In the military tent, Cao Rongchang, the magistrate of Wei County, was waiting nervously.
He was dressed in official uniform, neatly arranged because he had to face the emperor. He put his hands on his abdomen and looked quite reserved when he stood there.
Not long after, Xiao Yuan came out wiping his hands with a handkerchief.
Cao Rongchang quickly knelt down and saluted: "My lord, Cao Rongchang, the magistrate of Wei County, is here to see your majesty, long live our emperor!"
There was a slight tremor in his tone, which was due to emotion. What a county magistrate looks like when he sees Xiao Yuan, Cao Rongchang showed it vividly here, nervousness, awe, admiration, and caution.
"I love you, you don't have to be polite." Xiao Yuan sat down directly above him and threw his handkerchief on the table.
"Thank you, Your Majesty -" Cao Rongchang shouted. After standing up, Xiao Yuan asked before he could speak, "Why do you want to see me today?"
"This is your Majesty." Cao Rongchang took out a file: "I have completed the trial of the previous pirate incident. Among them, sixty-four people were sentenced to beheading for crimes such as murder, robbery, and other crimes. The remaining crimes, whether serious or serious, are all recorded in the record and please be reviewed by Your Majesty."
After saying that, he respectfully handed the file to the table, then bent slightly and stood with his head bowed.
In fact, this matter was completely within the rights of the county magistrate, and there was no need to ask for a meeting with Xiao Yuan. But when Cao Rongchang came, he naturally had his own plans in mind.
First, he wanted to show his face in front of the emperor. This idea is human nature.
Secondly, I want to show that I have fulfilled His Majesty’s instructions seriously.
Third, there are too many prisoners. Although the county jail can accommodate them, it is still a troublesome problem.
Although these pirates have been tried in accordance with the law, the execution of so many people at once must be reported to the imperial court and Tingwei Mansion for approval. This is a matter of procedure.
And when this process is completed, it will probably take a few months. There are more than 100 people who have to eat in the county jail. Cao Rongchang obviously wants to save the trouble in the middle.
Xiao Yuan took the file, and there was a thick stack of files related to human life. He also read it very seriously. There were all witnesses and evidence on it, the verdict was described in detail, and there were signatures and official seals at the end.
He read one file and put it down until a long time passed. He nodded and said, "Well, the trial was correct, the judgment was fair, and there were no omissions. Thank you for your hard work, Magistrate Cao."
"This is the responsibility of the humble minister. How dare I express my sorrow." Cao Rongchang pretended to be brave and said: "But Your Majesty, the humble minister is brave and dares to ask for your approval."
After saying that, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva and didn't dare to look at Xiao Yuan's face.
Suddenly, there were one hundred multiple criminals, including sixty-four death row inmates. This would be a troublesome situation in any prison.
Xiao Yuan understood what he meant. After thinking about it for a moment, he dipped his pen in ink and wrote a short paragraph of instructions in the blank space at the end of the document. The general meaning was that he agreed with the verdict and signed his name.
He had personally experienced the piracy incident and understood all the circumstances. There was nothing much to say about these bandits who committed murder and arson being punished by law.
After the approval, Xiao Yuan organized the files again, put them on the table and pushed them forward: "Take it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Cao Rongchang beamed with joy, took it respectfully, and carefully put it into the cuff of his official uniform, treating it like a treasure.
With the emperor's personal instructions, he can execute these felons when he returns, behead those who should be executed, and exile them if they should be. He only needs to report the specific situation to the above.
It was now noon, and the sergeant also brought in the food at this time, because Xiao Yuan had prepared the meal before and had given instructions.
Seeing this, Cao Rongchang quickly bowed his hands and bowed deeply, saying, "I'm sorry, I'll leave."
"Hey, I guess Aiqing has never had a meal before. Since you are here, let's have a light meal in the army." Xiao Yuan said and gave instructions to the sergeant.
"I am so frightened that I dare to disturb your majesty." Cao Rongchang was flattered.
"Don't be formal, sit down." Xiao Yuan stretched out his hand towards the tables below.
Although he was frightened, none of his ministers were unhappy to be invited by the emperor to have lunch with him. Cao Rongchang felt quite honored and suppressed his excitement and said, "Yes, thank you for your grace."
After saluting, he knelt down and sat behind a few tables.
Not long after, the sergeant came back and brought some wine and food.
"In the army, you have a simple life, so I love you and you can do whatever you want."
"Your Majesty, you will punish me."
Xiao Yuan started to use his chopsticks and started chatting with him while eating.
Although the other party was just a county magistrate, Xiao Yuan still valued him very much. The dialogue with Cao Rongchang was also based on the model of a monarch and a minister, and they also discussed the current county administration and related maritime affairs in Wei County.
Most of the time during this chat, it looked like Cao Rongchang was reporting on his work. Xiao Yuan usually would not interrupt, but once he interrupted, his insights were unique and he could often hit the point with one sentence. Rongchang had a sudden enlightenment.
As far as he was concerned, he had obtained the title before and had gone through many ups and downs before being transferred to the county magistrate. There was no chance to meet Xiao Yuan. At this time, he had a deeper understanding of the emperor through the conversation between the emperor and his ministers.
After lunch, Cao Rongchang left here and happened to meet Chen Guan who was coming over in the camp. The other party naturally said hello and joked: "Hey, Magistrate Cao, it looks like your Majesty has left you to eat like this." , the grace is not shallow."
Cao Rongchang saluted: "General, don't make fun of Xiaguan. How can a small county magistrate like Xiaguan dare to expect divine grace?"
Then he added: "I am fortunate enough to be able to talk to Your Majesty, and I have benefited a lot from His Majesty's teachings and good words."
"Isn't this a sign of divine grace?" Chen Guansuan said, "Your Majesty governs a great country and makes the world stable and peaceful, not to mention the administration of counties and districts."
"What the general said is absolutely true." Cao Rongchang looked very happy with a smile on his face.
"Okay, I won't delay Magistrate Cao, please." Chen Guan clasped his fists.
"General, you're welcome." Cao Rongchang returned the salute.
The two said goodbye, and Chen Guan came to Xiao Yuan. After saluting, he said with some reluctance: "Your Majesty, are you really not going to stay for two more days?"
The founding military generals had different feelings towards Xiao Yuan. After all, they had fought under them for so many years. Although they were equally in awe, they felt more close to him than the civil servants.
"I won't stay. I have to go see other places and return to the capital as soon as possible." Xiao Yuan said and came to his side and stretched out his hand to straighten his armor.
"Your Majesty." Chen Guan's lips moved.
Xiao Yuan patted him on the shoulder: "Stop talking and guard the country's waters for me."
Chen Guan's body was shaken: "Your Majesty, please rest assured! Your Majesty, I'm totally messed up!"
After saying this, he added: "Then let me escort your Majesty back to the capital."
"No need." Xiao Yuan waved his hand: "Your duty is coastal defense, how can you leave your post without permission!"
"Yes! The general will understand!" Chen Guan said loudly.
