northernbook #176 - Don't worry about it
#176 - Don't worry about it
Gao Yuan looked at Zhang You, his brow furrowing even deeper.
Originally, according to the agreement, the Great Virtuous Teacher should have appeared at the entrance of the Prefectural Office at this time.
At that time, Gao Yuan would lead the Taiping Dao to tour the entire city, deterring the Yang family and An Liangbi.
Ultimately, this would促成 facilitate further negotiations between the two sides, resolving the matter completely.
But now, he had opened the city gate, and the Taiping Dao had also entered the city.
Yet, the one who came to await Gao Yuan's orders was actually just some Fangtou Libationer, Zhang You?
However, at the moment, Gao Yuan couldn't care about so much.
He directly complained to Zhang You:
"What's going on with you people?"
"Wasn't it agreed that your Taiping Dao would just enter the city on your own?"
"Why did you bring so many disaster victims with you? Are you still worried that the plague in the city isn't severe enough? Are you worried that it's not chaotic enough here?"
Facing Gao Yuan's accusations, Zhang You first gave a slight bow.
Then, with a smile on his face, he replied:
"Man-made disasters are more severe than natural disasters."
"The people have suffered under the Yang family for too long, so they spontaneously entered the city."
"Please, sir, don't dwell on these minor matters."
Gao Yuan's brow furrowed even deeper:
"What do you mean by minor matters? Tens of thousands of disaster victims suddenly pouring into the city, and you tell this official it's a minor matter?"
"Forget it, there's no point in talking to you."
"Now, go tell the Great Virtuous Teacher to quickly organize the Taiping Dao forces and come with this official to the garrison camp."
"As long as we can stabilize the army and prevent them from causing chaos, then everything will be settled."
The Yang family and An Liangbi's greatest reliance was that they had developed the Qingzhou City garrison into their own people.
And Gao Yuan only needed to rely on the power of the Taiping Dao to deter the garrison, and he was confident that he could easily deal with the rest.
However, Zhang You stood still.
He still maintained a humble posture as he replied:
"The Great Virtuous Teacher has already gone to the garrison camp; there's no need for you to worry, sir."
"Please, sir, go back to the Prefectural Office and have some tea, take a rest."
"It's quite chaotic outside; I'm thinking of your safety, sir, and have no other intentions."
"Once things are settled tonight, I will naturally come and inform you, sir."
Upon hearing this, Gao Yuan raised an eyebrow:
"What do you mean?"
In his heart, a bad premonition suddenly arose.
He saw Zhang You bow again, then turn around and lead the few members of the Taiping Dao behind him away.
"Stop right there!"
"What exactly do you mean by leaving like this?"
Gao Yuan pointed at Zhang You and shouted sternly.
But how could Zhang You listen to Gao Yuan's orders?
He had already moved further away with the crowd, disappearing into the sea of people.
At this moment, Gao Yuan suddenly realized that things were beyond his control.
He had clearly given the Taiping Dao many promises and pledged many benefits.
Why, at this time, had the Taiping Dao abandoned him to the side?
Gao Yuan wanted to ask clearly.
He stood on the stone steps in front of the Prefectural Office, shouting loudly at the surging crowd on the street:
"People of the Taiping Dao, come out!"
"Tell the Great Virtuous Teacher to come see this official!"
"Someone, quickly! Call the Great Virtuous Teacher over!"
Gao Yuan subconsciously shouted in his capacity as Prefect.
He had been an official for too long, and had been sitting in the position of Prefect for many years, so he simply couldn't change this habit for the time being.
But it was precisely his shouting that quickly attracted the attention of the disaster victims on the street.
Under the night sky, pairs of eyes looked towards Gao Yuan.
A large group of disaster victims was also slowly approaching Gao Yuan.
"Look, everyone! There's a corrupt official here; judging by his official robes, he should be the local Prefect!"
As someone recognized Gao Yuan, this caused a commotion among the disaster victims.
Someone immediately pointed at Gao Yuan and angrily cursed:
"So you're the Prefect of Qingzhou City!"
"Good, Prefect, I'd like to ask you, why did you abandon us outside the city? Ignoring our life and death?"
"We were also born of parents! We're not weeds growing in the ground!"
"Why treat us like this? We treat you as our parent official, what exactly do you take us for?"
Someone even rushed up the stone steps in one stride, grabbing Gao Yuan's collar.
In Gao Yuan's horrified gaze, the person stared at Gao Yuan and shouted fiercely:
"You corrupt official! If you can't stand up for the people, you might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes!"
"You, as the Prefect of Qingzhou, why has the Yang family been able to run rampant in Qingzhou and harm so many people for so many years?"
"Speak! You corrupt official, are you the Yang family's biggest protector? Are you in cahoots with them!"
Gao Yuan hurriedly opened his mouth to explain.
But how could his voice suppress the chattering voices around him?
Especially since the disaster victims only wanted to vent at this time, how could they listen to Gao Yuan's explanation?
Gao Yuan suddenly surprisingly discovered.
None of his subjects under his rule revered him anymore at this time.
These disaster victims were like a pack of wolves at this time, their gazes seeming to want to eat people alive!
Only then did Gao Yuan realize that these usually docile subjects actually had such a terrifying side.
"Slap!!!!!"
Someone slapped Gao Yuan hard on the face, knocking off the black gauze hat on Gao Yuan's head.
Gao Yuan was completely stunned by this slap.
The pain on his cheek was nothing.
But the shock in his heart was what made him feel unacceptable.
An ordinary commoner actually dared to hit the Prefect?!!!!
For a moment, Gao Yuan's head couldn't help but buzz, his thinking becoming stagnant as if it had been poured with cement.
As someone dared to attack the Prefect, more disaster victims continued to surge up in the next moment.
"Beat this corrupt official to death!"
"It's because of his inaction that my whole family went hungry; if it weren't for the Taiping Dao distributing food, my whole family would have starved to death!"
"Beat him! Move aside, let me do it!"
......
Popular anger was surging, and the crowd was indignant.
Seeing that Gao Yuan, who had not yet recovered from the shock, was about to be beaten to death alive by the angry disaster victims.
At this time.
Several large hands hurriedly pulled Gao Yuan back.
It turned out that the yamen runners in the Prefectural Office, seeing that the situation was not right, hurriedly rushed out with their fire and water sticks.
"My lord, run!"
They waved their water and fire staffs, knocking down the approaching refugees, while hurriedly leading Gao Yuan back into the government office.
"Protect the lord!"
"Quick, close the gates!"
Someone shouted in Gao Yuan's ear.
Gao Yuan could no longer distinguish who it was.
As the gates closed and the bolts were secured, the clamor outside seemed to be cut off, becoming much quieter.
But the next moment.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The gates of the government office resounded violently.
An unknown number of people were fiercely beating and hammering on the gates of the government office.
The ferocious pounding made Gao Yuan's heart tremble.
What's going on?
What on earth is happening?
It would be one thing if An Liangbi, a court official, started a rebellion.
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But why have even these refugees become so reckless, beating the prefect and storming the government office?
They are not even afraid of the law!
If the people do not fear the law, then...
Gao Yuan's thoughts stopped there, and he felt a chill run through his body.
Tonight, Qingzhou City will probably be stained with blood!
Either these refugees will be slaughtered by the imperial army.
Or... the Yang family group in the city will be slaughtered by the refugees!
Gao Yuan's blank eyes suddenly focused.
He knew that he shouldn't care about who was slaughtering whom; he couldn't stop these things anymore.
What he should be facing was how to clean up the mess after the slaughter.
As the prefect, he could not escape this responsibility no matter what.
Gao Yuan shook off the yamen runner who was supporting him and stood firm on his own.
He looked around and saw the officials and yamen runners in the government office huddled behind the gates, desperately holding them shut against the onslaught.
The government office's defenses were very well-built, and it would be difficult for those ordinary refugees to break in within a short time.
But even so, these officials were all pale with fright, trembling.
These people, who could usually make the people of Qingzhou jump three times with a stomp of their feet, were now actually afraid.
Yes, they should be afraid.
Gao Yuan should also be afraid.
But he couldn't be afraid!
As the prefect, he still had too many things waiting for him to do.
Gao Yuan immediately cleared his throat and shouted loudly to the officials:
"All of you, buck up!"
The officials couldn't help but look at Gao Yuan when they heard this.
They saw that Gao Yuan's face was full of majesty at this time, as if he had returned to the demeanor that a governor of a state should have.
Gao Yuan pointed at the crowd and said:
"I don't care how much money you usually take from the Yang family, or how many benefits you receive from the Yang family."
"But what time is it tonight, you should all know in your hearts."
"If you still can't see the situation clearly, take a good look at how many people are outside from the cracks in the door, and listen carefully to what they are shouting?"
Of course, all the officials knew very well.
Tens of thousands of refugees and the Taiping Dao outside the city had all poured into the city.
What they wanted to do was clearly stated in their slogans: Kill the Yang fiend, quell the plague.
But if a great chaos breaks out, who can escape?
When the rebellion in the neighboring Yangzhou broke out, countless officials in the Yangzhou county government and government office were slaughtered by the rebels.
If this incident were to be staged in Qingzhou, then the consequences would naturally not be difficult for everyone to imagine.
The officials present naturally did not want to die either.
But as long as the superior was still calm, then everyone would have a backbone.
"My lord, what should we do?"
The officials couldn't help but ask.
Gao Yuan said:
"I have two things that I need your help to do well."
"First, draft a memorial to expose the Yang family's evil deeds in Qingzhou. No one knows the crimes committed by the Yang family better than you. Even if you rack your brains, you must find enough evidence to confirm the Yang family's evil deeds!"
"And prepare all the evidence, ready to be used to show to the people of the city after tonight."
When the officials heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other.
Gao Yuan continued:
"Second, draft another memorial to expose the evil deeds of the Taiping Dao. You all know about the Taiping Dao, and it is most appropriate to put the label of rebellion on them."
"Similarly, prepare the evidence of the Taiping Dao's crimes, so that it can be taken out and used at any time when the time comes."
"Don't worry, as long as we are still useful, tonight's disaster will not affect us for the time being, and those refugees will be restrained. Otherwise, this government office would have ceased to exist by now."
"There's no need for me to say more, right?"
When the officials heard this, they already understood Gao Yuan's thoughts.
Two memorials, two pieces of evidence, equivalent to two preparations.
Let's see who wins the final victory in the Yang family's and Taiping Dao's fierce battle tonight.
If the Taiping Dao wins, then all the blame will be placed on the Yang family.
If the Yang family wins, then all the dirty water will be splashed on the Taiping Dao.
Only in this way can everyone in the government office be preserved.
"We, obey!"
After the officials finished speaking, they immediately acted quickly.
Their lives were at stake, and they did not dare to neglect it now.
Gao Yuan nodded in satisfaction when he saw that everyone was finally busy.
His gaze couldn't help but look towards the night sky.
The deafening shouts were still echoing in the night sky.
"What exactly does that Great Virtuous Teacher want to achieve?"
"Is he so unscrupulous?"
"Or... is the Great Qian's fortune declining, so that one ambitious person after another has begun to emerge."
"Isn't the general in command of suppressing the rebellion in Yangzhou also relying on the rebellion to gain self-respect? Not only does he not try to quell the rebellion, but he also takes the opportunity to constantly extort and blackmail the imperial court."
"And also..."
Gao Yuan's heart was full of worries.
But he quickly shook his head helplessly.
He knew very well that the person who should be most worried tonight was not him.
In this Qingzhou City now, there are still too many people who are more worried and more afraid than him...