“My lord!”
Having arrived beside Han Mo with trepidation, Cai Yunting stammered as he saw Han Mo mingling with the miners.
“Lord Cai has arrived. Did you see the people sent to you earlier? Have you reached any agreement with them?” Han Mo asked Cai Yunting with a smile in front of nearly a thousand miners.
“My lord, you jest. Aren’t they all dead?” Cai Yunting replied, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
“Is that so? They told me the issue of rations and salaries was ordered by the Transport Commissioner. What does Lord Cai have to say?” Although Han Mo was still smiling, Jiang Yan, standing beside him, had his hand on the hilt of the Qingping Sword.
“How, how is that possible? My lord, please do not listen to slanderous remarks!” The fact that Han Mo had once been personally bestowed the Qingping Sword by the Emperor was known to everyone in court. If it were anyone else, even with the Emperor’s bestowed sword in hand, Cai Yunting would not have been so terrified. However, facing Han Mo, his heart was truly uneasy, as this young man never played by the rules. For someone accustomed to overturning tables, anyone facing him would have to be on guard…
“Lord Cai, why are you so nervous? I’m just asking casually!” Seeing his sweat-drenched appearance, Han Mo finally approached him with a smile, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and personally wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
“Lord Cai, I don’t care what you’ve done before. I’ll give you three days. After three days, I want to see all the money and grain allocated by the court for the repair of the Qingyang Iron Mine over the years!” Han Mo said in a low voice while wiping his sweat.
“My, my lord, this, this…” Hearing this, Cai Yunting’s heart became even more flustered. He had indeed embezzled this money, but he wasn’t the only one. To have to disgorge all of it now felt incredibly unfair! The Qingyang Iron Mine had received repair funds from the court more than ten times. The total amount likely exceeded nearly a million strings of cash. While he had indeed made a lot of money over the years, spitting out so much at once would be a severe blow!
“It’s alright. You have three days to think carefully about whether you want to pay this money! But I’ll say this upfront, once the three days are up, don’t blame me for not giving Lord Cai face! You know my relationship with Minister Fan is quite good, right? Tell me, what would happen if the Ministry of Revenue sent a few people down to audit your accounts?” Han Mo said, patting Cai Yunting’s shoulder with a smile. He was naturally strong, and Cai Yunting, having lived a life of luxury and indulgence over the years, had long succumbed to wine, women, wealth, and power. With a few such pats, Cai Yunting almost collapsed.
“My lord, rest assured, I, your subordinate, will return and prepare the money and grain immediately!” As Han Mo finally turned away, Cai Yunting trembled all over and quickly said.
“Very good. Lord Cai’s willingness to do so will surely please His Majesty if he knew!” Hearing this, Han Mo nodded with satisfaction.
“Guards, according to the account books, distribute all the owed money and grain!”
“Yes!”
It wasn’t until they were quite far from the Qingyang Iron Mine that Cai Yunting finally exhaled a long sigh of relief. He had known Han Mo would be difficult to deal with, but he never expected him to be so troublesome. Not only did he show no mercy, but he also played completely outside the established rules. After all, he was a Transport Commissioner, a mid-level official in the court, yet Han Mo had shown him absolutely no respect, pulling such a stunt in front of so many miners. If his own affairs weren’t so compromised, he would have truly wanted to confront Han Mo.
“My lord, you let him off so easily?” Jiang Yan asked Han Mo with some confusion after watching Cai Yunting’s carriage drive away.
“It’s not time to get rid of him yet. Let’s keep him for now. As long as he coughs up this money, if he behaves himself afterward, I’ll spare his life. If he doesn’t, dealing with him will be as simple as uttering a word!” Of course, there was another reason Han Mo didn’t state directly. Given the current official atmosphere in the Great Song Dynasty, even if he were to get rid of Cai Yunting and replace him with someone else, that person might not be much more incorruptible. Besides offending Cai Jing, the final outcome might not be much better than the present. It’s better to use what you have than to seek what you don’t. Since he held a handle on Cai Yunting, this fellow should be much more compliant for the time being.
“Should we have someone keep an eye on him?”
“No need. Let the brothers help out and distribute this money and grain as quickly as possible! Also, arrange for us to spend the night here tonight!”
“Yes!”
They worked until midnight before the money and grain for nearly a thousand miners were barely distributed. After being owed for so long, receiving it all at once gave the miners a feeling of sudden wealth.
“Has everyone received their money and grain? Is anyone’s missing?” Han Mo asked with a smile, seeing the miners reluctant to leave after receiving their dues.
“My lord, after you leave, no one will come to ask us to return these…” Since the situation had blown over, Niu Laosan stepped forward again and tentatively asked Han Mo.
“Hahahaha, old sir, what are you saying? Haven’t we told you all already? All the officials in Quanzhou City, from top to bottom, are my subordinates. Moreover, starting today, I will visit here once every month. If anything like this happens, just tell me. Whoever dares to do something as detestable as this, I’ll deal with them first!” After listening to Niu Laosan, Han Mo burst into laughter again.
“Thank you, my lord, for standing up for us!” Hearing Han Mo’s words, the miners finally felt at ease.
“Alright, since we’ve distributed the money and grain today, everyone should go home quickly. Your families are probably waiting! Tomorrow morning, I’ll be waiting for you here. The iron mine needs to be expanded, and we need to hear your opinions on how to build it!”