allendalepharm Chapter 232 The Crown Prince's True Purpose
Chapter 232 The Crown Prince's True Purpose
Wen Zongji was shocked to hear from the Crown Prince that he would be leaving the capital the next day.
"tomorrow?"
Isn't this a bit too hasty?
"Good, let's set off tomorrow."
The Crown Prince said, "In the middle of last year, there was a torrential downpour in Jiangnan. The dam in Tongzhou Prefecture broke, flooding dozens of nearby villages. Fortunately, the prefectures in Jiangnan organized rescue efforts in time, and the imperial court delivered grain to the disaster relief as soon as possible, which prevented the disaster from spreading."
"After the dam broke, the Tongzhou government immediately sent people to investigate the dam and found that the breach was caused by continuous heavy rain and excessive water accumulation."
"The problem is that the Tongzhou Dam was only built three years ago. Because it rains a lot in Jiangnan, there is often a risk of breaching the dam. At that time, the Ministry of Revenue approved a large sum of money and the Ministry of Works sent people to Tongzhou to handle the dam construction."
"It took several months to repair. The officials who inspected the dam at the time clearly said that the dam could at least guarantee that Tongzhou Prefecture and its surrounding prefectures and counties would not be at risk of breaching within ten years."
"The dam has breached in just three years!"
"The Emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. The investigation ultimately pointed to Xie Zixing, the official in charge of the matter at the time. From his past writings, it was found that he had reduced the thickness of the dam in order to use better stone materials. This was determined to be the main reason for the breach of the Tongzhou dam."
"In the end, the Emperor dismissed Xie Zixing from his post and imprisoned him in the Ministry of Justice. The Emperor originally intended to execute him in the autumn, but Xie Zixing committed suicide the day after he was imprisoned."
Wen Zongji was naturally aware of the Tongzhou Prefecture Dam breach last year. At that time, he was in charge of the Beijing Gazette Office and not only knew about the incident but had also seen the relevant files.
It can be said that Xie Zixing did not embezzle a single penny in this matter; he used better stone materials in order to make the dam more solid.
After reviewing the case file, Wen Zongji felt that Xie Zixing was too short-sighted; how could he change the thickness of the dam just to pursue the quality of the stone?
But now, listening to the Crown Prince's words, something seems amiss.
The Crown Prince continued, "Although the Ministry of Justice has carefully investigated and confirmed that Xie Zixing committed suicide, I still feel that something is not right. Or rather, from the breach of the dam in Tongzhou Prefecture to Xie Zixing's imprisonment with conclusive evidence, and finally his suicide out of fear of punishment, nothing seems right."
"But this is just my opinion, without any evidence or clues. I originally wanted to take advantage of your inspection of the branch office to investigate this matter. If it turns out I was overthinking it, I could finally put my mind at ease."
"This matter wasn't urgent, after all, several months have already passed."
"Yesterday, I sent someone to investigate Xie Zixing's family, and we made an unexpected discovery. His wife had passed away long ago, and he only had an elderly mother and an only son. Shortly after Xie Zixing committed suicide out of fear of punishment, his mother died from excessive grief, leaving only the old servant to take care of his only son."
The crown prince paused for a moment, then said, "And his only son accidentally fell into the water a month ago and drowned."
Wen Zongji's eyes flickered slightly: "In other words, since Xie Zixing committed suicide out of fear of punishment, his house is now completely empty."
The Crown Prince nodded: "That's right. Perhaps I'm being paranoid. After all, I had someone investigate Xie Zixing's mother and only son, and they didn't find any signs of human intervention."
"But I just feel that something is wrong with this. Just to clear my mind, go to Tongzhou Prefecture and investigate last year's breach of the dike."
The crown prince stated frankly that there was no evidence and he was unsure whether there was any foul play involved; everything came from his intuition, but he trusted his intuition.
To be honest, these words sound somewhat willful on the part of the Crown Prince.
Because he had no reason to doubt, Wen Zongji had to make a trip to Jiangnan.
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, Wen Zongji also felt that something was amiss.
Perhaps it was all just a coincidence, but Wen Zongji was the least likely to believe in coincidences.
"Your humble servant obeys. We will depart tomorrow."
The Crown Prince instructed, "Jiangnan is prosperous, but the situation there is complex and complicated. Your personal safety should be the top priority."
Wen Zongji nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
The Crown Prince then gave Wen Zongji a handwritten letter: "Once you discover that something is really wrong, you can take this letter to see the Commander of Tongzhou Guard. He only took office in Tongzhou Guard last year, so it is unlikely that he is colluding with the local authorities."
The Crown Prince even considered the possibility of colluding with local officials.
Wen Zongji accepted the letter, bowed respectfully, and then left Wenyuan Pavilion.
……
Knowing that time was short, Wen Zongji returned to the Beijing Gazette Office first to arrange matters after his departure, and specifically instructed Yao Maofang to temporarily manage the Beijing Gazette Office after he left Beijing.
He then took a carriage back to the Marquis's residence.
At this time, Pei Rujing was not at the Marquis's residence; she was still at the newspaper office.
After Wen Zongji returned to Yunguang Courtyard, he sent someone to summon Pei Rujing back to the mansion, and at the same time instructed people to prepare his things for leaving the capital.
Granny Feng was stunned: "Why is the young master in such a hurry all of a sudden?"
Wen Zongji said, "The Crown Prince has instructed me to leave the capital tomorrow."
"Why the rush?"
"The main reason is that the branches of the Capital Reporting Office are spread throughout the prefectures of the Great Chu. Even if they only selectively inspect a few prefectures, they will spend a lot of time on the road. Going earlier means returning earlier."
Granny Feng nodded in understanding: "The mountains are high and the roads are long, and the poor and bad waters breed unruly people. Young master, you should bring more guards to prevent anyone from being ignorant and offending you."
"I've already made up my mind about that."
Wen Zongji valued his safety highly. He had decided to wait until Wen Chuanhong finished his shift before going to find him to discuss bringing bodyguards.
With the help of Granny Feng, several maids worked together to pack Wen Zongji's luggage.
By the time Pei Rujing returned, Wen Zongji had almost finished packing what he needed to bring.
When Pei Rujing learned that Wen Zongji was leaving the next day, she was completely stunned: "Why so suddenly?"
Wen Zongji used the same excuse he had just used to persuade Granny Feng: "Go early and come back early."
Pei Rujing pursed her lips and sat blankly on the couch. She thought she had accepted everything, but when the time came, she still couldn't bear to part with it.
Wen Zongji had no other choice but to embrace Pei Rujing and whisper, "I will come back as soon as possible and write to you whenever I have time. I will pass through Jiangnan on this trip. Everyone says that Jiangnan has beautiful scenery. I will go and see it first, and then take you to Jiangnan to play when I have time in the future."
Pei Rujing leaned against him, her eyes gradually reddening: "I just can't bear to part with you."
Wen Zongji ruffled her hair and hugged her even tighter.
"I know all that, and I can't bear to part with my wife either."
But Wen Zongji knew this was a rare opportunity.
His business trip may seem to stem from the Crown Prince's capriciousness, but if he can handle this matter well, he will completely win the Crown Prince's favor.
For Wen Zongji, gaining the favor of the future crown prince was quite important.
Therefore, he must handle this matter perfectly.