There were a lot of things to do in the spring, and after the emperor had dealt with them one by one, he called Niu Cishi and Yang Heshu who were waiting in the side hall to see them.
Man Bao and Magistrate Tang sat up straight at the same time, looking ahead with concern.
Yang Heshu followed Niu Governor in, knelt down and saluted.
The emperor sat at the top, looked at the two of them with a serious look and asked: "Xiazhou smallpox is raging, what do you two have to say?"
Niu Cishi paused. Before the Dali Temple officials came to Xiazhou in person, he wanted to seize the mistakes made by Yang Heshu and divide the blame equally with him;
But Dali Temple officials personally came to Xiazhou, saying they were investigating, but in fact they were escorting the father and son. He had a vague sense of the attitude of the capital.
I'm afraid that the Yang family is operating in the court.
In terms of connections and friendship in front of His Majesty, it is natural that the Yang family has more face, so the Governor is very quiet along the way. He can achieve the position of Governor and he will not be too stupid.
It's just that he was used to the sky being high and the emperor being far away, Xiazhou being desolate and not close to the capital, but he didn't expect to meet Yang Heshu, a man with a background and a real person.
Kneeling here at this moment, thinking of his young son who was still imprisoned in Dali Temple, he knew that there was no way to escape. Moreover, he also had some understanding of the present day, and knew that shirk responsibilities would only make him angrier.
So Niu Cishi immediately kowtowed and confessed, saying that he failed to manage the inner house and educate his son well, which led to the raging of smallpox in Xiazhou.
Master Old Tang couldn't help but snorted coldly when he heard that he was evading the important and taking the easy. He asked on behalf of the emperor: "Niu Cishi, when did Niu Kang's concubine Hu Ji invite the doctor?"
He is an expert in criminal cases. I don't bother to argue with him. I just ask the key points directly and sort out the matter. The officials sitting in the court will think for themselves.
Niu Cishi paused and couldn't answer for a while.
Mr. Old Tang snorted again, got up and walked to the hall, asking Yang Heshu, "County Magistrate Yang, tell me."
Yang Heshu replied: "The doctor I invited on September 18th."
"Then when did Hu Ji die?"
"September 20th Night."
Master Old Tang asked Niu Cishi, "Niu Cishi, when did your son have a fever and acne? Do you know this?"
Niu Cishi paused and said, "It's early on September 22nd."
"When did the doctor suspect it was smallpox?"
Niu Cishi clenched his fists in his sleeves and replied: "That day."
"After you learned what the doctor said, did you isolate your son, report it to the county government, prohibit him from contact with others, and count and restrain the people who had come into contact with him at home?"
Niu Cishi lowered his head and was silent for a moment before knocking his head on the ground, "I am guilty. I should not take chances with my young son because I pity him..."
"Niu Cishi, Niu Kang went out to Chunfeng Tower on the 23rd of September, but did not return home until noon on the 24th. He spent the whole night and half a day hanging out with others in the Chunfeng Tower. Why didn't your Niu family send someone to go there?
Find someone?"
Niu Cishi's face turned slightly pale.
The emperor was so angry that he slapped the table, and Niu Ci immediately said: "I know my mistake, please forgive me."
"The crime must be punished, but the officials must know why it was punished." Wei Zhi interjected quietly: "Your Majesty, what Yang Heshu said is true to what the Taiyuan Hospital said. After the incident, we should draw lessons from it, so that it will not happen again in the future.
We will not make such a mistake again, so that the two thousand two hundred and eighty-nine people who died will have a little value."
The emperor then looked at Mr. Old Tang and said, "Tang Qing, please continue to ask."
Mr. Old Tang responded, and continued to arrest Niu Jishu and Yang Heshu for questioning. From Niu Kang's illness, to the first time the doctor thought it was smallpox, to the doctor coming to the county government to report the matter, and then Yang Heshu's series of responses, everything happened
No matter how big or small, he asked them all.
There were other officials from the Yushitai on the side checking for leaks and filling in the gaps, and the questioning lasted for more than an hour.
In the end, neither the emperor nor the officials directly convicted the two men, but retired from the court first.
The emperor recruited Wei Zhi, and the old Tang Dynasty and other important ministers then went to the study to discuss matters. The others retreated from the court and left. Yang Heshu and Niu Prefect remained in the palace to listen to the announcement.
Man Bao walked up to Yang Heshu, gave him all the snacks she had stuffed in her purse in the morning, and whispered: "Eat some if you are hungry."
Magistrate Tang also contributed his snack to him and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty is not very angry with you. If you are lucky, the results should be available today and tomorrow."
Yang Heshu collected their things and nodded slightly, "I know, you don't have to worry."
The results did come out quickly. Man Bao had lunch in the Imperial Hospital, and after applying for leave with Imperial Physician Liu, he went to the harem to see Ming Da and Chang Yu first, and then took the two of them to see the Crown Princess and the Emperor's grandson.
Before leaving the palace, a well-informed chamberlain came to report: "Niu Cishi has been sent to the heavenly prison of Dali Temple, and Lord Yang has been reprimanded, but I heard that he may be promoted to Xiazhou Province."
In fact, the emperor is hesitating because he currently cannot find a suitable person to take over Xiazhou.
Xiazhou's vitality is now severely damaged, and it will definitely take a long time to recover. Capable officials can only be transferred from other places, and their transfer will also have an impact on other places.
He discussed with Wei Zhi and others for a long time, but in the end they couldn't find a suitable candidate. There were still too few talents.
In the end, it was Lord Tang who suggested Yang Heshu.
The emperor then said: "I heard that many local gentry in Xiazhou were killed or injured this time. Many people resented him for sealing the city and cutting off their way out. I'm afraid it would be detrimental to him if he continued to stay in Xiazhou."
Letting a person who was resented by Xiazhou serve as the governor of Xiazhou would be very detrimental to local construction and development, and the emperor was unwilling to do this.
Moreover, the emperor also heard that when the city was closed, some people took action against Yang Heshu and his wife and children in order to leave the city, so even to protect him and his family, he was inclined to transfer people away.
Yang Heshu was still young. Although he committed the following taboos this time, his actions were for the sake of justice. The emperor still trusted his personal abilities and moral character and wanted to train him.
Mr. Old Tang noticed the emperor's intention of cherishing talents, paused and said: "Your Majesty, why don't you ask Magistrate Yang."
He said: "The resentment in Xiazhou is actually easy to explain. The culprit is the Niu family. It only needs a little guidance. It is not difficult to guide public opinion on this matter. Moreover, Magistrate Yang is familiar with things in Xiazhou
, he has been acting as governor for the past four months, so I think there is no one more suitable than him."
Wei Zhi also said: "Your Majesty, why don't you ask him? If he is willing to go through this experience, his income in the future will not be less than that in the Jiangnan area. Although Xiazhou is desolate, it is under Fengzhou and is the most important place in the east, west, north and south.
The level will not compromise Yang Heshu’s talent.”
He knew that the emperor had previously wanted to transfer Yang Heshu to the south of the Yangtze River, and use his hands to take care of the tail of the various aristocratic families left in the south of the Yangtze River. The area was flooded with illicit salt and was also difficult to manage.
But Wei Zhi also felt that Yang Heshu was more suitable for Xiazhou at this time.