The Prince of Chu’s Mansion is hosting a banquet for the imperial envoy!
As the major rebellion case involves the Yueyang Palace, it is obvious that clan members are involved.
Just when the imperial envoy led his troops into the city with great momentum, he had just defeated Wu Shamao, the commander of the Third Division.
When everyone wants to hide far away, the Prince of Chu's Mansion actually wants to hold a banquet to welcome the imperial envoy!?
On the way to Prince Chu's Mansion, Zhu Changwen was puzzled.
At this time, night falls and the lanterns begin to light up.
Although it is the rainy season, the long street leading to Prince Chu's Mansion is still very lively.
Zhu Changwen opened the curtain of the carriage, looked at the pretty woman on the road, and said absently: "The imperial envoy has gone?"
An hour had passed since the imperial envoy had just arrived at the pier to show his authority, and it was the time for dinner.
I'm afraid the imperial envoy wouldn't be able to trust an invitation with a position like this in the Prince of Chu's palace.
I guess it's time to at least leave.
Chang Shi told Zhu Changwen the news he had just learned: "I heard that only the consort Wu Jinghe has gone."
"The Prince of Chu wanted to invite Hai Rui there, and even moved out the concubine, saying that he had admired her for a long time."
"As a result...Nasi didn't give any face, said he would never accept an invitation, and kicked the person out."
"Li Zaiting took advantage of the situation and declined Prince Chu's palace."
After Zhu Changwen heard this, he snorted coldly.
He muttered: "He never accepts invitations...he is the only one in the world who is an upright official and a saint!?"
"A person who seeks fame and reputation!"
If he wasn't just a prostitute and his butt was dirty, he would have to give such a person a good beating right now.
After making a mockery, he got down to business: "Zhang Changshi, what do you mean by the Palace of the Prince of Chu?"
Nowadays, the situation in the Chu Palace is complicated. Even the crown prince has not yet been established, and the struggle is quite fierce.
In this case, it stands to reason that you should stay away from this kind of right and wrong.
Now, they have come together instead.
Zhou Changshi thought for a while and said in deep thought: "General, after all, the Yueyang Palace is also a Chu vassal. After it was separated from the Chu Palace, the ties were broken."
"If I insist on getting involved, I won't be able to get it. At this time, I am afraid that I am worried about the imperial envoy's tough attitude and want to test it."
At this point, he paused and said with a speculative tone: "Besides..."
"In the past few years, ever since the major case of regicide and throne usurpation occurred in the Prince of Chu's palace, he has been acting cautiously, and the concubine has even reduced the property in the palace."
"If we say that in the Huguang area, after holding a high position, the person with the least suspicion is probably this Princess Chu."
"It is also the best choice to mediate between the imperial envoy and Huguang."
Zhu Changwen suddenly realized.
He murmured: "This is to negotiate a bargaining chip with the imperial envoy and draw a clear path."
"No wonder that person refused to see you, but asked me to go to the banquet. He didn't want to cause trouble, but he had to show up."
"I'm afraid there are quite a few clan members who have come to Prince Chu's Mansion recently..."
The King of Chu was granted the title as the son of Taizu, and his status was not comparable to that of the sons of Yingzong and Renzong.
Furthermore, the Chu vassal was in a unique position, with its fiefdom in Huicheng, Huguang, and its unusual relationship with the Sansi Yamen and the Governor Yamen.
It can be said that Huguang is the largest clan in the world, and the Huguang clan is headed by Chu Fan.
Under such circumstances, if the Yueyang Palace comes to light and the imperial envoy arrives, the pressure on the Chu Palace will certainly not be small.
After understanding this, Zhu Changwen immediately felt a little more relaxed.
By then it will depend on how far the Chu Palace and the imperial envoy will go.
In this way, the carriage arrived at the southern foot of Gaoguan Mountain, where the Prince of Chu's Mansion was located.
The Prince's Mansion of Chu faces south and is backed by Gaoguan Mountain. It is two miles wide from east to west and four miles long from north to south. It is almost half the size of Wuchang City.
Because it was built in imitation of the Forbidden City in Nanzhili, the regulations are naturally quite high.
In addition to the 800 unique palaces and palaces, the palace city is also indispensable with its high walls, which cannot be summed up in one grand style.
The city is two feet and nine feet high, surrounded by towers, with a vermilion gate, and armored soldiers standing on both sides, showing an extraordinary imposing manner.
Zhu Changwen's carriage stopped at the gate of the palace city, and he got off the carriage according to the rules.
The official from the Prince of Chu's Mansion immediately came to greet him: "General of the auxiliary state!"
Zhu Changwen snorted coldly: "I'll let you come and greet me."
Let’s not talk about the prince, let’s have a long history at least?
Dian Bu immediately apologized: "General, there are really too many guests today. Not to mention the angel, King Min also came in person. We really can't spare anyone."
Zhu Changwen's face turned even more ugly.
Doesn’t this further indicate that you have the lowest status!?
He was about to have a seizure.
A voice came from behind: "You are Zhu Changwen?"
Zhu Changwen was furious, who dared to call him by his first name!
He turned around and was about to yell, when he looked up and saw a strong, middle-aged man with a handsome beard stepping out of the carriage.
Zhu Changwen wilted and put on a forced smile: "Zong Zheng."
Wu Jinghe nodded: "You actually recognize me, it's not in vain that I recorded the album for you with my own hands."
"Let's go, follow me. I just have something to ask you."
After saying that, he led several guards in royal robes, walked straight through the city gate, and walked in.
Zhu Changwen's face was like a bitter gourd, and he moved hard to follow behind him.
…
When discussing business matters with the clan members, Wu Jing and the prince-in-law are naturally among them.
If you just want to go to the banquet to eat and drink, it will be a bit noisy and not everyone is willing to go.
As Hai Rui said, it was not a place to eat, so he didn't go there and just had a quick bite at the Governor's Yamen.
Similarly, Li Zaiting also felt that it was not a good place for a drink, so he declined the invitation from the Chu Palace without mercy.
The rolling Yangtze River flows eastward.
If you want to pay homage to your relatives and friends and have a drink across the yin and yang, there is no better place than the Yangtze River.
Li Zaiting poured a glass of wine and threw it casually into the river.
Immediately, he poured himself another glass, raised it from a distance, and drank it all in one gulp.
He had been blowing the river breeze here for half an hour, the bottle of wine had reached the bottom, and his face was already a little tipsy.
Just at this moment, a voice came from behind.
"If you want to pay tribute to Zhang Chucheng, why not go to the widow's house and have a drink in front of them, instead of running to the river alone?"
Li Zaiting turned around and saw Feng Shiyu carrying a bottle of wine, raising it high and signaling to him.
The former waved his hand and signaled Jin Yiwei to let him come over.
He stretched out his hand to take off the crown and put it on the ground beside him without looking back: "They did it too harshly. There were more than ten charred corpses in Linxiang County and they couldn't be identified at all."
"Instead of offering sacrifices to the wrong person by dressing up a blind man and touching an elephant, it is better to give him a drink from the river and sea to express his grief."
As he spoke, it was obvious that he had already gone to meet Zhang Chucheng at Jian Chasi's widow's house.
Unfortunately, it has been changed beyond recognition and is difficult to recognize.
His colleague, who was in the same department, only came down to the place once, but he unexpectedly ended up like this.
Feng Shiyu stepped forward, took off his crown, and placed it between the two of them, next to Li Zaiting's.
Then he slowly said: "I arrived in Huguang after Zhang Liqing. I originally wanted to study in the same department and wait for him to pass through Wuchang before returning to Beijing. I wanted to meet him and hear his experience in patrolling Huguang."
"I didn't expect...sigh."
Feng Shiyu, Li Zaiting, and Zhang Chucheng were all in Longqing High School for the second year, and were Jinshi in the same subject.
Even before the examination, we all prepared for the exam in the same clubhouse, so we naturally had a good relationship.
It's just that the latter two took classes under Gao Yi after high school, so their friendship is even deeper.
Feng Shiyu poured a glass of wine and sighed: "But if the identity is difficult to identify, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the fallen leaves to return to their roots."
The corpse in the case in Linxiang County has not been disposed of. In addition to waiting for the imperial envoy to investigate the case, there is also this reason.
You can’t let your family members guess and claim it, right?
Li Zaiting shook his head: "The Central Committee had predicted it before leaving. Your Majesty specifically told me that if it is inconvenient for the fallen leaves to return to their roots, he would be brought back to the capital and buried in Babao Mountain to be worshiped by the imperial court."
Feng Shiyu nodded, not too surprised by this.
The imperial court has never been stingy with sacrifices in the line of duty, titles, and sacrifices.
The two were silent for a while.
Inadvertently, they poured themselves a glass and touched it lightly.
Li Zaiting spoke again: "I heard that you have done quite well in Huguang. You have allocated funds to repair the dams, organized people to rescue rice seedlings, and provided food and clothing to the people affected by the disaster. People are praising you along the way."
"It seems that the place of administration is more tempering than the place of science."
After the Huguang case, the chief envoy was not interested in political affairs, but a flood happened.
On the way, I heard that it was this colleague who pushed Chen Rui to do some practical things, but at least it did not really cause a disaster.
When Feng Shiyu heard this, he was not proud. Instead, he smiled bitterly: "When I was demoted to Huguang, I was frustrated and angry, and I was in a dark place."
"But seeing the people displaced with my own eyes, how could I not be touched at all?"
"Looking from this, His Majesty's scolding of me hit the nail on the head."
He was born in Nanzhili.
After the fire in Ciqing Palace, Hu Wei was accused of death, and Feng Shiyu made several memorials to the emperor, asking for some leniency.
Until a few days before Hu Wei was executed, he still refuted the emperor's imperial edict.
This made the emperor furious, scolded him, and demoted him to Huguang.
If not, he wouldn't be just a fourth-rank counselor - it is normal for a third-rank official to be in the position where he is appointed.
Thinking of this, the bitter smile on Feng Shiyu's lips grew thicker.
He poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip.
He suddenly remembered something and reminded him: "Today Hai Rui knocked off the hat of the chief officer of the Third Division. The resistance of the colleagues in the Third Division is almost written on their faces."
"Even if Xu Xuemo is promoted as chief envoy afterwards and a little appeasement is given, I'm afraid it won't be enough to calm him down."
No one likes the feeling of having life and death in someone else's hands, let alone a local official who is used to being domineering.
If the imperial envoy is just here to go through the motions and get some benefits, everyone can still maintain the superficial harmony.
But if you are so merciless, then it is foreseeable that the local officials will stumble - there is no need to confront the imperial envoys head-on, just non-violence and non-cooperation, which is enough to make people turn against them.
The river breeze blew by, lifting Li Zaiting's robe.
He turned his head and looked at Feng Shiyu: "So, you are here to be a lobbyist?"
"You want me to wait until difficulties arise and then retreat? Or do you want me to wait until things get better?"
Li Zaiting naturally understood what Feng Shiyu meant.
There are too many ways that local officials try to trip up. Not to mention other things, just the matter of building embankments must be followed according to the procedures...
To put it bluntly, if Feng Shiyu had not taken the initiative and misappropriated the fine money for repairs in violation of the rules, the dikes would have been destroyed and the fields would have been destroyed, causing a catastrophe.
It just so happens that there is no way to hold anyone accountable for this kind of thing - everyone just follows the rules.
After all, he is not a chief official like Chen Rui, but a middle-level official. He is hidden in the entire system and will not even be noticed. There is nothing he can do if he wants to have an attack.
Once a consensus is reached in the officialdom and a corrupt party is used to coerce, there is really nothing the imperial envoy can do.
As for Feng Shiyu's position when talking about this matter, Li Zaiting had to be wary.
The former shook his head: "Ying Feng is too cautious. I just advise you to fight quickly!"
"If we delay it for too long, I'm afraid that the people in the middle will suffer... Sigh."
He sighed again.
It is really sad that the common people have become bargaining chips at this time.
Li Zaiting took a deep look at Feng Shiyu and was noncommittal.
He is no longer the immature officialdom rookie he was a year ago. He has his own judgment on what to listen to and what to believe.
Li Zaiting poured another glass of wine and poured it into the Yangtze River.
He spoke without hesitation: "If we want to settle this case as soon as possible and resolve it quickly, we must rely on the concerted efforts of everyone in Huguang and me."
He now takes the initiative, speaks with ease, and is confident enough to test whatever he wants.
Feng Shiyu nodded and expressed his deep agreement: "Attacking the county government, burning imperial envoys and other shocking things, as long as there is an official, who would not be angry with the enemy?"
"Before the angel came, the Sansi Yamen and the Governor's Yamen had already investigated and opened up. However, those with the slightest suspicion, such as Qiu Qiao, the Dongting guard, Chen Xiao, the patrol commander, and Ruzhi, the military commander, were all killed first and then reported.
imprison."
"The matter involved the Yueyang Prince's Mansion, and everyone in Huguang did not flinch at all, and immediately sent troops to the door."
"A clear heart can be learned by heaven and man."
"But... it is human nature for your colleagues to fear that the imperial envoy will be executed if he is found innocent."
Who can have no problems these days?
Even if I'm not afraid of you investigating this case, there are still taboos on other cases. You can't really show your heart and soul to the imperial envoy, right?
In addition, he defeated Wu Sha, the commander of the Third Division, at the very beginning. Who doesn’t have any ideas?
Li Zaiting finally figured out what Feng Shiyu meant and couldn't help shaking his head and laughing.
Having said that, I really can't blame this fellow student harshly. It is indeed a mature and prudent statement.
Li Zaiting didn't mind showing this attitude either.
He said: "There is no need to test me. I can tell you directly, and you can go back and tell your colleagues in the Third Division."
"Although Yushi Hai can't tolerate sand in his eyes, he is a good official who does practical things."
"As long as you don't seek death yourself for anything that has nothing to do with Zhang Chucheng's case, we won't be in trouble."
After Feng Shiyu heard this, he no longer tried to hide it, let out a sigh of relief, and thanked her with his hands.
Enough business.
The two fell into a long silence again.
Li Zaiting turned his head curiously: "Is there anything else to do with it?"
The officials in Huguang were horrified by Hai Rui's power in defeating the chief of the Third Division today, so they specially sent his comrade Ke Lai to test his attitude, which was still within the tolerance of Li Zaiting.
If he still wants to push further, he will ignore the friendship between fellow students and turn his back on others.
Fortunately, Feng Shiyu didn't say anything to make him fall out.
Instead, he looked sad and said: "Zhang Liqing and I are in the same class. How can we not feel a little bit sad when we see Ying Feng worshiping alone."
He poured himself a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp: "The rabbit dies and the fox is sad, it's hard to be an official!"
This is what it means to simply pay tribute.
Li was silent in the court.
He chewed the words "The rabbit dies and the fox is sad, it is difficult to serve as an official" in his mouth.
When it comes to the sadness of the death of rabbits and foxes, I am afraid no one can empathize with it more than him.
He and Zhang Chucheng studied in the same field, and were greatly influenced by GROHE.
The two of them were determined to achieve success and make a mark in the history books of the Ming Dynasty.
Especially... when the two of them were recommended to the emperor by Gao Yi and heard Gao Yi blowing the emperor to the sky.
There were countless wise kings and wise ministers flashing through their minds, and their thoughts were passed down to future generations.
I thought that all stories would be like those in ancient history - the emperor was wise in employing people, and his ministers were loyal and sincere in their duties. They could reform the past and rebuild the Ming Dynasty. They would also be famous in history.
Until this year, what Li Zaiting witnessed and experienced gradually made him feel what it means to travel hard...
Money corrupts his family.
The township party wavered in his position.
Rumors slandered his reputation.
Subordinates resisted his orders.
Countless.
That's all.
Despite all kinds of hardships and hardships, he thought he was able to bear the burden and move forward with determination.
Until, he heard the news of Zhang Chucheng's death.
This classmate, a comrade in the same department, seemed to be shouting to him with his life that reforming the past and reforming the old school would really kill many people!
You and I live and die, until we die!
Today it is Zhang Chucheng, and tomorrow it may be Li Zaiting!
Thinking of this, Li Zaiting couldn't help but his throat squirmed and his vision was slightly blurred.
Li Zaiting suddenly picked up the jug, stood up, and raised his head to drink from the jug!
The river breeze blew by, and Li Zaiting's hair was a little messy. Half of the wine was in his mouth, and the other half flowed down his neck, soaking the skirt of his clothes.
He drank a big gulp and chanted to the Yangtze River: "Ten thousand gold cups of sake..."
The road ahead is so difficult, but he is so incompetent.
He could only wave the banner and shout about the salt policy in Zhili in the south; he knew nothing about the border troubles in the northwest; he was powerless to connect with the Shanxi Party.
Even when he corresponded with Zhang Chucheng and talked about the Huguang issue, he felt that no matter what the serious illness was, a single edict would be enough to resolve it.
Feng Shiyu on the side was affected by this and was slightly moved.
Li Taibai's journey is difficult...
When Li Zaiting spoke this sentence, Feng Shiyu immediately understood that this fellow student resonated with the phrase "it is difficult to be an official".
Above, the talent is insufficient.
With friends, heaven and man are separated.
For myself, I haven't accomplished even an inch of success.
Feng Shiyu felt this state of mind much more deeply than Li Zaiting. These were the four words he came up with after he tossed and turned every night after he was demoted.
In the center, I just feel that the waves are treacherous and the intrigues are intertwined, which is difficult to resist.
If you are demoted to a local place, you will be plagued by chronic illnesses, and the people will be in poverty and helpless.
It’s hard to be an official, it’s hard to be an official!
Feng Shiyu stood up but stopped talking.
Li Zaiting showed the arrogance of a scholar-bureaucrat, and his voice became louder and louder: "The journey is difficult, the journey is difficult, the road is divergent, but now I am..."
He had once been angry, why were Shen Yiguan and He Weiyi, who were both Jinshi in the same subject, at the bottom of the top three, why could they choose Shu Jishi as the prime minister's reserve, while Li Zaiting, who was at the forefront, could not?
He was once arrogant about his talent and thought that Shen Yiguan and others were just promoted by the township party, while Li Zaiting was a hidden gem in the ocean and his talents were not found.
But when he waited for this opportunity to display his ambition and became a close minister of the emperor, he realized that he was so naive and incompetent and his knowledge was ridiculous.
Now that the rabbit died and the fox was sad, he vaguely saw his own fate from Zhang Chucheng.
The sentence "being an official is difficult" made him realize that he was still too weak if he was too weak!
The Jin Yiwei behind him took a few nervous steps closer, fearing that a certain Yan Song would drink too much and fall into the river.
Divergent roads... Feng Shiyu chewed on this word with a complicated expression.
He wanted to comfort him, and opened his mouth slightly, but finally it turned into a sigh.
Feng Shiyu silently raised the wine pot, poured it into the river, and murmured: "Ying Feng, you will go further than us in your official career. The road ahead is long and difficult, so please slow down..."
Li Zaiting paused for a long time after finishing his sentence.
At this time, after listening to Feng Shiyu's words, he shook his head: "Kuafu chased the sun and died of exhaustion. The road is too long, and I may not be able to walk there."
There are three people in the same department, one is separated by Yin and Yang, and the other is demoted.
It is for this reason that there is a saying that being an official is difficult.
Li Zaiting, the only one who is still moving forward, is even more afraid of his lack of talent.
Feng Shiyu shook his head: "You are only thirty-eight..."
After saying that, he stopped talking.
Li Zaiting was startled, and then he understood what Feng Shiyu meant. He picked up the wine bottle and wanted to take another sip.
Remembering that there was still business tomorrow, I stopped again.
Then he wanted to drink some wine to Zhang Chucheng, but he was afraid that too much wine would disturb the deceased.
There was a long silence again.
Li Zaiting suddenly laughed and said: "Hua Zhi is really a person who has made great progress, which makes me admire him with admiration."
He still remembered that Feng Shiyu was disgusted by the emperor because he vented his words without saying anything.
Nowadays, it has not been published for half a year, but every sentence speaks directly to people's hearts.
Li Zaiting received a hint, met Feng Shiyu's gaze, nodded, and murmured: "Yes, I'm only thirty-eight!"
"The cabinet ministers taught me the Taoism, the saint favored me, and even the years loved me..."
Li Zai Ting became more serious as he spoke: "I will show Zhang Liqing the way forward!"
He opened his arms and his heart.
Facing the Yangtze River, he chanted loudly: "There will be strong winds and waves, and sometimes I will hang my cloud sails and sail across the sea!"
Although we see that the road ahead is difficult, we keep moving forward!
Everyone in the court said that he was the reincarnation of Yan Song, and he would do anything to please his superiors.
Then he wants to show these people what it means to be impressed and what it means to be in a state of admiration!
In addition to waving flags and shouting and watching the fire from the other side, he can also strategize and go through fire and water!
Li Zaiting threw the wine bottle into Feng Shiyu's arms, turned around and left without looking back: "We are all in the same subject, and it turns out that the rabbit dies and the fox is sad, and our hearts are filled with sorrow..."
His expression became increasingly cruel, and he gritted his teeth: "Then let me kill him with his head in full bloom, and pay homage to his spirit in heaven."
Chapter completed!