Chapter 659: Winning Hearts Is Paramount

Early the next morning, Right Prime Minister Zhang Yun summoned Zhang Bingguo, the Left Minister of Water Affairs, to the Central Secretariat.

The Water Affairs Bureau was the smallest among the various government agencies under the Tang Dynasty court. Originally part of the Construction Bureau, it was separated from it in the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era to become an independent institution responsible for managing mountains, lakes, bridges, canals, dikes, and reservoirs. The highest official in this bureau was called the Water Affairs Envoy, with two positions—left and right—both at the fifth rank, the lowest among all department heads.

However, in recent months, the Water Affairs Bureau had received considerable attention. When Cui Ning went to Jianghuai and Henan to improve water transport, almost half of the bureau’s officials, including the Right Minister of Water Affairs, Zhu Min, followed him there. Only a handful of five or six officials remained in the court, with Left Minister Zhang Bingguo in charge of daily affairs.

Zhang Bingguo was around forty years old this year. He had passed the imperial examinations in the second year of the Tianbao era. Tall, dark, and thin, he was part of the Wei faction in the court. As the head of the Water Affairs Bureau, he was highly regarded by Wei Tao and considered a key member of the faction. Being summoned by Zhang Yun so early made him uneasy, wondering what might be wrong. But Zhang Yun’s friendly smile and amiable attitude reassured him slightly, and he quickly replied, “If the Right Prime Minister has any task, how dare I refuse? Please give your orders.”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

Zhang Yun picked up a memorial and asked, “I received a memorial from Prime Minister Cui from Jianghuai the day before yesterday. It said that heavy rains have plagued the region since summer, causing severe flooding. I’m worried about the situation in Guanzhong. I’ve reviewed some records, and it seems that no rivers or canals in Guanzhong have been repaired since the fifth year of Tianbao. I’m not sure what the current situation is.”

Before Zhang Yun could finish, Zhang Bingguo hurriedly replied, “Indeed, many of the rivers and canals in Guanzhong are in poor condition. During heavy floods, they’re likely to burst. I’m well aware of this. I’ve submitted several petitions to Prime Minister Pei, but he always says the court lacks funds and suggests delaying the issue. Right Prime Minister, this matter really can’t be delayed any longer.”

Zhang Bingguo was telling the truth. As his duty, he knew the conditions of the rivers and canals in Guanzhong very well, and he was deeply worried. If the dikes failed and farmland was flooded, he might lose his position. As the saying goes, floods occur every three years, but there had been no floods in Guanzhong for two years. This year, there has been heavy rainfall since spring, and he was extremely concerned. If floods occurred this year, the long-maintained dikes would surely break, flooding the farmland. For this reason, he had raised the issue with Pei Zunqing, the then Right Prime Minister, since the beginning of the year, but Pei Zunqing kept delaying it on the grounds of tight court finances. It was rare that Zhang Yun brought up the matter on his own, so how could he miss this opportunity?

Zhang Yun pondered for a moment before saying, “It’s true that the court’s finances are tight. An Lushan’s rebellion and the large-scale migration from Hebei have cost a huge amount of money, leaving the treasury quite empty. However, the resettlement of the migrants is now complete, and a batch of tax revenue has recently arrived from Anxi, improving the situation significantly. That’s why I consider allocating 500,000 guan to repair the rivers and canals in Guanzhong…”

Zhang Bingguo was overjoyed and quickly bowed deeply. “Thank you, Right Prime Minister, for your attention!”

Zhang Yun waved his hand to stop him. “Let me finish speaking.”

Zhang Bingguo quickly fell silent. Then Zhang Yun smiled and said, “It’s not easy to get that miser Liu Yan to contribute money. So I plan to take him for an on-site inspection today. Li Gan, the governor of Jingzhao, will also go. I want to ask you—which section of the dikes is in the worst condition?”

The most damaged section of the canals was the Shengyuan Canal in Qizhou, followed by the Zhongbai Canal. Zhang Bingguo originally wanted to mention the Shengyuan Canal, but since Li Gan, the governor of Jingzhao, was also going, he didn’t want to mention Qizhou and instead said, “Reporting to the Prime Minister, the Zhongbai Canal area is in more serious condition.”

Zhang Yun nodded. “Alright! We’ll go to the Zhongbai Canal. Assistant Minister Zhang, you may go back and prepare more materials. We’ll set off this afternoon.”

Zhang Bingguo hesitated. “Must… I go too?”

“Do you have any other duties?”

Zhang Yun looked at him strangely, implying that if the Right Prime Minister was inspecting the canals, how could the Assistant Minister not accompany him?

Zhang Bingguo felt a chill in his heart. “I understand. I’ll go prepare right away.”

Zhang Bingguo turned and left. Zhang Yun stroked his beard and watched his retreating figure with a cold smile.

……

In the afternoon, Right Prime Minister Zhang Yun, along with Liu Yan, the Deputy Minister of Revenue, Zhang Bingguo, the Assistant Minister of Water Affairs, and nearly a hundred officials and guards, along with Governor Li Gan of Jingzhao, arrived in Gaoling County. Wu, the county magistrate of Gaoling County, had already received the news and came to greet them from afar along with the county officials.

“Your humble servant, Wu Feng, the county magistrate of Gaoling County, pays his respects to the Prime Minister!”

Zhang Yun said with a smile in the carriage, “We’re here to inspect the rivers and canals. We might not be able to return tonight. Could you please arrange accommodation and meals for us, something simple will do.”
“I understand. I’ll take care of that. Shall the Prime Minister and the other officials rest at the county office for now?”
Zhang Yun glanced at Liu Yan and asked, “What do you think, Vice Minister Liu?”
Liu Yan knew well that bringing him here for an inspection was merely to extract money. But as a serious person, he wouldn’t go through the motions. Looking at the sky, he said, “It’s still early. Let’s make use of the time to inspect the river dikes. If possible, I’d like to return to Chang’an overnight. The tax reports from the south must be submitted early tomorrow morning, and I need to verify them.”
“Hehe! Vice Minister Liu truly is the busiest person in the court! I’d like to return overnight too, but my health doesn’t allow it. I’ll have to stay for the night.”
Zhang Yun smiled and then asked Li Gan, the governor of Jingzhao, “What do you think, Governor Li?”
Li Gan bowed and said, “I also recommend starting the inspection immediately. However, I can stay to accompany the Prime Minister.”
Zhang Yun glanced at Zhang Bingguo. “What about you, Left Minister Zhang?”
Zhang Bingguo had been traveling all the way and felt somewhat uneasy. Generally, river dike repairs were proposed by each county, reported to the prefecture, and from Chang’an’s counties, it went to Jingzhao Prefecture. After approval by the prefecture or the governor, it was submitted to the Ministry of Works. The Water Affairs Department within the Ministry would consolidate and approve the requests from various counties, then forward them to the Imperial Water Management Agency to draft specific plans and costs. Finally, it was submitted to the Prime Minister for approval. If the cost exceeded a certain limit, it had to be reported to the emperor as well. Then, officials from the Imperial Water Management Agency would work together with the local authorities to organize laborers for the construction.
In this process, the Ministry of Works played a crucial role as the approval authority. Normally, when the Prime Minister came for an inspection, even if the Minister of Works was absent, the Vice Minister must accompany him. Yet here, there was no sign of Vice Minister Li Kaifu; only a mid-level official from the Water Affairs Department was present. The level of accompaniment was unequal. To put it bluntly, this was a display of disregard for the Prime Minister’s authority, a serious taboo in the bureaucracy.
Zhang Bingguo didn’t understand why Li Kaifu wasn’t accompanying them today, but he didn’t dare ask too much. He felt something was off, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.
When Zhang Yun asked him, he bowed and said, “I’ll follow the Prime Minister!”
Zhang Yun nodded, stroked his beard, and smiled, “Very well! Let’s not rush to the county office. We’ll start inspecting the river dikes right now.”
Everyone turned their horses and headed toward the Zhongbai Canal. The governor of Wu County, who was well-versed in the area, gave a detailed explanation of the current state of the river dikes.

“The Zhongbai Canal has not been repaired for sixteen years since its last maintenance in the first year of the Tianbao era; now it’s no different from an ordinary river…”
Introduced by the magistrate of Wu County, everyone saw dense wild grasses on both banks of the river and willow trees providing shade. A bridge built at the beginning of the Kaiyuan era was in very poor condition, with no signs of man-made embankments at all.
The magistrate led everyone a short distance further to a section of the canal. Pointing to a section showing signs of embankment failure, he said, “Please look here. This section is the most damaged. The embankment collapsed during the heavy rains a month ago, flooding dozens of acres of fertile land. I led the locals to temporarily block the gap with sandbags filled with soil. What worries me most now is heavy rain—if it pours heavily, not only will the embankment collapse, but the river water will also overflow everywhere, flooding thousands of acres of farmland along the river.”
Everyone stopped in their tracks. This section of the embankment was located on higher ground, already above the vast fields outside it. Seeing the endless fields of golden wheat as the harvest season approached, everyone felt heavy-hearted. If heavy rain struck, this embankment would surely collapse, flooding those fertile lands.
Zhang Yun sighed and said, “It’s indeed time to carry out proper repairs. We shouldn’t delay any longer. Once I return, I’ll hold a meeting in the government hall to finalize this matter and start work as soon as possible.”
He then said to Liu Yan, “I hope the funds from the Ministry of Revenue can be allocated promptly so as not to delay the project.”
Liu Yan nodded. “I understand. I’ll allocate the funds right away!”
Seeing that it was getting late, Li Gan said with a smile, “It’s still some distance from the county town. If we don’t go back now, it will be dark.”
Zhang Yun smiled slightly. “Then let’s stop here for today. Everyone, return to the county government office first!”
The group turned their horses and followed the magistrate of Wu County back to Gaoling County town. By the time they arrived, it was already dark. They had a simple dinner at the county government office. Liu Yan had matters to attend to the next day, so he rushed back to Chang’an that very night, while the others stayed in Gaoling County for the night.
Since the inns were in poor condition, Zhang Yun stayed at a local family’s home in Gaoling County, while the other officials stayed at the inns. That night, Zhang Yun specifically called Zhang Bingguo over to discuss the details of repairing the embankment.
Led by a guard, Zhang Bingguo arrived at Zhang Yun’s family’s residence in the east part of the city, while the inn was in the west. The distance between the two places was quite far. It took a quarter of an hour for the carriage to reach a large house. The area in front of the house was rather deserted, with no gatekeepers. The house itself seemed old and lacked a sign, giving an eerie impression, as if no one lived there.

With a creak, the guard pushed open the heavy door and led Zhang Bingguo inside. With a loud thud, the door closed behind them. Once inside, the sense of abandonment grew even stronger—everything was pitch black; there were no lights in any of the rooms, and it seemed utterly uninhabited, the silence being somewhat frightening.

Zhang Bingguo could no longer hold back and asked, “Is Prime Minister Zhang living here?”
“Prime Minister Zhang resides in the back house. This is a guest house, usually uninhabited. We entered through the side door just now. Please follow me!”
The guard replied coldly and led Zhang Bingguo into a courtyard. He pointed to a room with lights on ahead and said, “That’s the prime minister’s temporary study. Please, Mr. Zhang.”

Zhang Bingguo glanced back and saw four burly men with their arms crossed, blocking the main door. He couldn’t recall seeing them along the way this afternoon. His suspicions grew even more. He went to the door and announced, “I, Zhang Bingguo, seek an audience with the prime minister!”
“Come in!”
The voice was deep, not like Zhang Yun’s. He slowly pushed the door open and was shocked to find it was actually an iron door. Just as he tried to step back, the guard pushed him inside, and with a bang, the iron door closed tightly.

The room was blindingly bright. Zhang Bingguo covered his eyes with his hand. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized it was a stone room—plain, unadorned bluestone, completely empty. Along the walls stood a dozen burly men, all bare-chested with thick faces. In the center stood an iron pillar, with chains on either side. There was an empty table and chair nearby, but no one sat on it. Filled with fear, he took a step back.

At that moment, someone stepped out from the inner room and said with a smile, “Welcome, Mr. Zhang, to the Gaoling Intelligence Hall.”
“The Intelligence Hall?”
Zhang Bingguo trembled. He recognized the man—Hu Peiyun, the head of the Intelligence Hall.
“What… do you want to do?”
Zhang Bingguo wanted to shout loudly, but his voice trembled, showing his cowardice. He guessed it was likely related to the Rui Zhao case, but as the chief official of the imperial water supervision agency, he had his pride as a high-ranking official.

Hu Peiyun sat down, opened a file on the table, and said calmly, “I understand Mr. Zhang’s feelings, but if many things aren’t clarified, it will be difficult for us to let you go, and it will also be hard for me to report to my superiors.”

Hu Peiyun’s superior was Li Qing’an. Had Li Qing’an discovered something? Zhang Bingguo grew even more panicked, his voice trembling as he said, “I don’t understand… What do you mean? What do you want me to say?”
“Very well! I’ll ask a few questions. Please answer truthfully, Left Envoy Zhang.”
“Wait!”
Zhang Bingguo stretched out his hand as if to stop Hu Peiyun from approaching, shouting urgently, “I am a high-ranking official appointed by the imperial court, the Left Envoy of the Water Resources Bureau! Unless there’s an impeachment by the Censorate or a decision from the Council of State, you have no right to interrogate me!”
“Who said I’m interrogating you? I’m just asking you a few questions. It’s up to you to decide whether to answer.”
Hu Peiyun sneered, took out a red-bound book from the files, flipped through a few pages, and asked, “At the first moment of the hour of Hai last night, Qi Xun went to your residence and stayed there for half an hour. Afterward, you sent him away. At the door, you even said, ‘Please rest assured, Chief Qi—I will definitely complete the task you assigned.’ I have two questions: First, what’s your relationship with Qi Xun, and why do you call him Chief Qi? Second, what task did he assign to you?”
Hu Peiyun’s tone was calm, but his words struck Zhang Bingguo like a hammer to the chest. His mind went blank in an instant. Did they already know everything?
His legs turned weak, and he was speechless, unable to utter a word. Hu Peiyun wasn’t in a hurry; he simply watched him coldly. He had to admire his master’s tactics. Yesterday, his master had said it was inconvenient to arrest and interrogate people in the capital. Today, Zhang Yun had brought Zhang Bingguo to Gaoling County under the pretext of inspecting the rivers and canals, all without anyone noticing. By the time he returned tomorrow, no one would suspect that Zhang Bingguo had already been interrogated.
In fact, according to Hu Peiyun’s plan, there was no need to deal with Zhang Bingguo at all. They could directly arrest Qi Xun and capture all of Southern Tang’s spies. All the officials colluding with Southern Tang could be brought to confess through Qi Xun, so there was no need to go through the trouble of Zhang Bingguo. But Li Qing’an had said just one thing: this Zhang Bingguo was an excellent bait. Hu Peiyun suddenly realized how clever Li Qing’an’s strategy was.
Seeing the despair in Zhang Bingguo’s eyes, Hu Peiyun smiled coldly again and said, “What, are my questions too difficult to answer? Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten, Left Envoy Zhang.”

Zhang Bingguo gradually regained his composure. Wiping the large beads of sweat from his forehead, he said that there had been no written communication between him and Qi Xun. Believing that the Intelligence Bureau had no evidence, he forced himself to say, “Qi Xun used to be the deputy head of the Imperial Court’s Judicial Department. He and I were classmates who graduated together and were close friends. Although he defected to Southern Tang, that was his personal matter and had nothing to do with me. This time he came to Chang’an to handle matters related to his old house and land, and took the opportunity to visit me. What’s wrong with old friends reuniting?”
“Hmph! Did he really come to handle those matters?”
“Yes, that’s what he told me. As for whether he has other purposes for coming to Chang’an, I don’t know. I’ve always called him by his old title. I agreed to help him find a buyer for his old house, so of course I’ll see to it for him. What’s the problem with that?”
Hu Peiyun couldn’t help but applaud. “What a smooth talker! He shoves all the blame onto others. Alright! Let’s put this matter aside for now.”
After saying that, he took out an official document and showed it to Zhang Bingguo, saying, “This is the order you issued five days ago to dispatch boats from the Water Management Bureau to the Zhongbai Canal, signed by you. The boats stayed there overnight, and the next day, a white jade stele appeared beside the Xianling Mausoleum. Explain this to me.”
Zhang Bingguo became even more terrified. He had seen this order this morning—how did it end up in Hu Peiyun’s hands so quickly? Though scared, he had no way back now, so he gritted his teeth and said, “Sending boats was obviously to investigate the canal’s water management. Isn’t that why we’re here today? It’s because the investigation revealed a risk of dam failure in the Zhongbai Canal, so…”
“Nonsense!”
Hu Peiyun slammed the table angrily and pointed at him, shouting, “Do you think I’m an idiot? You have seven officials and fifty-four workers in the Water Management Bureau. Who did you send to inspect the canal? Tell me, and I’ll bring him here right away for a confrontation. Don’t tell me you went yourself—after all, you went to a colleague’s wedding that afternoon. Do you think I didn’t find out? The boat supervisor has already confessed. You gave the boat to a man named Luo Si, and there were white jade fragments on the boat, identical to those on the white jade stele. How do you explain that?”
If Zhang Bingguo had persisted, he could have claimed he lent the boat to Qi Xun privately and had no idea what Qi Xun did with it. In that case, his crime would at most be misusing an official boat, punishable by a half-year salary cut.
But Zhang Bingguo was after all a scholar lacking strong mental resilience, and with guilt weighing on him, he finally collapsed. He knelt on the ground, sobbing, and said, “I confess! I was blinded by greed and took bribes from Qi Xun, lending him the boat privately. I am guilty!”

“Do you know what Qi Xun is using the boat for?”
“I… I know!”
Hu Peiyun walked up to him with his hands behind his back. “Hmm! You’re at least trying to make amends and seem honest. Actually, Qi Xun has confessed that not only did you lend him the white jade stele, but you were also involved in the thousand-year turtle incident. Right?”
Zhang Bingguo nodded. “Yes. I suggested placing the turtle in Gaoling County.”
“Very good! Are you willing to atone for your sins?”
“I… I am!”
Hu Peiyun leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhang Bingguo’s eyes widened instantly, and he broke into a cold sweat from fear. “I… I can’t do this. I dare not!”
“Zhang Zuo Shi!”
Hu Peiyun’s expression darkened as he stretched out his voice. “Colluding with the Southern Tang Dynasty—even the slightest offense results in dismissal from office and exile of the entire family to Lingnan. Your son is only ten, your wife is not in good health, and your mother is already 73. Can you really bear to see them suffer in such a place? As the saying goes, at 73, one is at the threshold of death. Do you think your mother, after all the hardships, could survive in that malarial land of Lingnan? Think carefully!”
Zhang Bingguo was a filial son and a competent official. But due to his poor family conditions, he couldn’t resist Qi Xun’s favors and bribes. He took 2,000 taels of silver, planning to use it to arrange his mother’s funeral later, and thus committed a foolish mistake. Now that his weakness had been exposed, he wavered and remained silent.
Seeing that he had been persuaded to some extent, Hu Peiyun continued to pressure him. “Zhang Zuo Shi, don’t forget that a few years ago, the court failed to pay your salary for several years. Your family even sold their farmland, and they lived on porridge and vegetables. In such cold weather, your wife still went to wash clothes to make ends meet, which led to her illness. Who was it that provided you with 30 taels of silver each month to help your family get through that winter? It was Anxi, His Royal Highness the Prince of Zhao. Yet instead of being grateful, you even deliberately slander him and damage his reputation. Zhang Zuo Shi, one must have a conscience. If your mother knew you repaid kindness with hostility, could she bear such a blow?”
“Stop… talking!”
Zhang Bingguo collapsed to the ground, crying bitterly. “I admit my guilt! I’m willing to atone. I’m willing…”
“Very good! Very good!”

Hu Peiyun helped him up, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, “Actually, Prince Zhao doesn’t want to arrest you in Chang’an; he just wants to give you a chance. He says Zhang Zuo Shi is an honest official who is also skilled in water management—a rare and good official. If you admit your mistakes and are willing to change, he plans to send you to the Jiangnan region as the governor in charge of water affairs. If you perform well, you’ll be promoted to the governor of Yangzhou. Prince Zhao knows how to use people well—your future is much brighter than staying with that Minister Wei. Don’t you think so?”
Zhang Bingguo wiped the tears from his face and nodded firmly. “Please convey to Prince Zhao that no matter what he asks me to do, I am willing to serve him!”