novelraw Chapter 213
Chapter 213
Chapter 213 Dereliction of Duty: Undercover Investigation
A force of 500 men was more than enough to handle some unexpected situations. If more people came, then Wei Yu would really be at a loss.
After all, from previous experience, having too many people was difficult to sustain!
Just the daily food consumption alone was enough to give anyone a headache. Moreover, Huzhou had just suffered from flooding, and everywhere was short of grain. Wei Yu couldn’t possibly go directly and openly to the local landlords and noble families to seize grain, right?
After all, he was a prince; blatantly robbing would seriously damage the Imperial Court’s image.
So, he still had to find other ways.
The most typical methods were to sustain war by war (using spoils to support troops) and buying grain with his own money.
Since he was no longer recruiting people, when his guards dealt with bandits later on, they would simply tie them up and hand them over to the local authorities to boost their performance.
From Linxi County in Xinshan Commandery to Daichuan Commandery, wherever these 500 people went, the gathered bandits were thoroughly rounded up and delivered to the government.
Handing over bandits was as simple and natural for the guards as eating and drinking, which originally made the local officials nervous due to the Wise King’s arrival. They went from surprise, to silence, and finally to numbness. There was no help for it. Ever since the Wise King came, all he did was inquire about the disaster victims and periodically send a swarm of bandits off to jail.
Often dozens at a time; the prison cells were nearly full!
No one really knew if the Wise King had come to provide disaster relief or to suppress bandits in the first place…
Of course, along the route from Xinshan to Daichuan, Wei Yu had encountered five groups of refugees: two in Xinshan Commandery and three in Daichuan Commandery.
Thinking his initial task was to clear the “roadblocks” ahead, Wei Yu sent those refugees to recuperate just outside the nearest county city.
While calling on local officials to handle things, Wei Yu also wrote to the Third Prince in the rear, hoping that after the Third Brother caught up, he could also check on the places where the refugees were settled.
Regarding settling the refugees, Wei Yu felt these displaced people were originally citizens of Huzhou, so it should be the local officials’ responsibility to arrange for them. Therefore, he assumed the officials had already prepared or were experienced in handling such matters.
Unfortunately, he was premature in his confidence.
Things he thought were natural actually turned out to be tasks some officials didn’t know how to manage!
And not just one official — out of the five refugee settlement locations, officials at three places were incompetent!
This was information later personally communicated to the Third Prince by Wei Yu.
In a place prone to river floods and frequent water disasters, how could it be that officials didn’t know how to provide disaster relief and pacify the people? If anyone said there were no issues, who would believe it?
At least Wei Yu and the Third Prince didn’t believe it.
This was clearly dereliction of duty!
Who knew how many disasters had gone unreported before? If officials didn’t report them, the Imperial Court wouldn't know, and if the Imperial Court didn't know, the officials wouldn't care that people died; if people died, then there was no need to resettle refugees…
If there was some shady business, it needed investigation.
Thus, Wei Yu, who had originally focused openly on suppressing bandits, gradually quieted down on the road ahead.
Undercover investigations.
And it wasn’t just once or twice; undercover investigations would always bring results.
–
Inside Wufu County City, Daichuan Commandery.
In some desolate county cities, the street traffic was sparse.
A handsome young man wearing a blue garment sat in front of a stall, propping his chin with one hand while holding a bowl of tea with the other, sipping it.
To his left sat a man dressed in black tactical gear. The two didn’t speak but were keenly listening to the conversation from the next table.
“Seems like there haven’t been any refugees outside the city for several days? Could it be that those officials downstairs have settled everyone?”
“Hah, what nonsense are you talking about! We are all from Huzhou. When did you ever hear of officials properly settling people after a flood in any place in Huzhou?”
“Can’t say it’s that bad. Isn’t it rumored that this time the floods are serious, and that the Imperial Court sent someone to manage disaster relief? I heard the visitor is the Third Prince.”
“The Third Prince? No, it’s the Ninth Prince! Didn’t you see the announcement posted by the government yesterday? It clearly said the Ninth Prince already led his troops to Long County! The reason there are no refugees outside the city is probably because they all heard this news and ran to Long County to ask for grain…”
Wei Yu, the Ninth Prince Wei, quietly took a big gulp of tea sitting nearby.
Fang Sheng, sitting beside him, glanced at him and whispered, “Master, looks like the officials all over Daichuan Commandery have long been in collusion.”
Wei Yu said nothing, put down the bowl, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his mouth leisurely. “Check the bill. Let’s talk after we get back.”
Hearing this, Fang Sheng took a few coins out of his pocket and placed them on the table.
Wei Yu stood up, Fang Sheng followed closely.
The two left the stall, moving quickly and familiarly towards an inn.
The inn’s first floor had several tables, each with two people either drinking tea or lost in thought.
As soon as Wei Yu entered, everyone sitting at the tables looked up and immediately stood.
The attitude made the innkeeper behind the counter, who was already hesitant to speak, visibly shrink back, wishing he could just disappear into a corner.
Wei Yu gestured to his "guard" men at the door to take a seat, then smiled warmly and walked up to the innkeeper, leaning his elbow on the counter. He greeted casually, “Good afternoon.”
Innkeeper Shen: “…Ha, haha, Young Master.”
The innkeeper forced a strained smile, but it didn’t matter; Wei Yu didn’t mind.
He smiled and asked, “Innkeeper Shen, I wonder if the matter I asked you to handle yesterday has been taken care of?”
At this question, Innkeeper Shen, who had a small moustache, immediately put on a sorrowful face.
He didn’t care that his inn had been taken over and filled with a group of intimidating people—Innkeeper Shen knew that if he didn’t clarify things, this young man would think his grain supplies were inexhaustible!
Innkeeper Shen said, “Young Master, I truly can’t get any more grain! I’m just a small innkeeper; how could I possibly get that much grain for you? The first time nearly took half my life. I begged and pleaded to gather that much for you, but if you want more now, where am I supposed to find it?”
Just thinking about the first time the young man demanded over ten thousand jin (approx. 5 tons) of grain, the innkeeper felt suffocated recalling the process.
This time the floods in Huzhou were severe, grain prices skyrocketed, and in some places, no amount of money could buy grain. Him managing to gather that much was all thanks to the goodwill he’d built up over the years!
Wei Yu blinked. “Not even with extra money?”
Innkeeper Shen shook his head with a look of deep grievance. “No!”
Grain prices changed daily. Who knew how much the money paid today would amount to tomorrow? It was better to hoard some grain themselves and avoid starvation!
“All right then, since Innkeeper Shen says there is none left, forget it.”
Wei Yu sighed in disappointment and turned to leave, casually saying to Fang Sheng, “Hey, Fang Sheng, you think with the little grain I sent for the Imperial Court’s disaster relief, will my name at least be carved on the Merit Stele?”
Innkeeper Shen, who had just relaxed a bit: ??? What’s that? Merit Stele?!