Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 158 Lin Shiyue

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The next day, Liu Ye took the two account books given to him by Li Fu to see Mu Tianyan. Although the purpose of dealing with Gao Shunqin was to eliminate a potential political rival for the Qiongzhou Camp, it was also to curry favor with Mu Tianyan. Before doing this, he naturally had to curry favor with the governor and deepen their "revolutionary friendship." Moreover, eliminating a censor was no small matter in the entire Guangdong officialdom; a powerful figure had to stand up for him.

Arriving at the governor's office, Liu Ye recalled yesterday's blunder and felt a little embarrassed. He wondered if he would run into the young lady who called him "the lecher" today.

Because the governor had personally entertained him the day before, everyone in the governor's office knew that the newly appointed Qiongzhou military commander was highly regarded by the governor. So after he introduced himself, he was quickly allowed to pass and someone led him to the backyard.

In the study room.

Mu Tianyan picked up the two account books, feeling their weight in his hands. He hesitated, "I do want to squeeze Gao Shunqin out of the Guangdong officialdom, but, Zhiwen, these things of yours could kill him if you just show them..."

After being given a courtesy name, this was the first time Liu Ye had seriously heard his own courtesy name. He was stunned for a few seconds before reacting. He asked, "What's wrong? The governor can't bring himself to do it?"

Mu Tianyan shook her head: "It's not a matter of whether I can bring myself to do it. In officialdom, although the struggles are fierce, unless it's a matter of life and death, people usually won't take the lives of their political enemies. It's always better to leave a way out so that we can meet again in the future. If I were to kill Gao Shunqin with a single blow and not even spare his family, people would say that I have no tolerance for others, and my reputation in the court would probably not be good..."

Liu Ye understood. It turned out that the governor valued his reputation and wanted to maintain a good image. The problem was, if the governor didn't intervene, and he, a military officer, pushed for this, even if it succeeded, it would be breaking the rules. A mere brigade commander could easily kill an imperial inspector, which would likely make him a thorn in the side of all the civil officials—not the outcome he wanted.

Liu Ye thought for a moment and then tried to persuade him from a different angle: "Your Excellency, why don't you put yourself in Gao Shunqin's shoes? If you were in Gao Shunqin's shoes, and he had something on you that could kill you, would he let the opportunity pass?"

"This..." Mu Tianyan thought for a moment, then felt a chill run down her spine. Censors climbed their way up by stepping on the corpses of other officials. Given Gao Shunqin's personality, he would definitely not let her off the hook and would absolutely take advantage of her weakness to finish her off. Although she considered herself to be quite cautious and unlikely to give anyone any major leverage, no one could guarantee that she wouldn't get her feet wet if she stood by the river for too long.

Seeing the change in his expression, Liu Ye knew he was tempted, and pressed his advantage: "Governor, think it over again: You just took office and you've already uncovered a major case of treason involving collusion with bandits. Isn't that a remarkable achievement? It concerns the fate of the Ming Dynasty. In the face of such a crucial matter, who would sympathize with an official who colludes with bandits?"

With that said, Mu Tianyan overcame his mental hurdle. He smiled and pointed at Liu Ye: "Zhiwen, you're really good with words. You convinced me in just a few words. I really can't think of any reason to stand idly by."