Chapter 1470
You fight your way, I fight mine, let's see who has more problems exposed!
Chapter 1470 You fight your way, I fight mine, let's see who has more problems exposed!
After Lin Hao's reminder, Yin Qi finally understood that the second brother had used an open strategy this time.
They deliberately used livelihood issues to set a trap for Lin Hao, who is now stuck in a limbo.
"Second Brother is going too far. He treats his brothers like this. Sigh!" Yin Qi patted Lin Hao's shoulder comfortingly.
"It's alright. Someone like the second brother can kill himself without us even lifting a finger!"
"Besides, putting aside the right and wrong of this matter, does the Lord think he would kill me for it?"
“That’s impossible. How could Father bear to do that?” Yin Qi waved his hand, clearly not believing that the new Chuanzhu would kill Lin Hao for defying the imperial decree.
"By the way, Sixth Brother, you said you were looking for that 'something tin' here. Are you going to stay here for a few more days?"
"I've already made arrangements for this matter. Let's go back tomorrow and give the master an explanation!"
"Yes, although you've already reached an agreement with Daichuan, you still need to explain it to your father!"
After chatting for a while, Lin Hao explained the whole story and asked the inn staff to take him back to Xinchuan ahead of him.
The next day, the two mounted their fast horses and headed towards Xinchuan.
About two weeks later, the two arrived at Shinkawa Palace and were immediately detained.
In the imperial study, the new Sichuan governor closed a memorial and looked at Lin Hao, saying:
"This one is from the Ministry of Rites, which impeaches the Sixth Young Master for disobeying imperial orders and arbitrarily granting passage to Danchuan, thus overstepping his bounds and acting arbitrarily!"
He picked up another book and said, "This one is an impeachment against the Sixth Young Master for being arrogant and disregarding the interests of the people of Benchuan. The Household Registration Office is also impeaching the Sixth Young Master for flattering the Lord of Danchuan and ignoring the mineral veins."
"The Censor impeached the Sixth Young Master Xu for disobeying regulations and acting first and reporting later. I had no idea you were so bold."
Lin Hao cupped his hands and argued forcefully:
"Your subject dares not. The matter of closing the road concerns the people's livelihood, and my order to go to Tong'an Qian contradicts the blocking of the Danchuan road. Time is of the essence, so your subject dares to ask!"
"How dare you act so perversely!" Yin Song interrupted Lin Hao, saying.
"Sixth brother, after receiving the order from the Lord of Chuan, he actually dared to make a decision over my father and arbitrarily alter your order. Does he think that he knows better than the Lord how to handle things?"
Good heavens, Yin Song is trying to kill him!
Hearing this, Lin Hao glanced at him unhappily and said, "The eldest son of the main branch doesn't need to exaggerate."
Then, Lin Hao looked at the new Chuanzhu and said:
"Some of you here sit high in your halls all day long and have no idea how important the Luohe Town Tea Horse Festival is to Danchuan!"
"The entire western and northern prefectures of Danchuan rely on the Luohe Town Tea Horse Festival for their livelihood. If we really close this official road, hmph~!"
"If this really affects the livelihoods of the people in the towns and cities of the Northwest, Lord Danchuan is not a man of good temper!"
"Furthermore, Lord Danchuan has agreed to strictly check the checkpoints and not allow any Daichuan spies to enter the country!"
"Hmph!" Yin Song said with a chill in his eyes.
"Sixth Brother, no matter how much you argue, it won't change the fact that you disobeyed the Lord's orders and changed the decree without consulting him!"
Lin Hao said coldly:
"The journey from Tong'an to Xinchuan City is long. If we send someone to consult the Lord of Chuan on every matter, it will be too late. Besides, I also need to go to Daichuan to discuss the mineral vein. I can only act expediently!"
"And I remember writing back a letter detailing the situation here. Hasn't the Lord received it?"
The new lord of Chuan naturally understood that Lin Hao hadn't done anything seriously wrong, but Lin Hao's attitude made him very uncomfortable. He wanted to teach Lin Hao a lesson, so he sneered and said:
"Sixth Brother, have you ever thought about why I closed the official roads before the Tea Horse Festival began?"
"They've just been misled, what else can they do?" Lin Hao thought with a hint of disdain.
Upon hearing this, the new lord of Chuan suppressed his anger and continued:
"The Tea Horse Festival in Luohe Town is a mixed bag. If Dai Chuan is so inclined, she could send a spy to infiltrate the area and then, through Dan Chuan, sneak into Tong'an Mountain, where there are mineral veins. What do you think?"
"What can I do? Besides, Tong'an Mountain is so big, how could it not have spies!" Lin Hao said with a sneer.
"Leaving aside other places, even in our Xinchuan Palace, aren't there enough spies from all over the country?" Lin Hao said impatiently.
"You—!" Lin Hao's few words of truth left the new Sichuan chief speechless, and he slammed his hand on the table, shouting angrily:
"Since you can think of all this, then tell me, are you being stubborn and self-willed, or are you deliberately defying the imperial decree?"
"No, not at all. The Lord of Daichuan has already made a statement regarding this trip to Daichuan!" Lin Hao was about to take out the agreement he had signed with the Lord of Daichuan.
At that moment, Yin Song interrupted again:
"Sixth Brother should have dealt with Lord Daichuan; that's what the Nine Rivers Affairs Division should have been doing!"
"Now that my sixth brother has failed in his duty, I have no choice but to act expediently and negotiate with Dai Chuan on my own!"
"You negotiated with Dai Chuan?" Lin Hao said with a sneer.
"This matter originally belonged to the Jiuchuan Affairs Division, and it was the Lord who sent me to negotiate. Isn't it an overstepping of your bounds to negotiate with Lord Daichuan in private?"
"Or is it that you have some kind of deal with Daichuan Master in private, or that you have some ulterior motive?"
In politics, proving yourself on the spot is the worst approach. It's best to go your own way and I'll go mine, and see who exposes more problems!
"Oh no!" Yin Song sensed that something terrible was about to happen.
I immediately remembered that my private dealings with the head of the Tokawa clan were a taboo thing to do!
Fortunately, his father-in-law was Dai Chuan's, so the next second, Yin Song quickly explained:
"My father-in-law is the owner of the Daichuan Mine. I wrote to him asking for his help, and now we have joined forces with other mine owners to persuade the owner of Daichuan to give up the Tonganshan Mine. A reply will be sent soon!"
"In fact, Lord Daichuan has long understood that Tong'an Mountain is our territory and they should not covet it. They were just testing the waters before. Seeing how much our territory values it, they will surely give up the dispute."
After saying that, Yin Song looked at Lin Hao triumphantly and said with righteous indignation:
"Sixth Brother, you are the young master of Xinchuan, not Danchuan. This time, Father sent you to Tongan Mountain to protect the mine and negotiate with Daichuan."
“What you have done is no different from disobeying the imperial decree, but fortunately we are all one family. You can write a letter of apology, and the matter of overstepping your bounds can be put aside lightly.”
Goodness, Yin Song is really smart; he speaks with a barbed tongue and a sarcastic tone.
They were criticizing Lin Hao from all sides, accusing him of not respecting the new Sichuan leader.
Especially since Lin Hao confronted the new Sichuan leader so forcefully, putting him in an awkward position, he could take this opportunity to provoke the new leader.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the new governor threw down the memorial and glared angrily at Lin Hao:
"Sixth Brother, do you know your crime?!"
"Crime? What crime?" Lin Hao shook his head, then chuckled, "But this fabricated crime is truly unforgivable!"
"Since the eldest son says that you have negotiated with Lord Daichuan and even achieved results, why don't you produce the reply from Lord Daichuan to you?"
"You're not trying to claim credit for something, are you?" Lin Hao said, taking out the agreement he had signed with Lord Daichuan. "This is Lord Daichuan's promise to Xinchuan. It was signed at my request. I was delayed for so long at Tong'an Post Station. I've already returned to Xinchuan. Where is your reply?"
"Furthermore, speaking of crimes, our eldest son has committed these offenses countless times, yet we haven't seen the Lord punish him in any way!"
“Even the crime of printing counterfeit money, such a major matter involving the entire Jiuchuan, can be easily overlooked.”
"Nonsense!" Yin Song was shocked upon hearing this and immediately flew into a rage, accusing him:
"Who said the counterfeit money printing has anything to do with me? The printing plates are with the third brother, and you control the supply of raw materials. How dare you try to frame me!"
"Chen Xi!" Lin Hao sneered, "On this trip to Daichuan, we'll also take control of Chen Xi, the one who prints counterfeit money!"
"Now I've arranged for him to stay in the villa. After questioning him, he has confessed everything about printing counterfeit money, and you, the eldest son of the Xinchuan family, are...!"
"Shut up!" Yin Song interrupted furiously.
"Nonsense! Printing counterfeit money only costs a few dollars. How could I, the eldest son of the main branch and heir to Xinchuan, do anything to harm Xinchuan?"
He then quickly said to the new Chuanzhu, "Your Majesty, I impeach the Sixth Young Master for making baseless accusations..."
Yin Song listed a whole host of Lin Hao's crimes, but instead of dispelling the new Chuanzhu's suspicions, it increased them.
But Yin Song is, after all, the eldest son of the legitimate wife and the heir to Xin Chuan, so he certainly cannot get involved in anything that would harm Xin Chuan.
"You've said so much, why don't I have someone bring Chen Xi here so he can confront the eldest son face to face?"
"Alright!" The new river chief didn't let Lin Hao continue, mainly because he felt Lin Hao was getting a little out of control, so he immediately interrupted him:
"We'll discuss the counterfeit currency case later!"
After thinking for a moment, he continued, "But Sixth Brother, your crime of overstepping your bounds is a fact. You should be dismissed from your post and investigated. Your crimes will be dealt with separately. Starting tomorrow, you will not need to report to the Jiuchuan Affairs Office."
Today, Lin Hao has gotten involved in so many things, the information density is too high, making him feel a bit dizzy and unable to keep up. He needs to digest and sort it out.
'Hehe, looks like it's pretty much as I expected. I'm using him to keep the second son in check. But the surprise that follows... I hope you like it!'
Thinking of this, Lin Hao was too lazy to refute, so he prepared to plead guilty and then return home.
At this moment, Yin Qi was indeed a little flustered, and then rushed over and knelt on the ground, saying:
"Father, no, Father! Sixth Brother negotiated with Dai Chuan many times and finally managed to clarify the border issue and get them to give up their covetousness for the Tong'an Mine!"
"Furthermore, how will people view the Sixth Young Master after being dismissed from his post a second time? Please consider this carefully, Father."
Seeing that the new lord of Chuan ignored him, Yin Qi hesitated for a moment, but quickly became resolute:
"Actually, it was I who secretly lifted the ban on Danchuan Road!"
The others weren't stupid; Yin Qi was clearly prepared to take all the blame.
For a moment, Lin Hao felt a touch of emotion. He hadn't expected that Yin Qi would be willing to take the blame for him at such a crucial moment.
He holds a high official position, and the new Sichuan governor wants to use him to motivate his second-in-command. Given his nature, even if he is severely punished, he will be reinstated in the future.
However, Yin Qi himself has never been favored or given important responsibilities, and he doesn't even have a formal position, so the consequences are even more serious than for him.
If he is held responsible, he will be in danger this time.
Therefore, Lin Hao turned around and quickly winked at him, saying, "What does this have to do with you? Don't meddle!"
However, having made up his mind, Yin Qi chose to ignore Lin Hao's meaningful glances and looked directly at the new Chuan Master, saying:
"Your son is the brother-in-law of Lord Danchuan. I was eager to protect my sister-in-law, so I made the decision on my own. Sixth Prince knows nothing about it!"
That's so damn stupid, it's like adding fuel to the fire!
Sure enough, even the most cunning enemy is no match for a self-righteous teammate.
Lin Hao was thinking of pulling him back quickly, but unexpectedly, that bastard Yin Song became excited upon hearing Yin Qi's words, and interrupted him again:
"Fifth Brother, if you're going to lie, at least come up with some reasonable excuses. You went to Tong'an Mountain together, and you were under his command. Without his instructions, could you make your own decisions?"
"Why can't I?" Yin Qi retorted loudly, having also disliked Yin Song for a long time.
In the past, the second son always bullied him, and after he went to court, he suppressed him even more.
In the Mo Chuan incident, he even attempted to marry off his thirteen-year-old sister to him, all of which made Yin Qi hate him for a long time.
He then continued, "I dare to let Danchuan pass without giving him instructions, so why would I be afraid that Lao Liu will disagree?"
Lin Hao: "This has nothing to do with Fifth Brother!"
Yin Qi: "This matter was indeed done by your son alone!"
Lin Hao: "Punish me if you want!"
Yin Qi: "Sixth brother doesn't know anything, Father."
Both of them wanted to take the blame upon themselves, so they started talking over each other.
Lin Hao took the blame for one reason: it was his decision to do so.
On the other hand, he didn't want Yin Qi, who was standing next to him, to take responsibility for this.
Yin Qi, on the other hand, was much more straightforward; he simply wanted to protect his younger brother.
"Enough!" the new Chuanzhu roared, interrupting the two, then looked at the guards beside him and gave the order:
"Drag the Fifth and Sixth Young Masters out and flog them!" He then changed his mind, saying, "Lock them in the forbidden room!"
"Yes!" the guards said in unison, then pulled the two men down and locked them in the forbidden room.
Shangguan Jing and Li Wei were extremely worried about the two being imprisoned, fearing they would suffer.
However, Yuan Ying remained calm and composed. She was probably the person in the world who knew Lin Hao best, and she knew that he must have some kind of plan. Otherwise, with Lin Hao's intelligence, how could he have been imprisoned?
Therefore, she wasn't worried at all, while Li Wei's thinking was a bit simplistic. She was extremely anxious, and only after Yuan Ying comforted her did she feel better.
In the prison, Lin Hao flicked his finger, and the lock on the cell door opened. Then Lin Hao went to the cell next door and did the same thing again.
"Sixth Brother, what brings you here?" Yin Qi lay on the straw in the cell, looking at Lin Hao with a puzzled expression.
"Sigh!" Lin Hao said, somewhat speechless, "Why did you have to do this?"
"What are you sighing about? You're my brother. If I don't protect you in this critical moment, who will?" Yin Qi said with his head held high, feeling quite proud.
He thought Lin Hao was thanking him for saving him!
Lin Hao was speechless. If you hadn't caused trouble, I would have been at home right now, sleeping with my three fragrant wives.
I wanted to explain things to him clearly, but seeing Yin Qi's proud expression, I decided to keep quiet.
After all, people with simple minds don't have as many worries as smart people, and it's good that they can live a more relaxed life.
(End of this chapter)