jdhmnovel Chapter 303 Requesting Imperial Decree Again, Heading South to Linhai
Chapter 303 Requesting Imperial Decree Again, Heading South to Linhai
Huangfu Zhongwen acted swiftly, as did Minister Wu.
The memorial requesting permission to continue the southward journey was quickly sent to the capital. They estimated that they would receive the emperor's reply after completing their inspections of the last two locations.
It was one thing to not know about the "daughter of the Jiang family" before, but now that we know, we certainly can't let the Fourth Prince off the hook.
This fourth prince has no bottom line when it comes to coveting other men's wives, especially women with children.
That's true. If there were any bottom line, they wouldn't have thrown government officials off the official boat.
After writing his memorial, Minister Wu felt even more sympathy for Jiang Wenqing, the "victim."
What kind of mess is this? Her married daughter was targeted by a prince, and she was forced to jump into the river.
The Fourth Prince's actions suggest he intends to destroy the Jiang family, forcing them to resign and return to their hometown.
Disgusting, absolutely disgusting! Even if someone's daughter is already married and has children, or even if she's still unmarried, she should still pursue her interests through proper channels.
So what if she's the daughter of a minor official? Even if she's the daughter of an ordinary commoner, she shouldn't be treated like this.
Ever since Huangfu Zhongwen told Minister Wu about the Fourth Prince's actions, Minister Wu has found the man utterly disgusting.
Huangfu Zhongwen now regards Jiang Wenqing as a good friend. Although he cannot fully empathize with his friend's plight, he can still share the same hatred for the enemy.
Minister Wu sighed and turned to Huangfu Zhongwen. “Zhongwen, we have already reported this matter to His Majesty. If His Majesty agrees, we will continue our journey south.”
This mission will likely stretch into the new year; I probably won't be able to return to Beijing until next spring when the river thaws.
"If that's the case, it's fine. We can take the opportunity to do a quick inspection along the way, so we won't have to go through a major undertaking next year."
"Hmm, that makes sense. Actually, we could have stayed out of the Fourth Prince's affairs, but His Majesty relies heavily on the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War."
Even if His Majesty sends someone again, he will give priority to selecting from the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of War. We are already on official business outside the capital, and our mission is about to end, so we are undoubtedly the most suitable to go to Linhai.
This will save us from the delays along the way, and prevent the Fourth Prince from going to other places, which would make searching for him even more troublesome.
Huangfu Zhongwen nodded slightly, “Minister, your considerations are thorough. I only hope that His Majesty can see the Fourth Prince’s true character and not be soft-hearted and biased after returning to the capital.”
Minister Wu shook his head slightly, "His Majesty is wise and would not be so confused. However, the Fourth Prince is, after all, a son of the dragon, and he will certainly be dealt with."
However, it remains to be seen which is more important, and it depends on His Majesty's decision. After all, this time the Fourth Prince not only embarrassed the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War.
The Fourth Prince, as the Deputy Inspector of the Waterways, is currently also accused of dereliction of duty. Add to that his crimes of seizing an official boat, causing a court official to fall into the water, and coveting an official's wife—these charges combined are enough for His Majesty to severely punish him.
"Alas, I felt uneasy when I learned that the Fourth Prince was in the group before leaving the capital. Sure enough, we traveled most of the way without incident, but in the end, I still couldn't escape it."
Huangfu Zhongwen spoke from the heart; he truly felt this way before leaving the capital, but he didn't want his unfounded unease to disturb the Minister's judgment.
Now I feel that my intuition was really accurate, and I regret not informing the Minister before leaving the capital. If I had told him earlier, would the Minister have had a chance to refuse the Fourth Prince's request to accompany him?
Alas, I'm afraid that won't work. The Fourth Prince has requested an imperial decree, and if the Minister refuses, wouldn't that be defying the imperial decree?
The Minister likely had this expectation before leaving the country, but since the die was cast, he had no choice but to go with the flow, set off first, and then proceed step by step.
The Fourth Prince's mischief was perhaps exactly what the Minister had anticipated.
Because they had anticipated this, they were able to respond immediately when the Fourth Prince did such a thing.
The Ministry of Works colleagues did not stay in the wilderness; they continued their journey as usual.
The Ministry of Works continued its routine inspections of the waterways, finally completing its journey and ready to return to the capital to report for duty.
With the task completed, everyone relaxed.
Thinking about their upcoming return to Beijing, they would gather in small groups to buy local products to bring back to their families.
At this moment, the sound of horses' hooves came from the shore, growing louder as they approached, and those who were about to disembark temporarily stopped.
It turned out that a messenger from the capital had delivered news that an imperial edict had been issued, granting them permission to continue their journey south!
"My lord, it seems we really must return to the capital next spring."
Huangfu Zhongwen didn't know whether he was happy or not; at least, it was impossible to tell from his tone.
Actually, he wasn't particularly happy or unhappy. Being able to carry out the emperor's orders and bring the fourth prince back to the capital was at least quite satisfying.
Furthermore, it was fortunate that he was able to stop the Fourth Prince from harassing Brother Jiang's daughter, who was also his eldest niece.
After receiving the imperial decree and expressing their gratitude, everyone immediately prepared to depart.
The officials who wanted to disembark and buy local specialties withdrew their steps. Southward? Continue southward?
Capture the Fourth Prince and bring him back to the capital! That's wonderful! That's fantastic!
They still remember the humiliation and disgrace of being forced off the ship that day!
That would be so satisfying to personally bring the culprit back to the capital!
Merit or merit is unimportant. Everyone in the Ministry of Works is skilled and doesn't get promoted based on such merit.
I'm not after anything else, I just want to have some fun!
Let's go! Let's go now!
What local specialties do you want to buy? Where can't you find local specialties?
I heard that Linhai County has a lot of seafood. I can bring the Fourth Prince back while buying some local specialties from Linhai County. We can do both at the same time!
It has to be said that the Fourth Prince has thoroughly offended the officials of the Ministry of Works; this is not just the humiliation of being kicked off the ship.
The luggage that was thrown overboard by the Fourth Prince's men was hastily packed, so there was no major financial loss. However, some of the paintings and calligraphy that the officials carried with them were soaked or torn.
What's even more infuriating is that several pages of a senior official's design manuscript were lost; these were the new waterwheel designs that the senior official had painstakingly calculated.
Calculating the angles and dimensions alone took a lot of effort, and just when it was almost finished, it was abruptly thrown overboard.
The man retrieved a few photos from the river, but the rest were washed away and could not be found.
Even those that were salvaged were mostly soaked in the river, making them largely obscured.
As an elder who is deeply devoted to academic research, this is like the sky falling down!
The official boat set off again, heading south quickly along the river. The soldiers were in high spirits and were eager to take on the fourth prince.
The Fourth Prince had indeed arrived in Linhai County by this time, and he was traveling at a rapid pace without having to stop and go.
Before Minister Wu and his entourage had even set off, he had already docked at the Linhai Wharf.
"Master, the magistrate of Linhai County did not come to greet us. Should we send someone to bring him here?"