations at Yinshabu camp had been burned, and there wasn't time to transport the rations from Shazhou camp. Everyone was starving!

As a result, the nearby villages suffered.

The soldiers would slack off whenever they had the chance, no longer focusing on treasure hunting, but instead rushing into farmers' homes and forcing the people to cook for them. At first, it was just about eating, but then it escalated to stealing things, and then it turned into robbing people of their valuables.

It wasn't until some soldiers raped women that the matter escalated, and the elders and heads of households, along with the people, "accidentally" killed two soldiers.

Upon receiving the news, Chief Liang falsely accused the villagers of hoarding contraband and arrested dozens of villagers, intending to take them away.

The situation escalated, and the landlords of various villages began to coordinate, forcing Inspector Huang to order the release of the people. However, the landlords also contributed some grain, under the guise of providing food for the hungry soldiers.

Several villages have been turned into a chaotic mess!

Yu Shanyuan, along with two clerks and a squad of patrol soldiers, were thrown back to the sandbar camp and tasked with organizing the boatmen to transport military provisions there.

Just as several small boats carrying Tanka people were filled, someone on one of the ferries called out, "Is Yu Shanyuan here?"

"I am Yu Shanyuan. What brings you here?" Yu Shanyuan replied.

The ferry docked at the sandbar, and the man pulled Yu Shanyuan aside and whispered, "If you don't want to work in the patrol office, you can go to the county office to see Magistrate Shen tomorrow."

……

"This junior, Yu Shanyuan, pays his respects to the magistrate!" Yu Shanyuan bowed deeply.

Shen Zhi asked, "Yesterday afternoon, some people came to report to the authorities that the patrol soldiers robbed people of their property and raped women. Do you know the truth?"

Yu Shanyuan replied, "It is true, and the news has spread throughout the villages. But I did not witness it myself."

Shen Zhi then asked, "Are you and Old Master Yu from the same hometown and clan?"

"They are indeed of the same clan. I wonder how the magistrate knew this?" Yu Shanyuan guessed that it was Xu who had told him.

Shen Zhi didn't answer, but continued, "Would you be willing to work for me?"

"Officials?" Yu Shanyuan asked in return.

"Staff member".

Shen Zhi said, "We are both scholars, so there's no need to hide anything. This is my first time taking office, and I didn't even bring my wife and children, only a strong servant. It took me half a year to learn the Cantonese dialect, but I'm still often bullied by clerks. I need a staff member."

The secretaries in the Qing Dynasty were very powerful; they truly held real power.

However, this was forbidden in the Song Dynasty, especially for mid- to low-ranking officials. Advisors typically existed as retainers. Advisors could only advise the county magistrate within the inner court and were not allowed to directly interfere in any affairs of the outer court.

Yu Shanyuan politely declined, saying, "I hope the magistrate will know that I have already planned to return to my hometown to pick up my books again and take the imperial examination."

Shen Zhi said, "One can study and take the imperial examinations even when working as a staff member."

Yu Shanyuan hesitated and remained silent.

Shen Zhi then said, "If you are willing to serve as my advisor, you will be in charge of sending the official letter to the Maritime Trade Office to Guangzhou this time. The position of Maritime Trade Commissioner is concurrently held by your relative, Minister Yu. Perhaps you can reminisce with Minister Yu about our kinship."

"Please accept my bow, Your Excellency!" Yu Shanyuan clasped his hands high and bowed, his hands reaching past his knees.

He bowed deeply and agreed to become a retainer of Magistrate Shen.

Shen Zhi smiled and nodded: "Go and invite those two in."

Yu Shanyuan quickly assumed the role of a retainer, striding out to Xu Lai and Yang Shu, saying, "Gentlemen, Magistrate Shen requests your presence."

Xu Lai began to guess Yu Shanyuan's identity at this moment.

Yu Shanyuan secretly winked at him.

Xu Lai also smiled in return.

The three of them quickly entered the inner office.

Yu Shanyuan quietly stood behind Magistrate Shen.

Xu Lai and Yang Shu stepped forward to pay their respects.

Shen Zhi looked at them with amusement: "What business do you have now?"

Xu Lai replied, "I met Scholar Yang on the street, and we chatted for a while. Scholar Yang remembered some important matters."

"What important matter?" Shen Zhi asked, then introduced, "This is my retainer, Yu Shanyuan. He is a relative of Master Yu and will soon be taking an official letter to the Maritime Trade Office."

Yang Shu couldn't help but complain in his heart: Didn't you say that the official letter had already been sent?

But Yang Shu blurted out: "Those patrol soldiers are truly despicable. Last night we fished a treasure chest out of the river, but the patrol soldiers snatched it away, claiming it was stolen goods seized by the patrol office, and told us to bring documents to hand it over another day."

"Is that all?" Shen Zhi was still not satisfied.

Yang Shu said, "The patrol and inspection department forcibly conscripted the Tanka people to salvage treasures. Countless Tanka people jumped into the icy river water, and it is unknown how many of them will catch a cold and die."

Shen Zhi asked, "Is there anything else?"

Yang Shu added, "After the patrol soldiers robbed people of their property and raped women, which aroused public anger, they even accused the people of hoarding valuables. I personally witnessed them arresting dozens of farmers and bringing them back to Yinshabu."

Shen Zhi then smiled and nodded: "Excellent. You should also go to the Maritime Trade Office and explain things to Elder Yu in person. Don't worry about the transport of goods; this county will immediately arrange for the local troops and laborers for you."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" This was exactly the promise Yang Shu wanted.

Shen Zhi then looked at Xu Lai and said with amusement, "Why are you always there for everything?"

Xu Lai said, "Being loyal and righteous is my duty, and I have no choice but to stay."

"Haha, what a fine excuse of being loyal and righteous, yet having no choice but to go!" Shen Zhi's mood became even more cheerful as he laughed and said, "Let Yu Shanyuan take you to the county government's household registration office, and your entire village will be exempt from three years of corvée labor!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Xu Lai was overjoyed and expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

Shen Zhi then said to Xu, "You should also go to the Maritime Trade Office with them. One of you is a strongman who has been incorporated into the local army, one is a clerk in the patrol office, and one is a yamen runner who is in charge of transporting goods. You three should tell Master Yu about your experiences in detail. All three of you are educated, and two of you have even passed the imperial examinations. Master Yu will definitely believe what you say."