Chapter 344(2/2)
Fan Xian took out the key from his chest and lifted up the lid.
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It was the same as when Guan Wumei[JW2] saw the contents of the chest for the first time. After the flash of silver under the canopy, the eyes of the officials were a little dazed...silver. Inside was full of brilliant, eye-catching silver. Who knew how many silver ingots there were lined up neatly inside the chest? In reality, the previous chests of gifts were probably not any less valuable than this chest of silver ingots, however, since ancient times, people have become accustomed to using silver. For this much silver to suddenly appear before them, this kind of attack on the senses was too intoxicating.
After a while, the crowd reluctantly withdrew their gazes from the chest. They watched Fan Xian, waiting for the next step of his performance.
“This chest of silver has come with me from Jingdou to Jiangnan. In the future, no matter where I am located, I will always have this chest of silver,” Fan Xian said evenly. “Why? This is to tell various officials, I have silver. I’m not afraid you will laugh. I, Fan An Zhi, am someone who was born with a golden key in his mouth. Anyone who wishes to use money as a weapon to bribe me, forget about it now.”
He continued coldly. “This trip to Jiangnan, I am investigating the matter of your silver. I will not interfere in any politics. However, if anyone is bribing or being bribed, any who are corrupt and take advantage of the people, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
“There was a person of virtue in an older generation who deeply understood the terrible consequences of corrupt governance. So he brought hundreds of coffins with him, saying that even if he had to kill all of the corrupt officials he would stop this noxious influence.” Fan Xian said slowly, “I am not someone who likes to kill people, so I did not bring coffins, I only brought silver.”
The officials were silent and scared.
“There are exactly 138,880 liang of silver in the chest. I will say something here, before all the officials and seniors who have come to welcome me. Jiangnan is populous and affluent. I cannot promise how much of this silver will be used on the lives of the people, but I promise, when I leave Jiangnan, there will not be a single extra liang in this chest!”
Fan Xian swept his gaze over those of the officials. “I hope everyone here will remember that.”
After this performance, one part of the welcoming reception on the docks came to an end. Fan Xian sat back in his chair and felt the goosebumps rising on his arms. He was glad that he hadn’t let his mouth run away from him earlier and said something deep and resounding that was bold and visionary.
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The study of the Governor’s manor was completely silent.
A first-level official, Jiangnan Governor Xue Qing sat in the imperial tutor’s chair in the middle and a small smile rose on his face. Beside him sat two advisors that had followed him for many years. One of the advisors shook his head and sighed, “I didn’t expect this imperial envoy to be so good at raising trouble.”
The other advisor furrowed his brows. “I don’t understand. By doing this, Sir Fan junior completely swept away the face of the Jiangnan officials. Although with his identity, naturally he does not fear this. However, it does seem as if he isn’t mature enough.”
Xue Qing smiled slightly. “Both of you think his display was a little affected?”
The two advisor’s met each other’s eyes and nodded.
Governor Xue sighed. “Young people, they always have a desire for performance.”
One of the advisor’s carefully asked, “What does Sir think of this Sir Fan junior?”
Xue Qing paused. He thought for a moment before replying. “A clever man, a very clever man. He is someone to befriend...to befriend well.”
The advisors were a bit confused, thinking that it didn’t seem to align with their earlier conclusion.
Xue Qing smiled self-deprecatingly. “So what if it was affected? How many commoners under heaven were able to see the scene at the time? How will those officials in Jingdou know the true situation of this month? Rumors are just rumors, passed from person to person, mouth to mouth. There will always be some unconscious adjusting to the truth so it better aligns with one’s biases.”
“Sir Fan junior has an excellent reputation among the people. Naturally the commoners will spare no effort to spread this news. Because of their affection for him, even if Sir Fan junior had done something inappropriate, it will be removed in the telling and sidelined. As for those scenes of not fearing the bureaucratic and long-established corrupt practices, of scolding the officials to their face, will naturally be exaggerated greatly...”
The governor gave a pleased laugh. “A chest with 100,000 liang, sailing down Suzhou. Before long, this will probably be another story in our Qing court. These people of the Overwatch Council have indeed some spirited quick wit.”
The other advisor was still confused. “Since he is a clever man, there were clearly better ways to solve today’s issue. Why would Sir Fan junior choose such an intense and absurd method?”
Governor Xue Qing looked at him and smirked. “What do you know?”
He closed his mouth and didn’t continue to explain. There were some things that even his closest advisors should not know. Fan Xian flashed his sword today and offended all the officials. Wasn’t it all because he wanted to show his sincerity to me, the governor? The other party took the initiative and explicitly stated he was going to live in Hangzhou, which meant he deeply understood the three rules of bureaucracy. Now that he had scared the officials, they would not surround him, thus, the governor was still the foremost figure.
Xue Qing suddenly thought of another matter, and he unconsciously frowned. His estimation of Fan Xian just rose another level—the display the young official put on today was perhaps not just as simple as showing him his sincerity—with the imperial examinations approaching Jiangnan, it seemed like Fan Xian wished he could offend all the officials under heaven. The court officials had seen clearly these two years. Fan Xian had not even bothered to maintain his father-in-law’s relations from before, he...he...he was going to be an isolated official?
As a trusted confidant of the Emperor, Xue Qing had many eyes and ears at court. He knew the rumors about Fan Xian’s past were true. Once he thought of Fan Xian’s past, he immediately understood why the other party was set on being an isolated official.
It was preventing taboo.
Xue Qing sighed and shook his head. Everyone worked hard, both in body and mind. It seemed like he should interact more with this young Commissioner Fan for the future of Jiangnan.
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The warm afternoon sun slightly dispersed the initial spring chill. The people of Suzhou were sitting in tea houses drinking tea and chatting. They were too wealthy—wealthy to the point they had too much leisure time and enjoyed passing the time in tea houses. Since such a big thing had happened in the city today, saliva and tea water both boiled in the tea houses.
Everyone discussed the arrival of the imperial envoy, the world famous Commissioner Fan.
“Have you heard? Those officials’ faces were all scared green.” A middle-aged merchant chuckled. The people always were happy to watch officials be humiliated.
Another person shook his head and sighed, “A pity it was still a case of turning big problems into small ones, and small problems into no problems. I think that if the imperial envoy truly pitied the people, he should throw all those corrupt officials into jail.”
“What stupidity!” The middle-aged merchant from earlier laughed at him mockingly. “If all the officials are in jail, who will try cases? Who will handle business? Sir Fan junior is a prodigy and plans far ahead. How could he be like us and not know the seriousness of a matter? This is called a deliberate show of strength as a warning. You just watch, the best is yet to come. I think the Jiangnan Road officials are about to truly taste the power of the Overwatch Council.”
That person nodded and agreed. “That is true. Fortunately, the Emperor is wise and has sent the commissioner to Jiangnan.”
The merchant lowered his voice and smiled. “It should be, the Emperor was wise to have had the commissioner.”
The tea table instantly became silent. A moment later, it exploded with a light laugh of tacit mutual understanding. In the end that merchant said, “Earlier, the guy from my shop went to the dock to see...the commissioner really is ruthless. Those subordinates who took the boat down the river were each given 30 lashes.”
The man opposite righteously replied, “This is the right thing to do. Although it was the subordinates who went behind Sir Fan junior’s back to collect silver, the offense is already done. Since they silver has been returned and the list of gifts burned, it would not be right to punish them. However, if he is not severe with his subordinates, how will the Jiangnan Road officials be satisfied? I went to see earlier. That whip really came down ruthlessly. Each whip seemed like it was going to take chunks of flesh with it. It was all bloody and rather scary.”
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In the manor of a salt merchant that the imperial envoy was temporarily borrowing, a miserable howl came from a side room.
Fan Xian looked at his trusted aides lined up in order and the strips of whip marks on their backs. He placed medicine on the table. He jokingly scolded, “I’m not rubbing it in for you anymore. I’m being sympathetic, but you are all howling miserably. Why didn’t you yell miserably when you were being whipped? You’re not afraid people will get suspicious?”
Su Wenmao lowered his head miserably and said, “We have to save face for Sir. Of course we can’t tell from a few lashes...but Sir, is there a problem with your medicine? How come the more you put on the more it hurts?”
Fan Xian smiled and said, “The whipping was so light, of course you need to suffer a little right now!”
He rose and left. As he walked he shook his head thinking that sometimes what Wanli said was very accurate. He was not a good official, and he didn’t have the face to ask that his subordinates were honest officials. It was not easy twisting both the top and bottom beam.
[JW1]Also translated as Dragon Head Raising Festival.
[JW2]Original text said “苏妩媚”– Su Wumei, which is a typo.