Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 259 The End of Da Qi
Qijiangzhou, the office of the governor.

Qian Zhubu was wrapped in thick clothes, his hair was still wet. At this moment, he was curled up beside Lu Yao, shivering.

"He said so much, and then sent someone to blindfold me and take me outside the city. I couldn't hear anything, so I untied the cloth and looked around. There was no one around, and there was a horse next to me. I quickly got on the horse and came into the city."

Qian Zhubu was really scared.

Lu Yao was looking at several packages, which were found on the horse and hung on both sides. After opening them, he saw that there were exquisite jewels inside with a very obvious southern style.

Lu Yao listened to what Qian Zhubu said, and then looked at the gift sent by the enemy, his brows furrowed and he said nothing.

Qian Zhubu had followed Lu Yao for too long and was very familiar with him. He knew what he was thinking at a glance, so he could only whisper, "My Lord, we can't be anxious right now. Everyone here is secretly colluding with the Chen people. We are weak and the enemy general can capture me in the city. Isn't this a naked demonstration?"

"If the lord really wants to solve these problems, why not ask for their gifts first, let them relax their vigilance, don't investigate these things first, and promote a few available talents first."

Lu Yao looked at Qian Zhubu in astonishment, "What do you mean?"

"We are outnumbered at the moment. I am the only one who can make plans, and the only ones who can do anything are the twenty or so riders who came with us. The enemy numbers tens of thousands. How can we resist?"

"You go on."

"We will pretend that we don't care about smuggling, and use other reasons to deal with those evil thieves, and promote talented people to help you. In this way, after a year, we won't have to worry about being captured in the city, and we can go to the north with peace of mind."

The anticipation on Lu Yao's face suddenly disappeared.

"never mind."

He waved his hand and said helplessly: "You don't need to investigate anything anymore. Just stay in the office and wait until I feel better, then we can talk about these things."

Qian Zhubu quickly agreed, and not daring to disturb Lu Yao any further, turned around and left.

After the other party left, Lu Yao slowly picked up the document from the side. This was a letter sent by Liu Taozi.

The content of the letter was very simple, it just hoped that Lu Yao would resign from his official position and go north.

The other party seemed to be talking about a very simple matter, but the deep meaning behind it made Lu Yao feel horrified.

After Gao Zhan was forcibly sidelined, the prestige of the court seemed to have dropped to its lowest point.

It is hard to believe that a minister of the imperial court would give up his post to follow a local general.

If this had happened in the past, it would have been a crime punishable by the death of the entire clan.

Has the world become so corrupt?
Lu Yao raised his head with a serious expression. He carefully folded the letter several times and put it into his sleeve. Then he stood up with difficulty, "Someone, prepare the carriage. I want to go to inspect the counties!"

The layout of Jinxi City is quite different from many cities in the north.

The buildings in the city are not symmetrical, and the roads are not straight. The roads in the city are winding, the buildings are located very randomly, and the architectural style is also different from that in the north.

The city is quite prosperous. Apart from the two markets, there are "scattered markets" spontaneously formed by the people in many places.

There were many carriages on the road, and it was bustling with people.

One after another, wealthy merchants with fat heads and big ears and dressed in gorgeous clothes got off the car and walked into the shops on both sides with smiles on their faces.

But outside these busy shops, there were many ragged people squatting.

They often wore a rag that could not cover their whole body, and squatted on the sides. Whenever they saw someone passing by, they would rush forward to recommend themselves.

Several guards were escorting the "goods" out of the city, and the shackled slaves were moving forward numbly.

Laughter can be heard in the restaurant, and through the upstairs windows, you can see the people inside raising their glasses and singing, looking very high-spirited.

Outside the restaurant were several bodies of people on the verge of starvation.

Lu Yao's carriage passed slowly on the road, surrounded by knights in front and behind. Lu Yao observed the situation outside.

Jiangzhou has a lot of arable land and abundant manpower. As a transportation hub, it also has a good commercial position.

But Lu Yao checked the tax and financial situation of previous years and found that the government of Jiangzhou was extremely poor. The state, prefecture, and county were all poor, and the soldiers in the prefectures and counties had to rely on donations for food and rations.
As for the people's livelihood, it is even more of a mess. The penniless government is not able to bear the responsibilities it should bear, and the financial pressure is often pushed onto ordinary people, further pushing them into the abyss.

Lu Yao checked the main market and then checked the scattered markets in the city.

There are not many commercial activities in the commercial markets designated by the government. Instead, the circulation in illegal commercial gatherings is more frequent.

The government has no money and cannot stabilize the business environment, so commercial activities are out of government control. Everyone finds a place to do business privately and does not pay taxes, thus forming a vicious cycle.

If we want to solve these problems, we must first break this cycle, even if it means asking the government for money and food, we must restore the government's administrative capacity!
After completing his initial inspection, Lu Yao decided to solve the business problems first. He submitted a memorial to the court requesting assistance, and at the same time wrote a letter to dismiss several officials who had no political achievements in the local area and were greedy and bribed. He sent his knights to search the mansions of these officials, and used the looted proceeds to appease the officials in various places who had not seen their salaries for a long time.

For a time, the situation in Jiangzhou quickly improved.

On this day, a group of people slowly appeared on the road outside Jinxi City.

The carriage was exceptionally luxurious.

There were more than ten knights leading the way in front.

This configuration alone scared the carriages along the road so much that they gave way and no one dared to stop them. When the group arrived at the city gate, they were rudely stopped by a petty official.

The clerk looked pale and frightened.

With a bitter face and trembling hands, he asked the knight for a pass.

"My dear, please don't blame us. We didn't dare to be so rude before. New governors must register. If they don't register, they will be executed."

The clerk explained tremblingly that the man who could walk around with more than 20 cavalrymen was not someone he could afford to offend.

If someone gets angry and kills him with a knife, there is no way to say whether anyone will dare to stand up for him.

Fortunately, the knight had no intention of making things difficult for the clerk, and he quickly handed over the pass and allowed the other party to register it.

The clerk called a few other people, quickly finished the job, and handed the pass to the other party with a look of fear on his face.

The clerk finally breathed a sigh of relief after the group of people entered the city.

His colleagues at the side hurriedly supported him and said, "Who is it? Whose family is it? What a grand figure!"

The clerk shook his head and said with some fear:

"Lou Lou's house."

The group marched towards the government office in a mighty manner. Before the clerks could go and report, the knights occupied the gate first.

The carriage broke directly into the government office, and some soldiers rushed out from the front yard of the office to confront them.

For a moment, the office was extremely noisy.

Qian Zhubu stood in front of the soldiers, holding a sharp knife. He looked at the guy who broke in by force, gritted his teeth, and ordered people to gather the county soldiers.

The next moment, the carriage stopped and a man got out of it.

He was just a half-grown kid, who looked to be about ten years old, with a childish face. He was thin, and his expression was slightly gloomy. He didn't look like a good person.

He looked around, and his gaze finally fell on Qian Zhubu.

"I'm here to pay my respects to Lord Lu."

Qian Zhubu put away his sharp blade and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Lou Ziyan, and my father is a general."

"Lou Gong."

Qian Zhubu quickly asked the soldiers on both sides to retreat, and walked forward with a smile, "It turns out to be Lord Lou, my master and Lord Lou are friends."

"Someone, go and report to the governor."

"Please follow me."

Qian Zhubu led Lou Ziyan and walked slowly on the road, tentatively asking the other party about his purpose.

Lou Ziyan looked quite arrogant and didn't respond much to the enthusiastic Qian Zhubu.

When they walked into the inner room, Lu Yao was already prepared, dressed appropriately and sitting in the seat of honor.

Lou Ziyan put away his arrogance a little and bowed to Lu Yao.

"Is Lord Lou okay?"

"Still tough."

"My father asked me to send his regards to you. This is his letter."

Lu Yao's expression has always been serious.

Especially after learning the other party's identity, he became more serious.

Because he knew Lou Rui too well.

This person never does anything without benefits. Just when he was about to take action to punish the local problems, Lou Ziyan appeared here with a letter from his father. It was obvious that Lou Rui was involved here.

Lou Rui's letter did not mention anything else, it was just a common letter reminiscing about the past, talking about their past friendship. Lu Yao finished reading the letter and put it away with a smile.

"I miss Mr. Lou quite a lot"

Lou Ziyan suddenly said, "Mr. Lu, I came here on the orders of my grandfather to ask for Mr. Lu's help."

The smile on Lu Yao's face froze immediately. He shook his head and said, "Lord Lou wants to do something, why should I interfere? I am just the governor of a small state."

Lou Ziyan explained: "Don't worry, Mr. Lu. My grandfather asked me to come here, not to ask you to do anything illegal."

"I just came to say hello and explain some things to you, so as to avoid any misunderstandings."

"Misunderstand?"

Lu Yao frowned, "I'd like to hear the details."

Lou Ziyan said calmly: "My grandfather has some business here. In the coming days, some ships may come from the north and stay here or pass by. My grandfather hopes that you will not embarrass these merchant ships."

Lu Yao gently stroked his beard. "As long as they pay enough vehicle and vessel taxes and don't transport prohibited goods, why should I make things difficult for them? I'm not a bad person who likes to make things difficult for the people. It seems that Lord Lou has misunderstood me."

Lou Ziyan immediately said: "They will not pay the vehicle and vessel tax, and the goods they transport are all prohibited goods, including war horses, ironware, etc."

Lu Yao clenched his fists suddenly, trying hard to suppress the anger in his heart.

"Is Lord Lou preparing to collaborate with the enemy?"

Lou Ziyan shook his head and said, "My grandfather also considered the country and society."

"Do you know where these merchant ships come from?"

"Since there are war horses and iron tools, I think they came from An, Ying and other places, right?"

"Yes, it is the one who set out from the rule of your old friend, General Wei."

Lu Yao said softly: "Although General Wei is murderous and brutal, he is not the kind of person who would sell out the country for profit."

Lou Ziyan heard the hidden meaning in the other party's words, but he was not angry. He continued to explain: "General Wei did not trade directly with the southerners, but the goods did come from him. The border had experienced a war. Nine out of ten houses were empty, and there were ruins everywhere. The farmland was burned, and the people had no place to live."

"General Wei, we are short of food."

"It's not just the border. Jinyang to the north has been destroyed. Everywhere needs General Wei to find a way to pacify them."

"The imperial court can hardly protect itself, how can it provide so much food to help the border areas?"

"These things were taken out by General Wei in exchange for food."

Lu Yao was stunned for a long time and was speechless.

Lou Ziyan continued, "On both sides of the river, who is not doing business? There are many ministers in the court, who is clean?"

"My grandfather knows your character, so he didn't think of bribing you with money, nor did he want to recruit you into the gang. However, I would like to ask Mr. Lu to do you a favor, even if it is for the sake of the disaster victims at the border."

Lu Yao's expression became increasingly ugly.

He stood up, holding Lou Rui's letter tightly in his hand.

"These war horses and iron tools were sold to the southerners. Aren't you afraid that they will use these things to attack the north again?!"

"How many Qi people's lives will be lost by selling these things?"

"Can you recklessly violate the law under the pretext of helping the frontier?"

Looking at the furious Lu Yao, Lou Ziyan did not say anything nor did he get angry.

Lu Yao said firmly: "General Wei wants to protect the people on the border, and I also want to protect the people under my rule. I will not do such a thing to aid the enemy!"

"If any ship violates the rules, I will send people to intercept it, conduct a thorough investigation, and report the truth to the court!!"

Lou Ziyan looked at Lu Yao in confusion, "I really don't understand. Everyone in the world is doing this, why can't you be flexible?"

Lu Yao murmured: "The reason why Da Qi has become what it is now is because it has compromised too much."

"Lou Jun, please go back and tell Lord Lou that I won't allow it."

After Lu Yao finished speaking, he turned around and left.

Lou Ziyan was the only one left in the empty house.

Lou Ziyan wrapped his clothes tightly, stood up and walked out. There were knights waiting for him. Lou Ziyan led everyone out of the office.

"Young Patriarch, was it successful?"

The leading knight helped him into the car and asked again.

Lou Ziyan shook his head, "What a pity, I thought it would work, but I didn't expect Mr. Lu to be so stubborn."

The knight was very surprised: "He actually refused?"

Lou Ziyan nodded.

The knight asked again: "Why not let General Wei write the letter for us. If he comes forward."

"If General Wei wants to sell things to the South Country, why would we need to do it? He can transport them here by himself. We still can't let General Wei know too much about this matter."

The knight frowned.

Qian Zhubu appeared here with a smile on his face. He bowed to Lou Ziyan and said, "Lou Jun, why don't you stay a little longer? Are you in a hurry to leave?"

Lou Ziyan looked at him and said, "Please, Mr. Qian, take us out of the city."

"Easy to say."

They walked out of the city again. On the way, Qian Zhubu said with a smile: "Don't blame Lord Lou. My master has always been a straightforward person. I didn't mean to be rude to Lord Lou. I just didn't want to do it this way."

"I don't think Lord Lou will blame me, right?"

Lou Ziyan shook his head. "I won't blame him. There are not many officials like Lord Lu in the world. Although my grandfather doesn't like such people, he won't take action against them."

Qian Zhubu secretly looked at Lou Ziyan. He thought that the other party would be very angry for not achieving his goal and would find a way to retaliate. However, Lou Ziyan looked very calm. He didn't have any anger or emotional fluctuations. This made Qian Zhubu subconsciously feel uneasy. He always felt that the other party was sure of something and something was wrong.

Lou Ziyan suddenly said, "Mr. Qian, my grandfather is a kind man. At least he will not attack Mr. Lu. But there are still many evil people in Da Qi. They will not show mercy to those who block their way to wealth."

"You, you have to protect him, got it?"

Qian Zhubu frowned. Is he starting to threaten him?

Everyone had already left the city, but the carriage stopped here. Qian Zhubu was about to speak, but Lou Ziyan motioned him to stay below, got into the carriage, and asked someone to take out the things in the carriage.

A moment later, Lou Ziyan walked out of the car, wearing an official uniform.

The knights on the side took out many ceremonial objects and equipped themselves one after another.

Lou Ziyan calmly picked up the staff from the side and looked at Qian Zhubu, "I am here on the orders of the emperor. There is an imperial decree to be sent to Jiangzhou Governor Lu Yao. Please take us in."

Qian Zhubu was stunned at this moment.

He widened his eyes and looked at the people in front of him in astonishment.

Lou Ziyan entered the city for the second time, but this time, the situation was very different. As soon as the carriage arrived at the government office, Lu Yao led many officials to greet him.

Lu Yao knelt on the ground with a livid face.

Lou Ziyan looked at everyone, as if the person who had just come to meet Lu Yao was not him.

There was no emotion in his eyes, they were cold and heartless.

"Jiangzhou Governor Lu Yao has made great contributions to local governance and has been demoted to Qinzhou as Governor."

"Please ask Governor Lu to take up his post as soon as possible and do not waste time."

Lou Ziyan read out the emperor's edict in a cold voice, and then had someone hand it to Lu Yao.

Then, he turned around and left quickly. He didn't say anything to Lu Yao, nor did he even look at him.

In the eyes of important officials in the temple, Lu Yao’s persistence and resistance were meaningless.

The officials were very surprised. Lu Yao had only been here for a short time, so why was he being transferred again?
They talked a lot and were worried about the situation in Jiangzhou which had just shown some improvement.

Qian Zhubu walked carefully to Lu Yao's side and helped him up. He looked at Lu Yao's livid face and whispered, "My Lord, the temple is full of people like this, what else can we do? If we don't allow it, they will replace us immediately. We have no way to stop it. Please don't be angry. You have just recovered a little."

Lu Yao stared at the receding troops, and his lips could not help but tremble.

"Da Qi."

“I’m going to die!!!”

(End of this chapter)