novelraw Chapter 594 - 525
Chapter 594 - 525
Su Jingchen was committed to the well-being of the people and aimed to benefit them. In Yangzhou, besides repairing bridges, roads, and building docks, he also joined forces with the Prefect of Yangzhou to tackle the water bandits in the Lianghuai region.
The water bandits were numerous, and they were both familiar with the waterways and extremely ruthless. They lived by robbing passing merchant ships.
If it was only about stealing goods, that might be manageable, but they also killed and hijacked ships.
If merchants weren’t familiar with the Lianghuai region and hadn’t bribed the water bandits beforehand, venturing to Yangzhou for trade or salt merchandise would likely result in complete financial loss.
A complete financial loss wasn’t the worst; with worse luck, one could even lose their life. The water bandits of the Lianghuai region had a fierce reputation, and those who dared to travel along the Huai River were not ordinary families.
Ordinary families couldn’t sell salt, and even wealthy families trading salt had to pay crossing fees to the water bandits, which was one of the reasons for the high salt prices.
Su Jingchen strongly suspected that the Minister of Water Transport, Zhao Xian, was secretly colluding with the water bandits.
The Huai River was the domain of the Minister of Water Transport, yet passing merchants were blatantly charged crossing fees by water bandits. Su Jingchen didn’t believe that this was happening without Zhao Xian’s tacit approval.
Su Jingchen originally promised Yu Xiaolian that after resolving the issue with the water bandits in Yangzhou, he would resign and return to live in Yu State.
Su Jingchen initially had grand ambitions, wanting to accomplish some real deeds for the Great Liang to improve the people’s lives, but he was disappointed in the Emperor.
In the secret letter Jiang Lin sent to Su Jingchen, it was stated that although the Emperor had ostensibly buried those two Witch Clan girls with the previous Emperor, Bai Qingdai was actually secretly kept alive in a residence outside the palace by the Emperor.
Jun Tingye had not given up on the pursuit of immortality.
Su Jingchen realized that Jun Tingye was very likely to follow the old path of the previous Emperor, and since Jun Tingye was naturally suspicious and even more bloodthirsty and ruthless than the previous Emperor, it was merely a matter of time before he became another person driven mad by the quest for immortality.
Furthermore, the emperor’s path of Jun Tingye might not be as far-reaching as his father’s.
As long as Jun Tingye continued to target the Witch Clan, the outcome was predictable.
Jun Tingye was destined to be manipulated and controlled by the Witch Clan!
Thinking of Bai Qingying, Su Jingchen felt it necessary to bring Qi Yunfan back into the fold.
Witchcraft was naturally something that only those who understood it could know how to prevent.
The ambition in Qi Yunfan, which had vanished due to Jun Mobai’s actions, quickly revived after receiving Su Jingchen’s letter.
With the Witch Clan’s secret techniques in hand, they should rightfully control the world and be the most noble among all.
Although they were a branch of the Miaojiang Witch Clan, in recent years, the younger generation over there had gradually lost much of their ancestral heritage. Qi Yunfan believed the descendants of their line were far superior to those from Miaojiang, and he eagerly anticipated his confrontation with the leader of the Miaojiang Witch Clan.
Yu Xiaolian was strongly opposed to Su Jingchen dragging the ambitious Qi Yunfan back into the chaos.
If the ruler of a country was someone who reared poisonous insects, wouldn’t the entire nation become his puppets?
If someone didn’t obey, would they just be cursed with Gu?
The Witch Clan was inherently obsessed with pursuing the techniques of immortality, and if they gained control of the world, Yu Xiaolian couldn’t imagine how insane Qi Yunfan would become.
Yu Xiaolian didn’t believe Qi Yunfan could be a benevolent emperor who loved his people like his own children.
Su Jingchen set Su Yuntong aside, "I never intended for the Witch Clan to take over the world!"
Yu Xiaolian frowned, "Then what do you mean?"
In a low voice, Su Jingchen replied, "I noticed the Eldest Prince seems to be opposed to the Emperor’s pursuit of immortality. If he could ascend the throne..."
Su Jingchen’s lengthy speech made Yu Xiaolian’s frown deepen.
"So, you’re planning to use Qi Yunfan?" Although she didn’t have deep sibling feelings for Qi Yunfan, he had secretly helped her in the past.
If he drags Qi Yunfan into this, Qi Yunfan might end up dead.
She didn’t want Qi Yunfan to die!
"The demise of the Witch Clan might not be beneficial for the Great Liang." Yu Xiaolian looked at Su Jingchen.
"The Witch Clan doesn’t need to be destroyed, but those ambitious to overthrow the world must die!" If you want a peaceful world for a hundred years, you must pave the way for the Eldest Prince.
Yu Xiaolian felt a bit heavy-hearted. She personally didn’t wish for Qi Yunfan’s death.
She even selfishly thought that the hardships of the people had nothing to do with her.
She just wanted to live her ordinary life in peace.
In fact, her union with Su Jingchen was simply because they clicked with each other.
Yu Xiaolian wasn’t sure if what they had was love, but if love was supposed to be passionate and calculating, then they didn’t have it.
They respected each other, never argued, and trusted each other. Sometimes Yu Xiaolian even felt that the sweet love in idol dramas was an illusion, and her relationship with Su Jingchen was true life.
Yu Xiaolian wasn’t bored with this kind of life; she even cherished it greatly, valuing their family life dearly.
The issue regarding Qi Yunfan was the first major disagreement Yu Xiaolian and Su Jingchen faced in over three years of marriage.
She knew Su Jingchen’s focus was on the bigger picture, but the future of the Jun family’s dynasty wasn’t something they could control. Even if Su Jingchen was capable, could he kill all the ambitious people in the world?
Kill one Bai Qingying, and there would be the next. Kill one Qi Yunfan, and there would be another Qi Yunfan. Ambitious people could never be entirely eradicated.
Instead of worrying about uncertain future events, it would be better to address the immediate issues like the water bandits.
Su Jingchen wasn’t swayed by Yu Xiaolian’s words. The water bandits needed to be suppressed, but the Witch Clan was also a lurking threat.
Yu Xiaolian and Su Jingchen ended up in a disagreement, so she took their child to sleep in the next room.
At night, Yu Xiaolian tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and Su Jingchen was the same.
It was true that Qi Yunfan had ambitions, but back in the Four Bright Mountains outside Yangcheng, Qi Yunfan had brought the Witch Clan to help Su Jingchen repel the invading Hu army, indirectly saving Su Jingchen.
Yu Xiaolian felt it was rather unfair of Su Jingchen to drag Qi Yunfan into a pitfall.
At that moment, Yu Xiaolian felt that Su Jingchen was a stranger.
It turned out that Su Jingchen’s rise to power in the book wasn’t just due to luck.
Anyone in a high-ranking position must have been planning ahead and strategizing every step of the way.
Yu Xiaolian didn’t know if she should be grateful that Su Jingchen didn’t use such calculations against her.
...
Regarding the issue with the water bandits, Su Jingchen had submitted a memorial to the Emperor, which impeached Minister Zhao of Water Transport.
He didn’t intend to personally fight with the water bandits. If Minister Zhao could thoroughly eliminate the water bandits, it would prove his capability. If he couldn’t, it would demonstrate his lack of ability, and the position of Minister of Water Transport would need to be filled by someone competent.
Yes, Su Jingchen’s idea was to make Minister Zhao handle it himself, essentially burning his own financial resources.
After receiving the imperial edict reprimanding him from the Emperor, Minister Zhao cursed Su Jingchen’s ancestors for eighteen generations.
His actions in the Lianghuai region were silently sanctioned by all of Yangzhou, yet Su Jingchen jumped out to ruin his career.
Young people these days truly don’t know their place!