xymnovel Chapter 51 The resignation letter was layered with three folds—Qiao Zhou, I will ask first.
Chapter 51 The resignation letter was layered with three folds—Qiao Zhou, I will ask first.
Wang Fu found out in the middle of the night.
My cousin climbed over the wall and came in. His trouser legs were covered in mud.
The new commandant is named Chen Pei.
He was transferred back from Jianning.
He managed water conservancy and land reclamation in Nanzhong for three years.
Wang Fu had never dealt with this person before.
But the words "transferred back from the South" made him turn over and over again.
He was a man of Li Hui, the governor of Yijiang.
Whom does Li Hui listen to?
The control over the Dujiangyan branch canal has changed hands.
The water produced by 70% of the Wang family's land will no longer belong to the Wang family.
The water conservancy officer in front of us was fed by Wang Fu for three years.
They gave gifts during the New Year. They prepared for spring planting. The water from the branch canal never failed to nourish the Wang family's fields.
Before dawn, Wang Fu lit the lamp.
Write a letter to Zhang Wei.
The letter made no mention of the irrigation canal.
Only one sentence was written.
"Chiang Kai-shek had some impressive skills."
-
Zhang Wei received the letter.
It was placed on the table.
I drank three cups of tea. The letter remained untouched.
That afternoon, the clan members were summoned into the inner hall.
Zhang Wei confessed to three things.
The invitation from Shujin Guanfang is delivered.
Official channels raise funds and provide money.
The new official who has been transferred here on rotation should be treated to good food and wine; don't give him a hard time.
The cousin opened his mouth.
"Master, what's going on here—"
"recognize."
Zhang Wei picked up the teacup.
I took a sip.
The cup made a sound when it was placed back on the table.
The cousin swallowed the second half of his sentence.
-
Jiang Wan's third progress report was submitted to the Imperial Study.
The last sentence.
"The gentry of Yizhou no longer show any signs of openly resisting. The rest are observing and are not a cause for concern."
Liu Shan picked up his pen.
Four words.
"Keep an eye on it."
The pen was put down.
The thumb landed in the dent. It spun halfway around.
-
Li Yan hasn't left the house for two days.
The gates of the Central Protectorate were closed.
All visitors were told that they were feeling unwell.
Fei Guan visited twice. He was turned down both times.
This was the third time we went around through the back gate.
In the study, Li Yan was writing something.
A stack of bamboo slips lay spread out on the table.
Write, tear. Tear, write.
The ground was covered in debris.
Fei Guan bent down and picked up a piece.
The words "resignation letter" hadn't even been completely torn off yet.
"Guardian—"
Li Yan did not look up.
"sit."
Fei Guan sat down.
He rested his hands on his knees and rubbed them together a couple of times.
"What if His Majesty grants the request?"
Li Yan paused, his pen still.
The ink seeped onto the bamboo strip, leaving a dot.
"It won't be accurate."
Fei Guan waited for three breaths, but received no further response.
stand up.
Walk to the side gate.
I glanced back.
Li Yan's silhouette was silhouetted against the lamplight.
The pen tip pressed against the bamboo strip.
The veins on his wrists were bulging.
-
He arrived at the Imperial Study early the next morning after submitting his resignation.
The eunuch brought it up.
Several hundred words. Written with sincerity.
I was favored by the late emperor. I am of limited talent and learning. I humbly request to resign and return to my rural home.
Liu Shan turned to the last page.
It wasn't approved.
"Please summon the Prime Minister."
-
Zhuge Liang arrived quickly.
The feather fan rested on his lap. He didn't pick it up.
The resignation letter was submitted.
Finished reading. Closed.
"protest against an injustice."
"What should the Prime Minister do?"
Zhuge Liang raised his eyes.
"How does Your Majesty intend to handle this?"
Liu Shan's thumb spun half a circle in the indentation.
"Leave it there."
"No. No objection."
Zhuge Liang nodded.
"Your Majesty thought of it a step ahead of me."
"What will he do if he gets impatient?"
Zhuge Liang's feather fan twitched slightly.
"A challenge from the imperial court. Or—a joint petition."
"Who should we approach for a joint signature?"
Zhuge Liang extended one finger.
He didn't say anything.
Liu Shan waited.
Qiao Zhou.
The hall was quiet for a couple of breaths.
Qiao Zhou.
A great Confucian scholar from Sichuan. He doesn't take sides. He doesn't join any cliques.
The opening itself signifies importance.
If Li Yan could pull him away—the nature of the situation would change.
"The Prime Minister is confident he can stop it."
"This person only recognizes reason, not human feelings."
"If Li Yan were to reason with him, he might very well listen."
Liu Shan stood up.
I walked to the window.
The silk curtain was not lifted.
"Then I will not wait."
Zhuge Liang was waiting for the second half of the sentence.
"Tomorrow, have Qiao Zhou enter the Imperial Study to lecture on the Book of Documents."
Zhuge Liang raised his feather fan an inch from his knees, then put it down again.
He stood up. He bowed. He left.
The door closed.
-
into the night.
Liu Shan retrieved the diagram from the bottom of the hidden compartment.
Next to the three characters "Sun Huan".
He added a line with his vermilion pen.
"In the twentieth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao withdrew from Hanzhong."
The pen tip did not leave the silk.
Another line has been added.
"Seven years."
The six shops have been established for seven years.
The late emperor spent seven years in Hanzhong.
Sun Huan sat in the position of Gongcao for exactly seven years.
The former governor died. He died of illness at the end of the Jian'an period.
dead end.
But it's possible to get around it.
The six shops had been operating in Hanzhong for seven years. It was impossible for them not to have made any mistakes.
He pulled a strip of silk from his sleeve. Two lines of text.
First line: Wei Yan – Inquire about the whereabouts of the shop assistants and accountants at Liupu. Focus on Ruichang Ship.
Second line: Fufeng Commandery. Before the nineteenth year of Jian'an (208 AD). Is there any trace of Sun Huan?
Fold it neatly.
"To Dong Yun. Military courier."
The curtain was taken away.
-
On the table lay Zhuge Liang's second draft of his Northern Expedition strategy.
Liu Shan did not overthrow the emperor.
He reached out and picked up Li Yan's resignation letter.
Place it at the very bottom of the corner of the table.
Three folds were placed on top.
The first portion is autumn grain.
The second task was to repair the bridge.
The third document was a border post report.
It was pressed down very tightly.
The resignation letter is below.
The wick was shorter than expected.
Liu Shan did not dial.
Footsteps passed by outside the threshold.
It was heavy. Every step was firm.
They've moved on.
It didn't stop.
[End of Chapter]