"Master, a father-in-law is coming outside and wants to see you by name."
Chang Sui ran in panting and came to Xu Tong who was lying on the recliner.
Xu Tong sat up suddenly and asked hurriedly: "Is this the father-in-law from the palace? Did you tell me why you came to Datong?"
Most of the eunuchs who came to deliver orders were court officials, and eunuchs could not leave the capital at will unless there was an order. However, once the eunuchs in the capital left the capital and went to other places, most of them came to make money.
Chang Sui shook his head and said, "He's not from the capital, he's the father-in-law of the Dai Wang Palace."
When he heard that he was not an eunuch sent from the capital, Xu Tong lay back on the recliner and said in a calm tone: "Why do people from the Prince's Palace come to patrol the Yamen?"
In Datong, the most respected person was not the governor Xu Tong, but the acting king who lived in the vassal palace.
Chang Sui said: "That father-in-law didn't say anything, but his face was very ugly, as if he was here to ask questions."
"Invoke an army to investigate?" Xu Tong frowned.
He couldn't remember where he had offended the acting king, and he had just come to Datong not long ago. He only met the acting king once when he first took office, and he had not seen him since then.
"Master, will you see me or not?" Chang Sui asked cautiously.
Xu Tong thought for a moment and said, "Bring him here."
"yes."
Chang Sui agreed, turned around and left.
Not long after, Chang Sui walked in with a middle-aged man with a white face and no beard.
At this time, Xu Tong had left the recliner and came to the study room next to him.
"Our family has met Mr. Xu." The eunuch of the palace raised his hand to Xu Tongyi.
Xu Tong nodded and did not get up. He just said: "Father, please sit down. Come and serve tea."
If he were a eunuch in the palace, he would naturally not be so negligent. Even if he was a young eunuch with no rank, he would treat him politely. However, the eunuch in the palace was different. Maybe some officials with lower rank would fawn over him. , but a high-ranking governor like him does not need to grovel in front of the vassal king, let alone just a eunuch in the palace.
"No need." The eunuch of the royal palace waved his hand and said straight to the point, "Your Majesty sent us here to ask Mr. Xu. It turns out that when Governor Liu was here, Datong was peaceful, but since Mr. Xu took office, Datong has been invaded by bandits. It happens frequently, and now even the prince’s village outside the city has been robbed by bandits.”
While speaking, the eunuch of the palace kept a gloomy face.
"The prince's Zhuangzi outside the city was also robbed?" Xu Tong frowned.
In the recent days, he received news of banditry in several places in Datong. Most of them were that some Zhuangzi outside the city was robbed, or the fleet of some commercial banks was robbed.
The key is that behind these robbed Zhuangzi and business houses are not ordinary people, they are either the secret properties of some officials, or they are the Zhuangzi of squires who have officials in the court.
Now even Zhuangzi of Dai Wangfu has been robbed, which makes him extremely headache.
If ordinary people were robbed, he could completely ignore it. However, the people who were robbed were either imperial officials or people in their families who were officials in the court. Now, even Zhuangzi of the Prince's Palace was also robbed. If he didn't give an explanation, it would be difficult to protect him. These people will not join forces to accuse him of destabilizing Jingbian.
Although he has just taken office as a governor and the court may not immediately replace him, he will inevitably be reprimanded by the court.
The eunuch of the palace said in a low voice: "I wonder when Master Xu is going to send troops to suppress the bandits?"
Xu Tong glanced at the eunuch in front of him and said: "In military affairs, it is better for His Highness to not interfere."
"You..." The eunuch of the royal palace choked, and immediately said, "Okay, we won't ask, but if Mr. Xu is still unable to eradicate the banditry, then don't blame my prince for personally reporting it to the emperor to know about it."
"Are you threatening me?" Xu Tong's face sank.
As the governor of Datong, he himself supervises the responsibilities of the vassal king. Although the status of acting king is respected, he is the governor who has the most power in Datong.
Not long after he became the governor of Datong, he was being scolded like this by a eunuch of the royal palace at a time when his horse was riding high, and he was secretly annoyed.
The prince's eunuch's voice became colder and he said, "We don't dare, but we can't stand the prince doing this."
Xu Tong's face was as gloomy as water.
As for the person in Dai Wang's Mansion, as long as he does not commit the crime of treason, he, the governor, has nothing to do with him. If the other party really submits a memorial to him, there is no guarantee that he will not bring the other officials of Datong with him. You must know that it is not just Dai who will suffer. The royal family.
What made him most uncomfortable was that nothing like this had ever happened before when Governor Liu took office, and as soon as he took office, banditry broke out everywhere.
If the court knew about the matter, it would be difficult not to doubt his ability. Maybe he would not be able to serve as governor for one term and would be replaced by the court.
Thinking of this, Xu Tong softened his tone and said: "Excuse me, please report back to the prince. I will summon Datong soldiers and generals to suppress the bandits. However, the new year is approaching and the army lacks food and pay. The soldiers and generals cannot go hungry to suppress the bandits." , so it will take some time to prepare, and when the funds are collected, the troops will be dispatched."
"How long will it take Master Xu to collect the salary?" the eunuch of the palace asked.
Xu Tong pondered for a moment and said: "The military's pay and silver are all allocated by the Ministry of War. I will arrange for people to send official documents to the Ministry of War, and then wait for the Ministry of War to allocate the salary. However, the war in Liaodong has not been settled, and the court has no extra money and food. I am not sure whether the Ministry of War can issue the salary, or when it will be released."
The eunuch of the royal palace frowned and said frankly: "So as long as the Ministry of War does not pay wages, Master Xu will not go to suppress the bandits?"
"Of course I am willing to suppress the bandits, but without pay, the soldiers below will inevitably delay deliberately." Xu Tong spread his hands.
He didn't care about the eradication of the bandits. Even if the bandits were eradicated, it would be of no benefit to him. He didn't care about the official reputation at all. He only wanted to make enough money as governor and finish his term as governor. Retire old and return home.
The eunuch of the palace frowned and said: "Ever since Zhuangzi in the palace was robbed, the prince has been unable to sleep every night. Whenever he thinks about Zhuangzi being robbed by bandits, he will not think about food and drink. It shows how hateful those bandits are, so the prince hopes to be able to escape as soon as possible." Destroy these bandits."
Xu Tong picked up the tureen, took a sip, and said, "If you want to collect the money quickly, there is no way out!"
"What can I do?" the eunuch of the palace asked hurriedly.
Xu Tong glanced at the royal eunuch in front of him, shook his head immediately, and sighed: "No, no, it's not appropriate."
"Mr. Xu, you haven't said what method it is, but you know it's not suitable. Tell us, and we can help you see if it's suitable." said the eunuch of the palace.
