The sun was setting, the afterglow was like weaving, and a huge official ship was docked at the pier.
Clean water was sprinkled on the ground, loess paved the road, and the ceremonial guards in the hands of the guards were raised higher.
There was a commotion, and after a long while, the people waiting finally saw the figure.
Under the probing eyes of the officials of the Third Division, the imperial envoy on the official ship finally stepped off the ship.
There were dozens of people in the group, headed by the three people in the lead.
However, it was beyond the expectations of many officials from the Third Division.
Those who disembarked with the imperial envoy, in addition to subordinate officers, eunuchs and others, were actually a group of battalion guards armed with swords and armor!
They filed out of the boat and occupied the entire pier in the blink of an eye!
The officials of the three divisions were approaching to greet him. Seeing this situation, they couldn't help but change their expressions.
Many of the officials waiting here have experience in the central government. Those with sharp eyes can tell just by looking at their clothes that they are from the Fifth Military Camp of the Beijing Camp!
Why did you bring the Jingying camp here too!?
They are here to greet you. What are they doing?
The waiting government officials and guards were pushed out of sight in an instant, and were replaced by a camp guard with a name like a wolf and a tiger.
The three division chiefs looked at each other and saw a hint of uneasiness in their eyes.
Chen Rui suppressed the fear in his heart and took a step forward.
He bowed first and said, "Your Majesty, may I respectfully send you your holy greetings?"
The imperial envoy represents the emperor, and the first courtesy upon meeting him is naturally indispensable - asking the emperor if he is in good health is a rare way for local officials to fulfill their filial piety.
"Your Majesty, do you respectfully send your greetings?" Zhan En, the commanding officer, and Du Si, the inspecting envoy, were a little slower, and the rest of the officials followed closely behind.
They all knelt down to say hello.
"Sacred peace."
It was Zongzheng Wu Jinghe who answered.
As the consort, he is also the person who best represents the emperor among the imperial envoys.
Zhan En felt somewhat relieved when he saw that the consort's attitude was quite friendly.
After some courtesy, he hesitantly looked at the soldiers surrounding him and asked carefully: "Angel, is this...?"
Is this an investigation or a counterinsurgency?
Come up with this posture!
Wu Jinghe did not answer, but looked at Hai Rui beside him.
The latter understood and took a step forward.
Hai Rui walked up to the three officers of the Third Division and ordered in a cold voice without looking away: "Kill the three of them off!"
His face was serious, his voice was cold, and a chill came to his face!
Zhan En looked shocked and hurriedly said: "Angel!"
Du Si also looked at Hai Rui in disbelief: "Hai Yushi! What crime have I committed!?"
Only Chen Rui, as the governor of a province, was guilty of the burning of imperial envoys in his territory, so he was naturally prepared for it.
At this time, he just gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly, without any unnecessary expression.
Seeing that Hai Rui didn't speak again, Jin Yiwei immediately stepped forward and took off the three officials' gauze.
Du Siyou was dissatisfied and subconsciously wanted to shake off Jin Yiwei, but the two of them raised their arms and roughly slapped the black gauze hat off, revealing his disheveled hair.
When Chen Rui and Zhan En saw this, they also understood what it meant to humiliate themselves. They immediately took off their black gauze hats and knelt down to apologize.
When the officials from the three divisions saw this, they all took two steps back, looking shocked and confused.
Hai Rui met Du Si's red eyes and asked with an expressionless face: "Do you dissatisfy Du's inspection?"
Du Si raised his neck and said nothing.
Hai Rui no longer looked at him, but instead faced the officials from the Third Division, scanning them one by one. The atmosphere on the dock became more and more restless.
He slowly opened his mouth and said: "It's a good question from Inspector Du, what is his crime?"
"I was about to ask a question on behalf of Your Majesty, the chief envoys, the envoys, the envoys, and all the envoys in command..."
He faced north and spoke word by word.
"I have handed over the running of the province, the military, political and criminal prisons to you, but yet such a heinous case occurred in Huguang!"
At this point, his tone was filled with a chill: "Do you know your guilt?"
As soon as the words fell.
Dozens of officials from the Third Division immediately fell to their knees as if a switch was pressed!
The darkness was overwhelming, and they all said in unison: "I will admit my guilt!"
Hai Rui glanced at everyone, and of course he understood that not all of them were involved in the Zhang Chucheng case.
Not all of the three officers who had their veils removed by him were guilty.
However, when you go down to the local area to do things, whether it is straight to the point or knocking on the mountain to shock the tiger, this power cannot be established.
As for offending people?
Now that he is a lonely minister and has the emperor's full trust, how can he care about whether he will offend others!
Hai Rui did not let the officials stand up, but just signaled to the eunuch Sun Long to announce the decree.
Sun Long quickly stepped forward and asked someone to carry the incense case.
Then he unfolded the imperial edict and read it carefully: "I have been living in a deep palace for a long time. I have little knowledge and know nothing about the suffering of the world. I sit in the ninth level, the sky is high and the sky is far away, so I have no idea of ​​the real situation in the sea."
"Specially appointed as governor, on patrol, traveling around the province, inspecting the people's problems, filling my eyes and ears, and making up for my deficiencies."
"However, I heard that there are thieves in Huguang and they are committing treasonous acts. I dare to drive the bandits to attack the county and burn the imperial envoys! They are rampant and rebellious and act unscrupulously!"
"Wouldn't it destroy my wings and block my hearing?"
"What is the difference between using swords on an imperial envoy and using them on me? Is it tolerable or intolerable!?"
"I have specially ordered the head of the clan to serve Wu Jinghe, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, Zhu Xizhong, and the censor of the capital, Shi Hairui, to be in court with Li Zhongli, patrolling Huguang, and thoroughly investigate the case!"
“When traveling within the province, it’s easy to do things!”
Sun Long finished reading this imperial edict in one breath and stood back silently.
Outside the pier, there are many camp guards, full of murderous intent.
Everyone surrounded by camp guards fell to their knees, sweating profusely.
Which one is intolerable? It's really such a strong wording.
If this is a serious crime of treason, Gua Man will be implicated!
Especially the imperial envoy and his entourage, the imperial censor, Gai Shizhong, honorable ministers, clan members, etc., their identities can be said to be comprehensively covered.
It is almost a naked declaration - no matter who is involved in this case, they are among the Five Elements, and no one can escape.
We have already reached this point, how can we end it without killing everyone!?
The officials of the three divisions who knelt down to listen to the order were all frightened and at a loss.
Even some officials involved could not help but tremble.
At this moment, Chen Rui suddenly stood up and said hurriedly: "Angel! This matter was done by Lieutenant Zhu Yingyan of the Yueyang Palace!"
"I, the governor Zhao Xian, the censor Shu Ao, and the commander Zhan En personally investigated the case! All the witnesses and material evidence are there, there is no mistake!"
"If you tell the angel that you know about it, please ask Your Majesty to calm down."
He couldn't help but not panic.
The emperor's attitude was much more violent than he imagined!
The imperial envoy's regulations are more exaggerated than expected!
How could this be?
Hai Rui stared at Chen Rui quietly, waiting for him to finish.
Then he suddenly said: "Does the feudal lord think that Zhu Yingyan is the mastermind or an accomplice?"
He didn't even bother to ask how the person died.
The key to the problem is whether the matter should end here.
When Chen Rui was choked by these words, Zhan En immediately said: "Angel, according to the prisoner's confession, it may be related to Governor Zhao Xian!"
At this time, he no longer needed to take care of Zhao Xian, so he simply took it out and put it on top.
Hai Rui ignored him, just nodded and ignored the matter.
Instead, he looked at Inspector Du Si and said, "Inspector Du, last year, Lieutenant Zhu Yingyan of the Royal Palace of Yueyang gathered a crowd to rob and kill people. Do you know?"
Du Si's expression did not change.
He pretended to think about it for a while and said in confusion: "Is this happening?"
Hai Rui stared at Du Si for a long time, then nodded slowly: "The Yuezhou Prefecture reported the case to the Inspectorate, and you were the Deputy Inspector at that time."
He paused and added: "According to what Sun Yizheng confessed, you went to negotiate with him and gave him eight hundred taels of silver, and then the two of you worked together to suppress the matter."
Du Si finally couldn't hold it in any longer and his expression changed slightly.
He keenly grasped the key word - confess!?
Sun Yizheng, Xiao Jiuqing, was imprisoned like this?
Du Si was thinking a lot and was thinking of ways to do it.
Hai Rui no longer needed to watch his performance. He waved his sleeves and commanded in a deep voice: "Arrest and jail him!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the two Jinyi guards roared and rushed towards Du Si.
Chen Rui and Zhan En were trembling with fear and did not dare to express their anger.
This scene naturally fell outside the dock, in the eyes of the people watching.
Many people clapped their hands and applauded - nothing could be heard, but no matter what the reason, when a high-ranking official is dismissed, it is always something worthy of applause.
Not to mention anything else, there is enough resentment just because Huguang has been flooded for days and various government offices have done nothing.
Not to mention the oppression they have suffered and the accumulated dissatisfaction.
Of course, in addition to the common people, there were also people who wanted to find out the true nature of the imperial mission.
They stood in twos and threes among the crowd, occasionally exchanging glances, then left and returned home to report.
Spying is inevitable.
The moment when the imperial envoy entered the city touched the heartstrings of many people.
Each government sent people out to inquire about the news, trying to see how big the storm was.
In addition to the close-up views, there are naturally no shortage of distant views.
Zhu Changwen specially chose a private room in a restaurant that was not far away and could overlook the dock. He leaned quietly by the window and peered out.
Through the window, he stared straight at the imperial envoy and Huguang officials meeting each other on the pier, refusing to miss the slightest movement.
After a while, the imperial envoy team was seen leaving the dock surrounded by officials from the three divisions.
Just at this moment, the private room door behind him was knocked three times, and then there was the sound of being pushed open.
Zhu Changwen didn't look back, still staring in the direction of the pier.
When the imperial envoy and his entourage boarded the carriage and saw no more movement, he frowned and asked, "What happened on the dock just now?"
He was far away and couldn't see clearly. He could only see some vague commotion.
Dian Bo, the man who had just entered the house, replied respectfully: "General Fu Guo, the chiefs of the three divisions were all picked off by the imperial envoy, and among them, Du Si, the inspector, was directly arrested by Hai Rui."
Naturally, there are officials in the palace, such as the Dianbook, which is the ninth-grade official body.
Zhu Changwen opened the window slightly and looked at the pier, where another decree was announced.
I don't know what he said, but as soon as Xu Xuemo stepped forward to receive the order, he replaced Chen Rui and stood at the head of the Chief Secretary.
Dianbo also saw this scene and guessed: "This should be a sign of appeasement after establishing power, in order to drive up and down the Huguang officials."
"Xu Xuemo is Zhang Juzheng's man. If nothing goes wrong, he should take over as chief envoy now."
From a fourth-grade deputy inspector to a second-grade official, it turns out that you still have to follow the right person.
Zhu Changwen was not an official, so he didn't have so many emotions. He just stared at the dock with a solemn expression and murmured: "Zong Zheng is here too."
Although the prince-in-law of this dynasty has never had much power, at this juncture, the meaning of sending Zongzheng Wu Jinghe here is self-evident.
This is really beyond good!
Zhu Changwen snorted in disgust.
In a matter of fact, just a chief envoy, if he dies, he will die, but he actually caused such a big fight!
Is there such a shortage of civil servants in the world? I don’t know how many Taizu killed at that time!
Besides, the Yueyang Palace has not given enough explanation!
Do you have to get to the bottom of it?
Even the soldiers were sent, who was this for?
Dianbo didn't know what his host was thinking, so he explained from the side: "This time, Wu Jinghe is nominally the leader, but..."
"In the end, Hai Rui should be the leader, Li Zaiting is in charge, Wu Jinghe and Zhu Xizhong, in the final analysis, they are all here to suppress us."
When patrolling the place with the civil servants, there are no clan members or nobles who can supervise others.
Zhu Changwen was startled and looked at it carefully again.
After a while, he turned around in confusion and said, "Zhu Xizhong? Why didn't you see him getting off the boat?"
If we really talk about it, the most powerful person in this group is the dying Duke Cheng Guo.
That sick tiger is, after all, the leader of the Jinyi Guard.
It is also because he is restrained enough and has always been kind to others. Otherwise, if he really wanted to become arrogant, even the powerful Lu Bing might not be as powerful as this one.
It is common for clan members to beat up governors, but no one has dared to go to Jinyiwei Qianhu Station to cause trouble.
It is impossible not to pay attention to the whereabouts of such a person.
Dianbo shook his head: "I only said that there was Duke Cheng Guo on this trip, but I didn't see him."
Zhu Changwen frowned.
Or is he already dying and unable to get off the ship, so why not show up at all?
Or, is it deliberately elusive?
But, no matter what, he already had a premonition that the turmoil turbulent in Huguang might not end easily.
Seeing the imperial envoy team slowly leaving the pier and passing through the street below the restaurant, Zhu Changwen closed the window.
He looked at Dianbu: "Zhou Changshi hasn't come back yet?"
Recently, the tempers of the princes in the palace have been explosive. Dian Bo had to be careful when replying: "General Fu Guo, just be patient and wait."
"The situation in the Chu Palace is complicated, and it is not easy to see the concubine."
Zhu Changwen sighed impatiently: "It's also a special time now. I can't show up at the Chu Palace easily, otherwise I will go there myself."
After saying this, he also regretted his actions that day.
When Zhang Chucheng was investigating the minting of copper coins in Changsha, he had a slight conflict with him.
Having been humiliated, one naturally feels depressed.
It happened that Zhu Yingyan came to the door afterwards and said that he wanted to kill Zhang Chucheng's vigor and asked him to help him.
Naturally, he was happy to see the success and casually helped.
result!
Who knew that idiot Zhu Yingyan was so deadly?
He actually did something stupid like that!
He was so worried that now, good or bad has not been found out about him.
But when the imperial envoy was about to arrive, he could only lower his body, beg his father for help, and wipe his butt clean.
Zhu Changwen sat back on the chair a little tiredly.
At this moment, the door was knocked again.
An elegant man wearing a long gown pushed open the door and entered.
"General of the auxiliary country." He took the lead in saluting.
Zhu Changwen immediately stood up and returned the greeting: "Zhou Changshi, what's the matter? What did the concubine say?"
Changshi is a fifth-grade official position. The core of the royal family, even the clan, must not lose its etiquette.
Zhou Changshi shook his head: "I have not seen Mrs. Chu."
Zhu Changwen's face was uncontrollably filled with disappointment.
The Prince of Chu's Palace is the origin of the Chu vassal, and the Prince of Yueyang's Palace is branched off from the Prince of Chu's Palace.
Not only the entire Wuchang Mansion, it can be said that the entire Hubei Province is under the care of the Chu Prince's Mansion.
When he helped Yueyang Prince's Mansion, it got out of control.
Now if I want to wipe my butt clean, I have to put down my dignity and beg to come to my door.
There is currently no prince in the Prince of Chu's palace to succeed him, so the concubine is the most respected, so naturally he wants to see the concubine.
It's a pity that it's really rare to see.
When he was about to feel relieved and find another way out, Zhou Changshi took a breath and spoke again: "General of the auxiliary country, although I have never met the concubine, but..."
"But I met King Dong'an. I didn't say anything to him, but he said he wanted to see you."
Zhu Changwen was startled.
King of Dong'an?
This is also the prince of the Chu vassal, so he certainly has some strength, but he is usually a bit low-key.
However, we didn't interact with each other on weekdays. Why did he take the initiative to see me?
Could it be that you guessed something?
Or maybe the matter about that idiot Zhu Yingyan has something to do with King Dongan?
I thought about it in my mind and then put it away.
Now that things have come to this, no matter what the reason is, he has absolutely no reason to refuse.
Zhu Changwen nodded and said, "I was about to meet him! Come on, let's talk on the way!"
After saying that, it’s time to take action and want to go out.
Zhou Changshi quickly grabbed him.
Zhou Changshi smiled bitterly and said: "Not now."
"He said that the imperial envoys are here today and are about to greet them. Please come with us for the dinner."
Zhu Changwen almost jumped up: "Receiving the wind and washing the dust for the imperial envoy!? Are you crazy!"
Chapter completed!