Minister

126【Seven years of Jiankang】

On the last day of July, Zheng Chulian, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice, received two blows in a row.First, Yang Shijie from the Metropolitan Procuratorate told him that Xu Runeng had a very strong background, and it was very likely that Zhou Wenyuan, the chief assistant of the cabinet, was appointed.After Zheng Chu was shocked all night, he was blocked by people from Dongchang early the next morning before he could go out—an unexpected thing happened!On this restless night, Xu Runeng interrogated a group of criminals who were still in the prison of the Criminal Ministry. When the people from Dongchang arrived after hearing the news, Xu Runeng was already sitting in the prison calmly waiting with the sealed case file.

When Zheng Chu knew all this, he almost passed out. After regaining consciousness, Zheng Chu also had doubts about Dongchang's unusually positive attitude.In the end, it was just a leaking case. Even if everyone in the Ministry of Rites was killed, it wouldn't be worth the busy work of the people in the court!

And Wei Chi!Why did he say and do that yesterday?Is it really just to shirk responsibility?Or did Liu Min stand behind him, and Liu Min wanted to use this to make some moves?

"Let's go to the Ministry of Criminal Justice together!" Zheng Chu made the right decision.

If Xu Ru can make this matter a big deal, then those Dongchang soldiers can't stop him!The gate of the palace will be opened in half an hour, and he cannot be given the opportunity to hand over the confession!

Zheng Chu finally arrived at the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment at the last moment. Sure enough, as he expected, the Dongchang soldiers could no longer stop Xu Runeng!

"What are you going to do?" Zheng Chu said angrily.

Xu Ru-neng's face changed, and he clenched the confession in his hands.

"None of us stamped the case. Did you try this case alone, or did we count it together?"

"I am a hand-picked interrogator, so I am naturally qualified to interrogate this case file by myself."

"You!" Xu Ru Neng threw the fan in his hand: "Stop him! Take him down!"

"Get out of the way!" Xu Ru Neng shouted loudly: "Which one of you dare?! I am a hand-picked interrogator! If you have something to do, please come to me, you have no right to take me down!"

"Master Zheng!" Wei Chi suddenly rushed into the crowd.As soon as Zheng Chu saw that it was Wei Chi, he was so angry that he was about to show him his face, but Wei Chi came up first: "Old Man Zhou Ge has arrived in person, just outside the door."

Zheng Chu breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled cheekily: "Kowtow to the old man!"

"Excuse me, excuse me, ha ha." Zhou Wenyuan asked everyone to stand up and talk.

Dongchang's bright knife was overshadowed, and he could only watch helplessly as Zhou Wenyuan came forward, took the case file, and walked out slowly.

"This?" The Dongchang eunuch pointed to Zhou Wenyuan's sedan chair that was drifting away.

"This..." Master Zheng was speechless.

When Wei Chi retreated to the corner, someone tugged at his sleeve.

Feng Shixun yawned: "Brother Shaohu, what's going on?"

"……do not know."

"Ah...here, can we go back?"

Wei Chi suddenly felt that this Feng Shixun was in his thirties, and he was an official of the fifth rank, so he could be so open-minded: "We're back, Mr. Zheng will be so angry."

Feng Shixun had no choice but to stand against the wall: "What is that Dongchang man talking about?" Feng Shixun saw the leading eunuch of Dongchang whispering to Zheng Chu.

"...He is persuading Mr. Zheng to follow him to the cabinet."

"Master Wei has really good ears..." Feng Shixun continued to yawn, calculating the distance from the Ministry of Punishment to the palace, he couldn't help frowning secretly.

Zheng Chu did not agree. He didn't think Zhou Wenyuan was more terrifying than Huang Gui. What he was afraid of was the confession. Xu Runeng's attitude fully showed that he had obtained a sharp sword, which was destined to be inserted into the opponent's chest. And Zheng Chu hoped that the sharp sword was not aimed at him.

Mr. Zheng began to talk about other things, and finally broke up with the eunuch who was the leader of Dongchang.

Wei Chi stared at them closely until all the people in the East Factory had exited the yard, and then went up: "Master Xu! Why did you go to the interrogation alone?"

Xu Ru Neng smiled coldly: "Farewell."

"This!" Feng Shixun poured out and complained: "It's really contradictory!" Xu Runeng ignored him and walked away.

Zheng Chu didn't blame Xu Runeng who had left and Shao Suyu and Lu Ning who had arrived late. Even Wei Chi couldn't stand his sudden change of attitude.

"Let's leave, everyone." Zheng Chu left after saying this.

The lobby of the Ministry of Justice was empty, but only Feng Shixun really went home.

Zheng Chu sat in Yang Shijie's study, Shao Suyu and Lu Ning ran to look for the eunuch Xiang Fang, the supervisor of etiquette, and Wei Chi was waiting for Liu Min in a hotel in the capital.Xu Ru Neng took a bath, changed into a new official uniform, and knelt on the corridor in front of the Meridian Gate.

Wei Chi waited for about an hour and a half. Liu Min entered the cubicle in casual clothes. Wei Chi hurriedly got up and gave up his seat: "Master Liu... Master Zhou has seen the emperor?"

Liu Min nodded: "The emperor burned Xu Runeng's confession in front of everyone."

"Has the emperor read it?"

"The emperor didn't look at it either."

"...This? What is this?"

"Zhou Ge was in a hurry. He thought that the evidence in his hand meant he had the chance to win. He never thought that the emperor would not buy him now. Xu Ru Neng knelt at the Meridian Gate. The emperor did not punish him, so it should be nothing."

"The emperor sent three divisions to interrogate, but allowed Zhou Ge to appoint Xu Runeng, and Dongchang took the emperor's acquiescence, but the emperor seemed to give Xu Runeng face again. What kind of answer does the emperor want?" Wei Chi Feeling confused too.

"You also know about Guo Taifu, right?"

Wei Chi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"The emperor thought that he could get a lot of money in Jiangnan this time, but something happened later. This matter was made by Ruan Guobin, the inspector of Zhejiang Province. The money was going to be blown, and the emperor was destined to be unhappy. Ruan Guobin is Lin Xiao's student, so The emperor was so willing to take action against the Ministry of Rites at the beginning, in order to capture the thief and the king, so that those who handle the case would not have any scruples about the above. But then Wu Qi came out, this person is the governor of Zhejiang, and you probably have some in the official circles of Zhejiang. As far as I heard, the greedy money every year is not too small, Ruan Guobin insisted on Wu Qi... And Wu Qi is...Guo Taifu's student. The people in Dongchang can't take it anymore, so does the Beizhen government secretary, the emperor himself I thought Mr. Zhou Ge would protect his teacher, Taifu Guo... Unexpectedly, Mr. Zhou Ge would actually want to overthrow him... Do you understand now?"

"Zhou Ge always wants to overthrow Taifu Guo?" Wei Chi couldn't believe it.

Liu Min didn't answer Wei Chi directly. The smile on his face made Wei Chi feel that the question he asked was stupid.

"The emperor still has feelings for Guo Taifu."

"What will happen to this case in the end?" Wei Chi took a breath and began to feel sad.

"Young man, stay away from this case. The farther you are from the truth, the safer you will be. This result was decided by the big shots. Neither you nor I have the ability to change it. Feng Shixun is a man who doesn't care about things. Why did the emperor send him to represent the Ministry of Rites? Shao Suyu and Lu Ning belonged to the Sanfa Department, but they were also recommended by Xiang Fang. And you, you were recommended by Huang Gui, don’t you know? The emperor thinks this matter It has returned to his control, but the reaction of Elder Zhou Ge made the emperor realize that he has made a mistake. Lin Xiao will not let himself sacrifice in vain, he will definitely actively conduct transactions. This time it is Elder Zhou Ge, next time It might be someone else. The emperor will allow himself to make a mistake once, but he will never allow it a second time, so don't be the second person, understand?"

Wei Chi sat back on the bench, staring blankly at the tea in front of him.

"The emperor wants to get his money, so that there will be new military pay. The emperor allows the sacrifice of high-ranking officials, but it cannot be Taifu Guo. This move made Dongchang and Beizhen government officials understand the bottom line and purpose of the matter. You understand too What should I do?"

Tan Shi...I don't know what to do...

Wei Chi looked out the window, the heat and boredom of summer made the streets less crowded.Liu Min stood up, patted Wei Chi on the shoulder, and left.

Saul Hahan calculated the itinerary to leave, got the letter of appointment after several revisions, completed the major event, and made a resolution.Precisely because everything is already clear, instead of being bearish and not looking forward to it, I am not angry or happy.

Sometimes I would see Alkey doing tricks for Wei Chi's affairs, and I suddenly felt a little ridiculous in my heart. If she knew that Wei Chi was just a woman, what would she think?Will you still be so enthusiastic and troublesome?

Saul Hahan was fighting against a game of twitter in the Central Plains, and Alki broke in again: "Someone wants to see you urgently!"

Someone, there is something urgent, it is Alkey's usual trick these days, in order to coax her to go out, and then lead her to a place where she can see Wei Chi.

Saul Hahan looked at Alkey with a half-smile, waiting for her to continue.

But this time Alkyi didn't talk about him: "It's true, it seems to be someone sent by King Yan."

Saul Hahan's hand couldn't help but tighten.

The one who came in was an old man in his fifties, who looked very kind and held a gift box in his hand.

"This is a painting given to the Princess by His Royal Highness King Yan." The old man kowtowed.

"Please sit down, your Monan speaks very well." Saul Hahan took the gift box from Alkyi and held it in his hands.

"Your Highness, you are welcome. The villain has lived in Monan for 20 years."

"Aren't you a servant of King Yan?"

"The villain is the chief shopkeeper of Monan Deyizhuang."

Saul Hahan was taken aback. Deyizhuang is the largest silk and tea shop in Monan, and the former Monan King had contacts with them, but Saul Hahan didn't know that there was such a general manager, nor did he know that Deyi Yizhuang has a relationship with King Yan.Thinking of Wei Chi talking about King Yan's worship, his wealth beyond ordinary people, and Qingfangchun tea house, he seemed to understand the purpose of this meeting.

The old man left without leaving his surname. At this moment, no one knows that the ups and downs and entanglements of the next 20 years will start from this meeting.

At this moment, Saul Hahan's attention has been attracted to the gift box in his hand again.

"Don't look, I won't open it." Saul Hahan smiled at Alkey, and put the gift box away calmly.

Alkey sighed: "Actually, I really don't like Mr. Wei."

"Then why are you trying so hard to help him?" Saul Hahan said with a smile.

"I want to help you, what is he doing to me?"

The smile on Saul Hahan's face froze for a moment, and he began to feel sad.

"It's the first time I saw that you liked someone so much, you even did the things you were reluctant to do before, let go of the ones you didn't want to let go, and even humbly flattered that person... I, a bystander, felt annoyed when I saw it Now that we have reached this point, does the result matter? Why don’t you speak clearly? If it were me, I would rather understand deadly, understand alive. I have done everything that needs to be done, and I can’t pass it in such a muddled way. Right? That King Yan is quite annoying, and seems to be quite scary, but...my princess, you are not really afraid of him, are you?"

"I'm not you." Saul Hahan stared at the seal of the gift box in a daze - it was just one of the lotus flowers in the room, why should I keep it in mind?How stupid it is!

"You'll be angry again if you say it, but I still have to confess," Alkey looked at Saul Hahan fearlessly: "I wrote a post about our itinerary for leaving Beijing and sent it to Master Wei's residence."

"Stupid..." Saul Hahan waved his hands impatiently: "This is a public matter, and as a Beijing official, she will not be ignorant."

"I think he should have made a special trip to see you off after receiving this post."

"Without this post, she would have made a special trip to see me off." Saul Hahan was actually worrying about this matter. It wasn't that after being chopped once, the pain caused by the second knife would disappear or weaken.

"Princess!" Alkey looked contemptuously at the beautifully packaged gift box, imagining himself fighting with King Yan: "I think he will go with you, really, as long as you tell me."

Come with me?

In fact, I never thought about it this way, how far apart we are... But as you said to me, we met and got to know each other after a blunder... It's just that I suddenly felt such a blunder It seems that we are going to be exhausted, and you and I...or me and you, we are going to be separated.

The scorching sun in the capital city did not delay his pace because it was shining on the distressed creatures. As he gradually moved westward, the officials in the Dachen Palace began to return home one after another.Not many people know about the interrogation of the three divisions today, and only a very few people know about the emperor burning the confession.But in this afternoon, all officials passing by the Meridian Gate corridor will know.

Xu Ru Neng knelt firmly on the bluestone slab. The scorching sun had already made him sweat profusely, and the wet official uniform was tightly attached to his arms.

The ministries may have misunderstood one thing—that is, Mr. Zhou Ge took advantage of Xu Runeng because he was eager to poach people. This Xu Yushi must have listened to him. .

It's a pity that Xu Runeng is not an ordinary speaker. Rather than saying that Mr. Zhou Ge used him, it is better to say that he used Mr. Zhou Ge...

The people in Dongchang first knew that Xu Ru could kneel at the Meridian Gate, but they mistakenly thought that Mr. Zhou Ge could recruit him back, but they didn't know that the people sent by Mr. Zhou Ge could affect him in the end.Time passed slowly, and the people in Dongchang began to get anxious, but it was too late to get anxious. A large number of officials had already gathered at the Meridian Gate.

When Huang Gui found out, he was sweating anxiously: "Quick! Tell Eunuch Xiang!" After thinking about it for a while, he was wrong, so he rushed into the palace himself.

Xiang Fang thought for a moment: "You can't let the Lord Long Live know about this."

"This...no one can bear this!" Huang Gui cried with a sad face.

"Go and call all the people in charge this morning, and let them persuade them! Make no mistake, go quickly! I'm here to draw up an order."

Discussions are underway here, and the situation at the Meridian Gate has quickly gotten out of control.

Xu Ru can understand that relying on his own ability alone is not enough, so when enough people gathered, he knelt on the ground and began to give a sad and indignant speech. Corruption among officials in the south of the Yangtze River is rampant, and high-ranking officials in Beijing are fighting and colluding with each other.

First name, last name.

"Now, they are so deceiving the emperor, all the officials, and the people of the world! Their hearts are to be punished! I, Xu, is just a low-rank official, and I am only speaking here in my position, planning for my government, and I am so utterly utterly utterly terrified! No hesitation. If this case cannot be made known to the world, where is the law of the country and what is the law of heaven?!"

More and more people gathered, and the students who had finished class also rushed to the gate of the palace after hearing the news, because they were blocking the gate and making noise because they couldn't get in.

The guards couldn't stand it anymore, and someone proposed to close the gate of the palace.

"What are you doing here?!" The noisy Guozijian students were suddenly startled by a familiar shout, and most of them fell silent.

Wei Chi squeezed into the crowd: "Who told you to gather here?"

Wei Chi desperately opened up a gap, trying to let Zheng Chu, Zhou Wenyuan and others in.

Unexpectedly, when the students saw Zheng Chu, they became angry and shouted for him, the minister of the Ministry of punishment, to come up with an explanation.

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control again, the lieutenant guarding the gate asked Wei Chi tremblingly: "My lord...have you closed the palace gate temporarily?"

Wei Chi took a lot of effort to drag Zheng Chu and others in. Hearing what the lieutenant said, he couldn't help but get angry: "Shut up? Shut up for what?"

The lieutenant was taken aback and quickly avoided.

Wei Chi snatched a spear from a soldier and threw it on the ground: "The forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace, how can you make such a noise?! Someone dares to come in! Just try!!"

Wei Chi is right. These students do not have access control, so it is definitely wrong to break into the palace.

The crowd loosened up a bit.

But then someone shouted: "We want an explanation!"

"Who told you that there is no explanation?" Wei Chi pointed at the leading student and yelled angrily!

"The court is magnificent, and the law is extensive. The so-called reasoning is sparse but not leaky. According to Qi Law, this case has its own judgment. Now that the emperor has handed it over to the San Judicial Division, did you tell you that there is nothing to say? !"

Wei Chi turned his head and stared fiercely at the commanding lieutenant: "What did you say just now?"

"Little one..." The lieutenant was so frightened that he was at a loss for words.

"Let your people, the whole team! Get out of the way!"

All the soldiers guarding the palace gate retreated.

"You all stand up for me!" Wei Chi pointed to the students in front of him: "Don't embarrass the Imperial College! Don't embarrass the scholars!... If you want to call for justice, you have to learn from that person!" Wei Chi pointed to the corridor and knelt down Xu Runeng, who was writing, pointed to the student in the lead: "It's the wrath of mediocrity! Shame on me!"

The students whose coats and hats were askew during the scuffle finally regained their composure slowly under Wei Chi's scolding, and the team finally consciously withdrew from the line of the forbidden door.

Only then did Wei Chi turn around and walk towards Xu Runeng.

Zhou Wenyuan and Zheng Chu had already begun to comfort him, but Xu Runeng just knelt on the ground and couldn't get up.

Feng Shixun was quite frightened by this situation, Shao Suyu and Lu Ning were also at a loss.

Wei Chi knew that he had to come over and accept everyone's questioning, condemning, and contemptuous gazes with this group of people.

Xu Ru Neng knelt firmly.

Until the eunuch who passed the decree in the palace arrived with the decree that was still wet.

The purpose is only one word.

"Xuan, Xu Ru can see you immediately!"

Xu Ru Neng didn't look up, he looked coldly at the clear traces of sweat left by his palm on the bluestone, smiled sadly, and then pressed his forehead to the cold stone slab.

"Minister! Receive the order!"