Chapter 227: Collusion Between Officials and Merchants?

Chapter 227: Collusion Between Officials and Bandits?

The candles in the room were relit, dispelling some of the darkness.

His words were casual, but Song Yunzhi didn't dare relax at all, thinking, "Since when has there ever been an Imperial Inspector who sneaks into a prefect's bedchamber in the middle of the night to investigate popular sentiment?"

Song Yunzhi perched on the edge of the embroidered stool by the bedside, his back ramrod-straight, like a student being lectured: "Yes, sir, please ask. I'll tell you everything I know."

"Mm," Cheng Ge blinked, his eyes resting on the flickering candle flame, as if casually asking, "How long have you been in office?"

"Sir, I arrived at my post at the end of last autumn."

"Oh, over a year." Cheng Ge nodded. "Was it like this when you arrived? The scene on the streets?"

Song Yunzhi gave a bitter smile: "It was slightly worse than now... the decline was already evident.

Merchant caravans were few and far between, and the rich families mostly stayed behind closed doors—the marketplace was very desolate."

"Tsk, what a mess." Cheng Ge commented.

Cheng Ge casually asked about the customs of Yingzhou and the livelihoods of its people.

Song Yunzhi cautiously answered each question, choosing his words carefully, fearing he might say something wrong.

Cheng Ge listened, occasionally nodding, his fingers unconsciously picking at the embroidery on the brocade quilt—it was hard to tell if he believed any of it.

Finally, the topic gradually shifted to the bandit problem. "I heard you've suppressed the bandits a few times?"

At the mention of suppressing bandits, Song Yunzhi's back seemed to stiffen even more, his voice full of suppressed humiliation and helplessness.

"Yes... I'm incompetent. I led four campaigns to wipe them out, three aimed at Axe Handle Ridge and one attempting to open the official road to Yuanzhou, but... they all failed, and we lost a lot of soldiers instead."

"Oh? How did they fail?" Cheng Ge pressed, his tone still flat, as if asking about the weather.

"The bandits... are extremely cunning," Song Yunzhi gritted his teeth. "They always seem to know our movements in advance. Either they withdraw without a trace early on, leaving us empty strongholds.

Or they set up ambushes, using the terrain to their advantage... We... we haven't even seen the bandit leader's face a few times. Each time, we return with heavy losses and a lot of shame."

"Know our movements in advance?" Cheng Ge raised an eyebrow. "Looks like your yamen isn't clean."

Song Yunzhi's face turned pale, his lips moved, but in the end, he only nodded heavily: "I... suspect as much too, but... I don't have any evidence."

Cheng Ge pulled the quilt tighter around himself, but his eyes became focused: "Then tell me, what about these rumors? The streets are full of talk that you, Prefect Song, are in league with the mountain bandits."

These words lashed out like a whip, striking Song Yunzhi. He jerked his head up and said urgently: "Sir, please see the truth! This is pure slander! If I've spoken a single false word, may I be struck by lightning!

Since I took office, there hasn't been a single day I didn't want to wipe out the bandits and restore peace to the people of Yingzhou. How could I collude with thieves and bandits?!"

"Don't get worked up," Cheng Ge reached out and patted his shoulder, signaling him to calm down. "Just asking. So, who do you think started these rumors, and why are they targeting you?"

Song Yunzhi took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, his eyes thoughtful and indignant.

"I don't know exactly who did it, but... First, my several failed campaigns with heavy losses made the people disappointed and resentful.

Second, I thoroughly audited past financial and grain accounts related to suppression, which stepped on the toes of many... Perhaps someone doesn't want me to continue investigating, nor do they want Yingzhou to truly find peace."

"Stepped on toes?" Cheng Ge's eyes narrowed slightly. "Go on."

"When the previous prefect was in office, the funds for bandit suppression were enormous, but the results were minimal.

I found many vague entries and fraudulent claims.

Moreover, some commercial houses in the city, though appearing to operate poorly, in reality... may have had secret dealings with the mountain bandits, supplying grain and materials, or even fencing stolen goods for them."

Song Yunzhi lowered his voice. "I originally wanted to investigate secretly, but... I'm short-handed, and it seems like every move I make is being watched."

Cheng Ge fell silent for a while. Only the crackling of the candle could be heard in the room.

Suddenly, he asked a question out of the blue: "Do you think it's only the mountain bandits that could mess up Yingzhou like this?

That they could push a prefect into a corner, make even the yamen leak like a sieve?"

Song Yunzhi shuddered, staring at Cheng Ge in shock.

He had thought about this question late at night, but never dared to dwell on it, nor speak of it to anyone.

He looked at the eyes—clear but seemingly capable of seeing through everything—on the bed. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was dry: "Sir, are you saying..."

Cheng Ge sniffed and pulled the quilt up higher, wrapping himself up tight.

Only the top of his furry head was visible, but his eyes still shone with a sharp, clear light.

Instead of answering directly, he countered: "Prefect Song, Yingzhou used to be called 'Little Jiangnan,' prosperous and wealthy. Why has it fallen to such a state? What is the root cause?"

Song Yunzhi answered without thinking: "Reporting to you, sir, it's because the trade routes have been cut off.

In the past, Yingzhou relied on its advantage of being a north-south thoroughfare. Merchants from all directions gathered, goods flowed, and the trade taxes collected could fill the treasury and benefit the people.

Now, with bandits rampant and merchant caravans afraid to travel, without this biggest source of revenue, naturally the market languishes and livelihoods wither."

"Hmm." Cheng Ge nodded, as if not surprised by this standard answer, and immediately threw out another question.

"The demand is always there, and the merchant's nature to pursue profit never changes.

Then, where have the profits and trade that should have flowed into Yingzhou city gone now?"

Song Yunzhi was taken aback. He furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

He had not completely avoided this question before, but subconsciously did not want to delve into it.

Now, under Cheng Ge's prompting, he hesitated and spoke uncertainly: "Sir, you mean... Fengcheng in Yuanzhou?"

Cheng Ge neither confirmed nor denied, just raised an eyebrow and looked at him meaningfully. The implication in his eyes was already clear without words.

Song Yunzhi felt a chill run down his back. He had had this suspicion before,

but always felt there was a lack of evidence, and since it involved a neighboring prefecture, it was no small matter—he dared not bring it to light.

Now that this Censor Cheng had casually pointed it out, it seemed this matter was definitely not baseless, and Yuanzhou was likely not innocent.

But even if he knew, what could he do? He was just a prefect of Yingzhou; his reach did not extend to Yuanzhou, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

Cheng Ge let out a big yawn, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.

He wiped them with his quilt-covered arm, his voice heavy with sleep, but his words were still unequivocal.

"The bandit problem still needs to be dealt with. Yingzhou cannot continue to be in chaos, or the people's lives will become unstable and cause bigger problems."

Song Yunzhi looked uneasy. The repeated failures in suppressing the bandits and the possibility of traitors among his men left him rattled. He asked tentatively, "Then... I'll gather more men and give it another try?"

Cheng Ge rubbed his sleepy eyes. His voice was slurred but brooking no argument: "No need. Leave this matter to me."

Song Yunzhi: "???"

He suddenly raised his head, wondering if he'd heard wrong because he was so tired.

Entrust it to you? You're a Censor, a civil official, even if you have oversight powers, suppressing bandits is a local military affair.

You... you, all alone, how will you suppress them? Are you planning to talk sense into the bandits with your Censor badge?

He looked at the young Censor on the bed, wrapped up with only his head poking out, looking harmless and innocent.

His mind was a mess, couldn't connect the bloody business of "bandit hunting" with the person before him.

Upon hearing this, Song Yunzhi was silent for a long time before slowly processing this ridiculous command.

He frowned, struggling inwardly for a moment, but ultimately chose to trust this eccentric Lord Censor.

He took a deep breath, his face turning serious and cautious as he slipped into subordinate mode, asking slowly: "Since you have a plan, my lord, I'll of course go along with it.

If I may ask... what do you need me to prepare, my lord? How many men should I assign? And how much in the way of supplies?

Regarding the terrain of Axe Head Ridge and the routes of my previous suppression attempts, should I give you a detailed rundown again? And..."

He rambled on and on, asking about everything from personnel arrangements to marching routes, from supply lines to intelligence support, leaving no detail unmentioned.

The more he spoke, the more he felt the whole thing was a tangled mess, and his frown deepened.

However, after talking for a while, he noticed Cheng Ge's head drooping on the bed and showed no reaction at all.

The eerie silence gave Song Yunzhi the creeps and made him more nervous.

He started to wonder if he'd said something off, or if the lord had some hidden meaning.

He couldn't help leaning in and calling out cautiously: "Lord Cheng?"

There was no response. He raised his voice a bit: "Censor Cheng?"

Still silence.

Song Yunzhi instinctively held his breath and listened carefully.

All he heard was steady, long snoring coming from the tightly wrapped blanket bundle.

"Hoo... loo... hoo..."

Song Yunzhi: "!!!"

Everyone: "…………"

The room was dead quiet, you could hear a pin drop, leaving only the rhythmic snoring and the occasional crackle of the candle flame.

Song Yunzhi remained in his leaning posture, frozen solid in place.

His expression shifted from caution to anxiety to confusion, then totally cracked into pure bewilderment and disbelief.

He... he actually... fell asleep?! A wave of absurdity hit Song Yunzhi.

He felt like nearly twenty years of careful official behavior were shattered by that soft snoring.

He straightened up stiffly, and stared blankly at the black-clad guards standing by the bed.

However, those gentlemen remained expressionless, as if their boss falling asleep while planning a bandit hunt was totally normal.

Song Yunzhi opened his mouth, but finally swallowed all his questions and bewilderment.

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, trying to steady the chaos inside him.

Finally, he cupped his hands stiffly toward the sleeping "burrito" on the bed, and said with difficulty in a breathy voice: "I... I'll take my leave..."

Then, he walked out stiffly, moving his arms and legs awkwardly, and gently closed the door.

A few days later, a flashy carriage drove alone into Axe Head Ridge territory.

The carriage curtains were made of fine silk, and the horses pulling it were sturdy and plump, making it a perfect fat target with zero self-defense.

As expected, just as the carriage reached the most rugged part of the mountain path, sharp whistles suddenly ripped from the woods on both sides!

Immediately, dozens of bandits with gleaming blades, looking as fierce as wolves, rushed down, instantly surrounding the carriage completely.

A minor bandit stepped forward and shouted the classic line.

"I planted this tree! I opened this path! If you wanna pass, pay the toll!"

The carriage stayed silent ————

The leading bandit had a fierce scar across his face, rode a tall horse, and waved his Ghost-Head Blade impatiently.

"You people in the carriage dead or what? Get the hell out now!"

His gaze swept over the luxurious carriage, a glint of greed and lust flashing in his eyes, and he added loudly.

"Kill the men! The women... hehe, take 'em back to the stronghold for some fun!"

The words barely left his mouth when the carriage curtain was thrown open!

Then a figure stumbled and 'rolled' out, hitting the ground hard with a grunt.

He wore a pricey fiery red fox-fur coat, tumbled a couple of times, and got all dusty.

He looked up in panic, eyes wide with terror; his hair was mussed, plastered to his forehead and cheeks.

His lips were parted slightly, the corners of his eyes reddened. He propped himself up with his hands on the ground, looking up at the fierce, scar-faced bandit leader on horseback.

The air went still instantly.

Only the wind through the trees and the bandits' heavy breathing remained.

This... this is not what we expected, is it? Where's the fat sheep merchant?

How did a young man prettier than a girl roll out? And he looks scared out of his wits?

A minor bandit nearby stared at the "red fox fur" on the ground, then glanced at his Third Chief.

He hesitated, slowly stepped forward, and asked in a low, uncertain voice: "Th... Third Chief... should we... kill him or not?"

The scar-faced Third Chief was equally stunned by the surprise, staring at Cheng Ge's face for a few seconds.

He swallowed involuntarily, lowered his knife hand a little, and whacked the kid on the back of the head.

“Tsk... kill him? What for? First... take him back to the stronghold!”

But no sooner had he said that than sudden shouts came from the carriage.

Immediately after, three burly women in fancy silk dresses squeezed out of the carriage in a panic.

Without a word, they flung themselves at Cheng Ge, who was lying on the ground: “Master!!!”

One of them moved so forcefully that a crisp tearing sound rang out.

The side of her tight dress split open with a large gash directly from the armpit.

Faintly revealing... the sturdy... uh... muscle outlines against her underclothes?

Everyone: “…”

All the bandits, including the Third Chief, froze on the spot, their eyes filled with confusion and an indescribable shock.

“What the hell are these?! This rich young master goes out and brings these three... rejects?!”

However, those three Amazons seemed completely unaware of the visual impact and psychological damage they had caused.

They anxiously gathered around Cheng Ge, with one woman holding his arm and wailing and howling.

“Master! Master, what’s wrong? Don’t frighten your concubine! It’s all Fenger’s fault for not taking good care of you!”

As Fenger cried, she even reached out her fist as big as a bowl to pound on Cheng Ge’s chest to help him breathe.

The bandits watched in terror, scared that one punch would kill Cheng Ge.

Another one timidly hid behind Cheng Ge, trying hard to shrink his massive body, clutching Cheng Ge’s sleeves.

“Master~ Little Fengfeng is scared...” As he said this, the bulging muscles on his arms almost burst the sleeves.

“Three extra chapters have been posted. By the way, please tap to generate power for love, okay——”