Fu Shanhe

Chapter 487 Diners and Dishes
As evening fell, the city's constables and soldiers arrived at the crime scene, along with city officials.

Looking at the raging fire, everyone's face was terribly gloomy.

"Didn't they catch a single traitor?"

Wan Huaijin questioned him sternly.

The situation in Jiangnan was already chaotic enough.

If this happens again, it's clear they don't want him to have an easy time!

"Your Excellency, we have captured some White Lotus rebels who have caused trouble, but we haven't had time to interrogate them yet."

Lieutenant General Liu immediately replied.

Having received the departure fee, one naturally has to do the work.

Although he didn't capture any of the "rebels" who massacred the Jiangnan Academy, he did capture quite a few members of the White Lotus Rebellion.

Anyone who creates chaos in the city, regardless of their identity, is considered a member of the White Lotus Cult.

How many of them are genuine members of the White Lotus Sect, and how many are just taking advantage of the situation, is none of his business.

A general should simply carry out military orders; getting too involved in politics is not a good thing.

"Oh!"

"Have you caught the ringleader who massacred the Jiangnan Academy?"

Wan Huaijin asked expectantly.

If the ringleader can be caught, it would be a way to atone for the crime and reduce the burden of responsibility to some extent.

Handing over the murderer would at least slightly quell the anger of the gentry in Jiangnan.

The tense atmosphere was not conducive to negotiations between the imperial court and the powerful families of Jiangnan.

"Your Excellency, we've been so busy arresting people that we haven't had time to verify their identities!"

We're not good at interrogation.

Or should we hand it over to the Ministry of Justice or the provincial governor's office and let them handle the case?

General Liu decisively chose to play dumb.

It would have been impossible for the "rebels" to destroy Jiangnan Academy so easily without the cooperation of the military.

In order to let the "thieves" leave, he chose a route of advance that was exactly opposite to their retreat route.

With so many coincidences coming together, a thorough investigation would reveal flaws everywhere.

How did the thieves manage to sneak into the city with weapons without the knowledge of the city guards?
Why didn't the patrolling constables notice anything amiss?
Where did the White Lotus rebels get their firearms from?
……

A series of flaws come together, and with a little analysis, you'll find something's wrong.

However, despite the doubts, there is a set of rules governing the workings of officialdom.

You can't make things up without evidence.

If a group of White Lotus sect members could be captured, it would prove that the massacre was committed by White Lotus sect rebels, and it must have been committed by these rebels.

Shifting the blame to a scapegoat and closing the case as quickly as possible was the best option for everyone present.

The investigation went unresolved for a long time, and instead, it put them in a dangerous situation.

"This case should be handed over to the governor's office for trial; it's a local case."

Minister of Justice An Jingzhi decisively chose to pass the buck.

This case is far too complicated; there's no need for a mere official like him to get so deeply involved.

If you accidentally uncover information you shouldn't know during interrogation, you'll be asking for trouble.

"Lord An, the Ministry of Justice has many criminal investigation experts. It is more appropriate for you to take over this case."

Now the scholars of Jiangnan are all watching; only the Ministry of Justice can convince them.

Zhuang Yuanjia decisively chose to kick the ball back.

The Minister of Justice was afraid of trouble, but this unfortunate governor was even more afraid of trouble.

It's fine if the investigation leads to the White Lotus Rebels, since the thieves can't implicate him anyway. But if the investigation accidentally leads to the nobility, he might also die suddenly.

After all that has happened, he's come to realize that the noble faction of generals is a bunch of lawless bastards.

Especially the young nobles, who were truly willing to kill in order to achieve their goals.

If they can ambush and kill scholars outside, they can also sabotage the Jiangnan Academy within the city.

They dared to offend even the powerful gentry of Jiangnan to the death, so what was he, this pathetic governor, compared to them?

If their interests are not affected, they might still give you some face.

Once core interests are touched, even a governor can physically eliminate them.

Political repercussions and the court's accountability are things that mature politicians need to consider.

There is another type of person in the world called a "foolish youth" who is single-minded and cannot think of many things.

"enough!"

"Passing the buck back and forth, what kind of nonsense is this?"

If the governor's office doesn't want to handle it, then hand it over to the prefect's office for trial. The murderer must be brought to justice.

An Jingzhi said irritably.

"Your Excellency, what you say is absolutely right!"

"Lord Lu, this case is now in your hands."

We must thoroughly investigate the matter and bring justice to the deceased student.

To avoid incurring hatred, Zhuang Yuanjia decisively chose to sacrifice his fellow Daoists rather than himself.

The hot potato that neither the Ministry of Justice nor the governor's office wanted to touch suddenly fell on the prefect's office.

In front of these big shots, Lu Haizhi had no say and could only passively accept their presence.

After glancing around the scene and seeing that no one was speaking up for him, Lu Haizhi nodded helplessly.

At this moment, he was internally devastated.

The vast Jiangnan Academy had over a thousand people, including teachers, students, guests, and servants.

Of the survivors discovered so far, only a few servants remain.

They survived purely out of luck; they were sent out on a purchasing mission at the time of the incident.

Once the news spreads, the deceased's family will surely come to the government office to make a scene, forcing them to find out the truth as soon as possible.

It would be one thing if he were just investigating the case, but the real problem is that these family members are blaming him for the tragedy.

Jiangnan Academy is not located in a remote, impoverished area, but rather occupies a prime location in the city.

The fact that hundreds of rebels went on a killing spree in this place, and that the local government failed to send troops to suppress them in time, was itself a major political incident.

All the relevant government departments, from top to bottom, are culpable.

Compared to the other big shots, he was undoubtedly the easiest to bully.

"Your Excellency, Minister and Governor, I am willing to let you investigate the case, but since it involves rebels, the prefectural government alone is probably powerless to handle it."

Especially given the victim's special status, involving a number of prominent families in the Jiangnan region, any misstep could lead to major chaos.

Rather than waiting for the situation to spiral out of control, it's better to take the initiative.

I suggest that representatives from all parties be invited to Nanjing to discuss the aftermath.

After a moment's thought, Lu Haizhi decisively chose to fight for survival.

Inviting people over will certainly cause some trouble, but at least they'll stay within the rules.

By having everyone participate in the investigation, no matter who is implicated, there will be a group of people sharing the burden.

"You can handle things yourself, but you must resolve this case as soon as possible and quell public opinion."

An Jingzhi immediately made the decision.

These kinds of things should be dealt with as soon as possible.

The longer it drags on, the more likely it is to cause major chaos.

The power struggle between the imperial court and the powerful families of Jiangnan has only just begun, and such a huge mess has already broken out.

If this continues, who knows how many more people will die.

Even someone as high-ranking as a minister wouldn't feel safe getting involved.

When the rules of the political game are broken, anything can happen.

……

In the military camp.

"General, we can't match the code. There's a strong possibility that the people ahead are real rebels."

Upon hearing the news from his subordinate, Yun Xiangwen frowned.

We agreed to act together, but we never expected to uncover a real traitor.

It is clear that the Great Yu Dynasty is now riddled with problems.

Even the slightest disturbance could trigger a rebellion.

"Continue reconnaissance and find out the enemy's strength first," Yun Xiangwen ordered after thinking for a moment.

Having finally led the troops out on this mission, we certainly can't go back immediately.

The actions taken against Jiangnan Academy appeared to be flawless, but in reality, they were riddled with flaws.

At this moment, Nanjing is in chaos, and going back too early could easily lead to being burned by the fire.

Rather than getting involved in those disputes, it's better to stay out of the fray and observe the changing winds of events.

The imperial court has already ordered the northern frontier troops to march south. Once our own troops arrive in Southern Zhili, all the problems will cease to be problems.

"As ordered!"

"However... General, the camp's food supplies are running low."

If the war drags on for too long, logistical support will become a significant problem.

The young general said with a hint of difficulty.

The logistics supply of Yu Jun has always been a major problem.

Even in the granary of Jiangnan, the imperial court's logistics were a complete mess.

To obtain supplies efficiently, the military is responsible for its own logistics.

The noble faction had few soldiers in Jiangnan and obviously did not have the ability to have independent logistics, so they relied on local government offices for supplies.

"No need to worry, the food and supplies have been prepared in advance, and everyone will not go hungry."

The Duke of Chu, who was standing nearby, answered first.

From the time the previous Duke of Chu died a heroic death for his country, the lineage of the Duke of Chu had a blood feud with the powerful families of Jiangnan.

If it weren't for those scions of powerful families betraying the city, Nanjing wouldn't have fallen so quickly.

From the perspective of that time, if the defending troops had held out for another month or two, the imperial reinforcements would have arrived.

Although it is difficult to achieve militarily, there is hope as long as we try.

The family's painstakingly accumulated thousands of personal guards, hundreds of clan members from the Duke of Chu's lineage, and their families were all lost in the city.

The Chu State Duke's lineage, originally a top noble family, suddenly fell from the center of power and could only mingle in the second and third-rate noble circles.

Having inherited the golden rice bowl left by his ancestors, the current Duke of Chu has always wanted revenge.

Because the situation was too chaotic, it was difficult to find out who the culprit was, so they simply hated them all.

Since the nobility group and the Jiangnan group are political enemies, it wouldn't be unjust to kill the other side.

"What you say is true, sir. How can a living person be killed by holding in their urine?"

"The governor's yamen's provisions can't be delivered on time, can't we just ask the rebels for them!"

Yun Xiangwen said with a smile.

The rebels may not have grain in their hands, but the gentry of Jiangnan certainly do.

We're all neighbors, so it's perfectly reasonable for us to borrow some things from each other in the past.

……

Yingtian Prefecture, Wang Family Compound.

"Too deceiving!"

"Too deceiving!"

"Lu Haizhi is a piece of trash!"

"Zhuang Yuanjia is a piece of trash too!"

"Shi Qingchen is utterly useless!"

"They didn't even realize such a simple diversionary tactic; they're nothing but good-for-nothing idiots!"

"And those soldiers in the city, how dare they delay the rescue time, they are clearly colluding with the rebels!"

……

Wang Jiaheng angrily cursed.

Being too close to Nanjing is sometimes not a good thing.

The Wang family received the news immediately after the Jiangnan Academy massacre broke out.

After arranging for someone to investigate, Wang Jiaheng was completely distraught.

His most outstanding son and nephew all perished in the tragedy, and their bodies could not even be found.

Despite such a major upheaval, the government only managed to catch a bunch of scoundrels.

The message relayed by the people planted in the government office indicated that most of the arrested "White Lotus" followers were local thugs who took advantage of the chaos.

Only a very small number of people were true followers of the White Lotus sect, and these people were of low status and had no idea who planned and carried out the "Academy Massacre".

The thieves who launched the attack also vanished without a trace after the battle, as if they had never existed.

At this stage of the investigation, all leads have gone cold.

The only evidence pointing to the White Lotus Sect is that these thieves shouted White Lotus Sect slogans when the war broke out.

Whether it is the true White Lotus Sect or a fake White Lotus Sect, no one can say for sure.

The students at Jiangnan Academy ranged in age from fifteen or sixteen to over thirty, and all of them were potential political successors from their respective families.

They lost everything at once. I don't know how the other families felt, but the Wang family was definitely panicked.

According to the clansmen, the next imperial examination will be the time for him to enter officialdom.

The sudden break in power means that the clan's authority in the court cannot be smoothly transferred.

Putting someone in place temporarily is questionable, not to mention whether they are capable enough; those in power simply can't get past their own conscience.

Who would be willing to hand over all the connections and resources they've painstakingly built up to distant relatives instead of leaving them to their own son?

Moreover, the imperial examination had a threshold. Without the academy as a link, if a simpler model were adopted, one would have to face direct competition from scholars all over the country.

Those who excel at reading were selected early on.

Now, selecting and training new people is like choosing the best among the worst; no matter how much resources are poured in, they will most likely just be runners-up.

Even if one is fortunate enough to pass the imperial examination, this is only the first step.

A qualified family heir not only needs to excel in academics, but also needs to cultivate interpersonal and problem-solving skills from a young age.

Many skills are passed down, but if the best opportunity to cultivate them in childhood is missed, they become very difficult to learn later.

The tragedy at Jiangnan Academy was equivalent to a ten-year gap in the family's talent pool.

In an era where the average life expectancy is only 40 to 50 years, a ten-year cycle is undoubtedly a deadly number.

There are plenty of gentry and officials in the country, and quite a few of them want to replace them.

Once a decline is detected, it will automatically be matched with competitors.

"Please calm down, sir!"

"It is precisely at times like these that we need to remain calm."

"The fact that the enemy dared to confront Jiangnan Academy clearly shows that they are standing against the powerful families and clans of Jiangnan."

There are very few forces in the world that have both the strength and the motivation to take action.

No matter how clean you do it, there will always be flaws.

Once the enemy has made their move, they won't stop.

If nothing unexpected happens, there will be more measures targeting us.

Right now, we must hold our ground and not give the enemy any opportunity to exploit!

The butler hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

People are most likely to do stupid things when they are angry.

Unable to find the mastermind behind it all, taking out one's anger on a group of officials in Nanjing might provide some relief, but it would also create a new group of enemies.

At the crucial juncture where the northern border troops are advancing south, those who take the lead in causing trouble are likely to become the primary target of the imperial court's attack.

Literati families were not aristocratic families; if they directly confronted the imperial court, they would suffer greatly.

"late!"

"The situation in the Jiangnan region is now completely out of control."

If we can remain rational, can you guarantee that everyone else can remain rational as well?

Besides, if we don't react at all when members of our clan die outside, what will the outside world think of our Wang family?
We've sent people to contact each household; this time, we must stand together and demand justice from the authorities!

Wang Jiaheng said with a cold expression.

People with different identities tend to have different ways of looking at problems.

There are some things that an individual can compromise on, but a clan cannot.

There is fierce competition among powerful families, and if they show weakness, it is easy for outsiders to think that they have declined.

There's a good chance someone will try to put the Wang family on the dinner table and devour them.

(End of this chapter)