The middle-aged scholar was taken aback, seemingly not expecting this fellow to be so ignorant, much less that he would ask so directly.
Regaining his composure, he hastily waved his hands, "Your Honor has misunderstood; I have always lived in the south of the Yangtze River, with limited virtue and have never had the opportunity to be graced by His Majesty’s presence, far from being an imperial envoy."
This was not something he could admit to negligently.
Impersonating an imperial envoy could lead to the extermination of one’s entire family!
Yang Ge’s brow relaxed as he extended his hand without hesitation, "Since the gentleman is not an imperial envoy, then please be on your way; as a member of the Imperial Guard, it is inappropriate for me to make contact with the Vassal King. Let’s pretend we never met today!"
Local officials indulging in corruption and bribery, with a Vassal King getting involved, no matter the reasons, represented trouble, and big trouble at that!
Yang Ge was not afraid of death.
But he was afraid of trouble...
The middle-aged scholar finally couldn’t manage a smile... This Yang Erlang was even more resistant to reason than the rumors suggested!
"Why must Your Honor do this?"
With a stiff face, he bowed to Yang Ge, "Your upright aspiration is greatly admired by my master; I was instructed by my master to treat Your Honor with respect, not to harm Your Honor’s fervent patriotic heart...If only Your Honor could stay a while longer in Yangzhou, you could become a friend to my master. Why reject others from a thousand miles away?"
Pausing, he tapped gently on the tea table, speaking in a low voice with a double entendre, "As long as Your Honor is willing to stop here, many culpable officials in Yangzhou will be like a ladder to the cloud offered to Your Honor, and my master will surely give a generous reward!"
Yang Ge was somewhat baffled.
He understood the words.
They wanted him to stop here and not investigate any further.
But he hadn’t planned to continue following the trail from Yangzhou in the first place, including the documents he had sent back to the Northern Town Prefectural Commissioner, where he merely mentioned "fearing involvement of officials in multiple regions", leaving the decision to investigate up to the Northern Town Prefectural Commissioner.
Even if these people wanted to bribe someone, it shouldn’t be him, should it?
Could it be that he, a mere commander of the Imperial Guard, could investigate up to the great elders of the Jiangzhe Provincial Administration and the Zhejiang faction in court?
That would be overestimating Yang Ge, wouldn’t it?
It wasn’t self-deprecation.
The reality was right before his eyes; with the limited manpower of his position on the right, even securing the city of Jiangdu was difficult, let alone investigating elsewhere.
He feared that if he sent out his men, they would just vanish into thin air...
"I don’t understand your gibberish!"
Yang Ge pondered inwardly, feeling that something had changed without his knowledge. He maintained an impassive expression and replied, "Yang has no other considerations, just to fulfill my duty and do what is humanly possible; shouldn’t you find the right temple first before you start offering incense?"
Not giving up, the middle-aged scholar persisted, "Since Your Honor wishes only to fulfill your duty and do what is humanly possible, without much hindrance, why not make a friend of my master? The common saying goes, ’more friends, more paths; more enemies, more dangers.’ What do you think, Your Honor?"
Yang Ge raised an eyebrow abruptly, "Are you threatening me?"
"Not at all!"
Seeing that he was as unyielding as a stone in a latrine, smelly and hard, the middle-aged scholar simply stopped beating around the bush, putting his hands down and scoffing, "There’s a good saying; blocking one’s livelihood is like killing one’s parents...The enmity of killing parents is irreconcilable!"
Yang Ge stared at him intently, then suddenly smiled, "We had no grudges before, right?"
The middle-aged scholar thought he was coming around and quickly smiled back, "No, no, no, I am here to make friends..."
Yang Ge’s smile suddenly turned cold, interrupting him, "Now we do!"
The smile that had just appeared on the face of the middle-aged scholar froze instantly, and his eyes showed a hint of anger.
He was just about to speak when Yang Ge raised a slender index finger and shook it from side to side, "Don’t talk tough, I’m afraid you won’t make it out alive!"
The middle-aged scholar laughed out of frustration and stood up, bowing, "Then I can only wish Your Honor all the best in your endeavors, take care!"
Yang Ge picked up a knife manual on the table, "No need to see you out!"
The middle-aged scholar turned around, his expression suddenly darkening.
Yang Ge put down the knife manual, looking into the distance at the retreating figure of the middle-aged scholar, his face likewise clouded with gloom.
"Someone come!"
He shouted loudly.
Gu Tong quickly stepped inside from where he had been standing guard, bowing, "Your Honor."
Yang Ge: "Do you know which Prince’s fief is in Jiangzhe?"
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Gu Tong thought for a moment and then shook his head, "I do not know, Your Honor."
Yang Ge stared at him, "Then why are you standing here, waiting for me to give you the answer?"
Gu Tong’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed, "I will go and find out immediately!"
He rushed out in a hurry, and in no time returned below the hall, bowing, "I report to Your Honor, I found out that Prince Ning’s fief is in Ninghai County, Zhejiang."
Yang Ge beckoned him over.
Gu Tong approached promptly.
Yang Ge lowered his voice, "This Prince Ning, what’s his background?"
Gu Tong understood and responded softly, "Your Honor, Prince Ning is the former Emperor’s own brother, known for his bravery and prowess in battle. During the Jian Ning period, when pirates troubled the coasts of Jiangzhe, Prince Ning was ordered to defend Jiangzhe and combat the pirates, commanding three guards under him in Ninghai, and he has a reputation for integrity throughout the region..."
Having heard this, Yang Ge patted his shoulder, "Enough...keep your lips sealed, know what to say and what not to say, keep it all in mind!"
Gu Tong bowed, "I understand, Your Honor."
Yang Ge waved him away, then picked up the knife manual on the table again, his mind occupied: ’Damn it, is this not the tale of an uncle and his great-nephew that must be told?’
Who did he think he was?
Did he believe he was invincible?
’Don’t think too much!’
Yang Ge took a deep breath, comforting himself, ’Maybe it’s just a scheme colluding with local officials, trying to make money together... By the way, does Wei have maritime restrictions?’
If there were no maritime restrictions, the profits from the coastal regions would be enormous!