The Zhu embroidered tiles lean against the sun, and the song of Chu and the dancing swallows fill the eyes.
The sky rises from the palace villa, paved with jade and gold, and the moon shines brightly.
…
After all, the Prince's Mansion of Chu was modeled after the Forbidden City, with a grand scale and impressive momentum.
The halls are advanced and decorated with gold, and the corridors are divided into rows and decorated with indigo. Especially when the lanterns are lit, the night scene is extremely beautiful.
However, Zhu Changwen followed Wu Jinghe and had no intention of looking around. He kept his head buried and reduced his sense of presence.
But Wu Jinghe asked people to follow him, so naturally he had something to say.
"Last April, Huairou Bo Shi Guangzu and I went to Changsha to confer on my father the title of prince."
The current King of Ji, Zhu Yiluan, is the younger brother and the successor of Ji Fan, and is of the same generation as him today.
Wu Jinghe walked in front, and his voice reached Zhu Changwen's ears, making the latter even more nervous.
"At that time, the late emperor sent a message with the character "father", saying, 'Be respectful, cautious, fearful of things, and adhere to etiquette and law'..."
Wu Jinghe turned around and looked at Zhu Changwen, his tone turned cold: "It seems you haven't learned anything."
He didn't say anything. He seemed to be referring to Zhu Changwen's yelling at the gate of the city just now, but he seemed to be referring to something else.
Zhu Changwen's eyelids twitched, thinking about the meaning behind Wu Jinghe's words, with a smile on his face and said perfunctorily: "My great-uncle taught me a lesson, I reflect on it, I reflect on it."
He changed his name to a relative.
Although it was related to the fifth server, he couldn't help but be thick-skinned - he sent a congratulatory note to the emperor last year, and he could even call him "uncle and the emperor."
Officials from the Prince of Chu's Mansion led the two of them through the imperial garden one after another.
Wu Jinghe shook his head and said in a neither salty nor cool tone: "When the clan leaves the country, please do so before proceeding."
"When you ran from Changsha to Wuchang, did you ever ask You Si?"
According to the system, relatives of each vassal must report when they go out, and they are not allowed to leave the fiefdom without permission. Even when they go out to visit the tombs of their ancestors every year, they must report to the Ministry of Rites first.
Zhu Changwen came to Wuchang now, which is obviously against the rules.
Even so, Zhu Changwen was still stunned for a moment before he reacted.
Oh, it turned out that I was leaving Guo despite the ban!
It’s no wonder that he couldn’t react. Normally, no one really takes this ban seriously!
Let alone leaving the fiefdom, sneaking into Kyoto is like eating and drinking.
In July of the sixth year of Jiajing's reign, Lieutenant Feng Guo of the Jingjiang Prince's Palace illegally left the city twice and sneaked to Nanjing.
In the thirty-seventh year of Jiajing's reign, there was a general named Feng Guo in the Leping Palace of the Han Dynasty. He "traveled with his father on his back at the end of March, not knowing where he was going."
As early as the Tianshun period, it happened that Zhu Panye, the king of Linchuan in Ningfu, "went out of the city without permission and entered people's houses to ask for their property."
Even recently, at the beginning of the year, several people from Ninghua Palace, Fangshan Palace, and Qin Palace generals and lieutenants secretly sneaked into the capital to petition and petition for Lu Liang, that is, to ask for money owed by the imperial court.
Although the emperor "ordered each of them to be sent back to his private residence and detained", the sects and vassals later went to the capital to appeal again, that is, last month.
It is common for people to leave the city without permission.
It was only when Wu Jinghe pointed it out to his face that Zhu Changwen realized that something was wrong.
The unspoken rules are unspoken rules, and no one will pursue them.
Now Zongzheng asked about this matter in a stern tone in front of him, and Zhu Changwen choked up immediately.
He followed Wu Jinghe, feeling a little at a loss.
The two of them passed by the goldfish pond. At this time, they could gradually hear the faint singing of the singer raised by the Prince of Chu's palace, singing in the palace.
Only when Zhu Changwen heard it, he became more and more irritated.
He followed Wu Jinghe step by step. After thinking for a long time, he said cautiously: "Uncle, everything happens for a reason!"
"Since the Longqing period until now, Zonglu's quota has been insufficient. Yousi has borrowed it many times. Ji Fan now owes me more than 66,500 stones."
"The family is forbidden to follow the property of the four people, and it is not enough for the clan. It is really difficult. Nowadays, the lake is vast and full of water. Many of the houses of the family are leaky and cannot be repaired. It is really hard to survive."
"My father had no choice but to order me to come to the Yamen of Yousi and urge me to ask for it."
"The three government offices in Huguang are all in Wuchang. I have no choice but to obey authority in urgent matters and obey authority in urgent matters."
The best way to defend yourself is to blame the other party.
The imperial court is in arrears with salary, but people still don't come to ask for it? If you look into it more deeply, at worst, I will go back and be grounded. Can the imperial court pay back the money?
Besides, what Zhu Changwen said is also true.
It has become a common practice for local government offices to default on paying money to clan members.
All major vassals have warehouses. In the Guangshi warehouse of Prince Ji's palace, Lumi has not been stored in the warehouse for several years.
The sects and vassals who went to Beijing to collect debts kept saying that "from the 40th year of Jiajing to the first year of Wanli, none of the salary and grain they deserved was given." This was not a lie.
Even as early as the fifth year of Longqing, the late emperor promised to appease him - "Zong Lu has been in arrears for a long time, and the government officials have urged him to punish him in many ways. He will give him one or two quarters every year to support him."
But the place still fell on deaf ears.
If not, why would they, Prince Ji's Mansion, have to rely on their own abilities to find food?
Wu Jinghe put his hands behind his back and walked in front slowly.
He knew that the court was in the wrong on this matter, so he did not bother with it. Instead, he asked again: "Then you go to the Chief Secretary's Yamen, how can you come here to have a banquet?"
Zhu Changwen smiled bitterly: "My great-uncle was wronged! Where is the banquet!"
"Now that something has happened in the Sansi Yamen, you won't have time to pay attention to me for a while."
"In desperation, I begged to go to the Prince of Chu's Mansion, hoping to donate generously to help my relatives a little."
"That's why King Dong'an invited me to the banquet to discuss this matter as soon as possible..."
Zhu Changwen followed behind him and bowed his hands repeatedly, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes from time to time.
It's a pity that Wu Jing didn't see his misfortune, and didn't even listen to what he said afterward.
Only key information was captured immediately.
King of Dong'an...Zhu Xianzhen.
Naturally, he knew that this person was the cousin of the former King of Chu and the current king of Chu, and he was also one of the leading figures in the Chu vassal.
Wu Jinghe frowned.
The emperor sent him to Huguang, not to accompany the investigation.
His Majesty's instructions to reform the vassals were not based on whether these vassals were involved in the case.
In other words, even if you are not involved in the case, you still have to take advantage of this opportunity to resolve the matter - even if you are not guilty, you still have to be "possible."
But no matter what, we must at least understand what the current situation of the Huguang clan is.
The Chu, Min, Jing, Ji, Xiang, Liao and other vassals were located in Huguang, and they were always headed by the Chu Mansion.
Now that he had just arrived in Huguang, he specially invited him to go - of course he was specially invited. If he wanted to see Hai Rui, he should come in person.
What exactly Chu Mansion means is something that people have to figure out carefully.
Wu Jinghe took a roundabout way and asked the junior behind him who invited him here, which was not without purpose.
Although the affairs of the palace can be handled by the concubine, the person who has specific jurisdiction over the affairs of the palace still needs to be a clan member.
The previous generation of the Chu royal family experienced a major case of killing the king and usurping the throne, and the current Chu king died young for no reason, so that the position of the prince of the Chu vassal is still vacant.
Therefore, the imperial court ordered the younger brother of the previous King of Chu to temporarily take charge of the affairs of the Chu vassal.
When people from the Prince of Chu's Palace went to invite Wu Jinghe, Wu Jinghe specifically asked if it was the "acting master" who invited him.
As a result, the long history was hesitating and asking for concubines one by one. It was obvious that there was something else going on.
Now that Zhu Changwen asked about King Dong'an, Wu Jinghe was even more surprised - it was not King Dong'an who was in charge of Chu vassal affairs!
Wu Jinghe fell into deep thought.
When Zhu Changwen saw that his great-uncle had stopped speaking, he just felt that he had gotten away with it, so naturally he would not take the initiative to speak again.
The two of them followed the officials of the Chu Palace in silence.
Palaces and pavilions are lined up one after another among the night and lights.
Not long after, they came to a large hall on the central axis of the Chu Mansion. On the door were written the words "Zhonghe Hall", which was also built according to the Huangji Hall in the Forbidden City.
The maids, eunuchs, and guards on the left and right were displayed in two rows, which was no worse than the palace.
As soon as Wu Jinghe walked outside the hall, a group of people immediately surrounded him.
"Jing He is indeed a martial arts practitioner. I haven't seen him for decades, and yet he is still so good at keeping his appearance."
A woman in her fifties, dressed as a concubine, led the crowd to greet her.
Yan Yan's words and smiles are quite understandable in the manner of his elders.
This is the concubine Yuan of the previous King of Chu, the legitimate mother of the King of Chu who passed away the year before last, and now the concubine of the Chu vassal, the Wu family.
There is a reason for some airs between words.
After all, before Emperor Shizong ascended the throne, he was a clan member of Huguang and was also under the care of the Chu vassal. When Xingwangfu failed to ask for salary, it was the Chu vassal who came forward to help him.
Because of this relationship, the Chu vassal often interacted with Emperor Sejong.
After Shizong married his daughter, Wu Jinghe followed the princess and went back to his hometown in Anlu, Huguang.
Wu Jinghe and Chu Fan had already dealt with each other.
In addition, the concubine was a generation older than King Sejong, so outsiders would not find it strange that she behaved like an elder.
Wu Jinghe knew that there was no good banquet, and the status of a junior was not something he should take on at this time.
He didn't answer, just smiled and said: "I am already sixty years old, and I am getting old. I don't know how to keep my appearance."
"It's a stroke of luck to be able to return home in full for His Majesty's patrol this time."
In and out of words, he mentioned his age and his status as an imperial envoy, without any intention of claiming to be a junior.
He even said that this trip is dangerous and he doesn't want to have any relationship, which is really disrespectful.
This time, Princess Wu felt a little embarrassed.
She greeted the people around her and ignored the previous conversation.
"Captain Prince Consort."
"Angel."
"Red Helmet General."
Each person calls out the Fa, so the King of Chu's concubine, Wang's family, the princes of Chu, King Dong'an, etc. all come to see him.
Wu Jinghe glanced at the slightly affluent King Dong'an in a thoughtful manner.
After everyone had seen Li, Wu Jinghe asked curiously: "Why haven't you seen King Wugang?"
King Wugang is the county king who is now in charge of the Chu vassal. Unexpectedly, he didn't even show up.
The concubine and King Dong'an looked at each other, and the latter came forward to smooth things over: "General, it has been raining heavily recently. My cousin's legs are hurting so much that he has difficulty walking. He has been resting at his house for several days."
Wu Jinghe is the red-helmeted general of Jinyiwei, a powerful general who leads 1,500 people in Beijing. Calling him this way is not more alienating than imperial envoy, nor does he appear to be arrogant.
The prince-in-law's eyes wandered back and forth between the concubine and King Dong'an, his expression solemn, and he said nothing.
It wasn't until both of them started to get slightly nervous that he suddenly smiled: "Yes, it seems that everyone has this problem as they get older."
"It's just that in addition to my leg pain, I also have a headache. I don't know when it will end."
He bit out the word "headache" in a slightly serious tone and shook his head with emotion.
The concubine took over the conversation with some reluctance: "Jing Hewu was born in Zhuangyuan, and he practiced in Xiyuan with the World Temple. His body is not comparable to that of ordinary people like us."
Although she was trying to ease the atmosphere, after the concubine said this, she still couldn't help but glance at Wu Jinghe, who had black hair and beard and a middle-aged face, showing an envious look.
The prosperous King Dong'an echoed: "General Red Helmet has received the favor of the World Temple and entered Taoism through martial arts. If the concubine wants to learn, she might as well sincerely worship Zhenjun Feiyuan."
After calming down the atmosphere, he gestured sideways to the palace and reminded: "The juniors from Min Mansion and Xiang Mansion are already waiting for the banquet in the palace. Let's go in first."
The concubine also reacted immediately and invited Wu Jinghe to the banquet.
Tsk... This was the second time Shizong was carried out, Wu Jinghe silently remembered it in his heart.
Naturally, there was no reaction on his face. He still smiled and was kind, and extended his palm to invite the host to come forward.
He was a martial arts champion and could tear apart tigers and leopards with ease. Although he is older now, he also brings several personal guards with him and does not worry about safety issues.
Several people showed courtesy to each other and entered the hall in a friendly manner.
Zhu Changwen, who was ignored the whole time, gritted his teeth and stood motionless.
Seeing that no one came to invite him, he snorted coldly and followed behind angrily.
…
Some people drank alone with Jiang, while others invited him to eat and drink.
Naturally, there are also people who work diligently and sit in the lobby of the governor's office, working hard.
Hai Rui silently compiled the confessions about Chen Xiao, the commander of the river patrol, and the preparation of troops and Ji Ruzhi, and rubbed his brows tiredly.
After a tiring journey, I was interrogated one after another. It was a lie to say that I was not tired.
It's just that I was immersed in it and could ignore it for a while.
Hai Rui thought about what the two men had just said.
Chen Xiao, the commander of the river patrol, should lead troops to patrol the border that day, and Linxiang County was naturally within the scope.
But how else can we say that it is one link after another?
Chen Xiao was invited away by a group of wealthy businessmen that day. They said they were transporting a batch of goods and they hoped to take care of the delivery.
Between the private work of collecting money and boring patrols day after day, Chen Xiao chose the former without hesitation.
Of course, the route coincidentally runs opposite Linxiang County.
Also coincidentally, after the incident, the so-called wealthy businessman also disappeared from the world.
But Ji Ruzhi is even simpler. It is his duty to eliminate the water thieves.
The governor's Yamen issued an order asking him to deploy Tang Bin's personal guards, which seemed to him perfectly reasonable - besides, he was only following orders.
It can be said that there is no flaw that things have stayed at this point, it is just too much of a coincidence.
In addition to deliberately exposing the flaw to the patrol censor Shu Ao - Yueyang Palace.
But it is precisely this flaw that makes everything coincident and can be blamed on the dead.
Things are closed.
Chen Rui and others also looked at this and wanted to stop it and close the case.
Things were done cleanly, Hai Rui couldn't help but sigh.
Fortunately, this is not a prison case. The people below have ways to resist the scrutiny, but they can't stand up to the one in Jinluan Palace. They don't need evidence - if nothing can be found, at worst, they will find excuses to kill a few every year, and they will only ascend the throne anyway.
Better days are yet to come.
Just as he was thinking about it, a voice sounded, drawing Hai Rui's attention.
"Hai Yushi, you have been working hard for a long time. Let's have something to eat."
Hai Rui turned his head and saw eunuch Sun Long walking over with a dinner plate.
Sun Long placed several plates of food on the table one by one: "Lotus root and pork ribs soup, steamed cured meat, these are local snacks in Huguang. Your Majesty specially asked me to pay attention to your health. After the fatigue of traveling and traveling, you have to worry about it. It is just a good time to nourish your stomach."
.”
After saying that, he took down another portion of Xiaogan rice wine and put it aside.
Hairui glanced at Sun Long and secretly shook his head.
He had dealt with Li Jin, Zhang Hong, Wei Chao and others before, but this was the first time he encountered such a flattering eunuch.
Don't let the emperor spoil it. Hai Rui thought about it and took the food and thanked him.
After taking a look, it was indeed just homely food.
Hai Rui was thinking nonsense, so he picked up the bowls and chopsticks without delay and started eating.
As soon as he put the bowl to his mouth and blew lightly, he suddenly remembered something.
Hai Rui asked, "Eunuch Sun, could you please invite Governor Zhao here as well?"
Sun Long lowered his eyebrows and did not ask any more questions. He responded and retreated.
Not long after.
Governor Zhao Xian, who looked haggard, walked into the court from the side.
Seeing Hai Rui holding a file in one hand and reading it, and holding a bowl in the other hand to drink soup, he couldn't help but be startled.
He hesitantly called out: "Hai Yushi..."
Hai Rui raised his head and saw Zhao Xian coming. He stood up to greet him and said, "Governor Zhao, haven't you had dinner yet? Come, let's eat together."
Zhao Xian looked at Hai Rui in surprise. He thought he had called him here to stay up all night and interrogate him.
I didn't expect him to be so kind.
His mind immediately came alive, trying to figure out Hai Rui's attitude.
Hai Rui brought over a chair and placed it opposite his desk, gesturing for Zhao Xian to sit down.
The two sat down together.
Hai Rui then had time to speak, and said with some regret: "I heard that Dongting Lake burst its banks yesterday. Does Governor Zhao know about it?"
Zhao Xian nodded silently. Although he had avoided suspicion in the past few days and no longer asked about these matters, the news was not blocked.
However, he is the governor, and he is sent by the Minister of War and the censor of Youqiandu. He does not interfere with specific government affairs, so he can only know.
Hai Rui continued: "It's enough to patrol the river with Commander Chen Xiao and prepare troops to stop you. But this Qiu Qiao cannot wait until the case is concluded and must be killed now!"
Qiu Qiao was a guard in Dongting. If something like this happened, he must be blamed.
We can talk about disaster relief and repairing dams, but it is urgent to appease the people.
Zhao Xian suddenly realized that this was to use his head to calm the public's anger.
No wonder he was asked to come.
Yuezhou Prefecture has one Dongting garrison, one Yuezhou Guard commander, and 5,174 soldiers. Of course, this is a quota.
The former is a civil servant, specializing in Dongting Lake. He is a fifth-rank official and is on the same level as the Yuezhou prefect.
It's true that the imperial envoy can kill, but Hai Rui's intention is obviously not here.
The implication is that he is still asked to kill Zhao Xian, hoping that he can help the imperial envoy stabilize the situation in Huguang.
He instantly understood the implication, but did not answer immediately.
Instead, he asked: "Didn't Your Majesty ask me to go to Beijing as a criminal?"
It's hard to tell whether the emperor wanted to protect the important person, or whether he was really angry and asked him to enter the capital immediately.
But no matter whether it was to avoid suspicion or the emperor's edict, he should not stay in Huguang.
Hai Rui took a sip of rice wine, picked up the glutinous rice wine that had leaked on the table, and put it into his mouth again.
After swallowing, he smiled and said, "Isn't this the decree that hasn't been announced yet?"
"Your Majesty ordered me to act expediently, and I have nothing to shy away from. Governor Zhao, just be a monk and hit the clock for a day."
As soon as he arrived in Huguang, he knocked off the hats of Chen Rui and others in order to establish his authority.
The subsequent promotion of Xu Xuemo and now the retention of Zhao Xian were to stabilize the situation.
Just like the emperor's mantra - when doing things, you have to pay attention to methods.
Zhao Xian pondered for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight and said seriously: "I really didn't know anything about Zhang Chucheng in advance, and I had no plan to let it go secretly!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
Hai Rui put down his bowl and chopsticks and sat upright: "Who touched the seal of the governor's Yamen?"
Zhao Xian showed bitterness on his face: "The governor's office does not have a permanent establishment, and most of the officials are transferred from the third division. There are many people with mixed eyes, and there are too many suspicious people."
Hai Rui was noncommittal and asked, "How did Zhu Yingyan die?"
Zhao Xian laughed at himself: "I killed him, or he jumped up with his feet half as high as a man, hung himself from the beam, and hanged himself to death."
This is the result given by Sansi Yamen.
He hanged himself to death with nothing at his feet.
Perhaps the governor Zhao Xian encouraged him to escape, but Zhu Yingyan refused, so Zhao Xian killed him.
Hai Rui ignored his self-deprecation and nodded thoughtfully.
After a while, he picked up the bowl again and said, "I will find out."
When Zhao Xian heard this, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
He was just afraid that the imperial envoy was eager to perform meritorious service and wanted to take him into account. After using him to appease the situation in Huguang, he would be doing his best to kill the donkey.
But now that he had received Hai Rui's promise, he finally felt confident - he was willing to believe in Hai Rui's promise.
He did not bother, stood up and said: "Tomorrow I will rush to Yuezhou and kill Qiu Qiao, the guard of Dongting Lake, to sacrifice the anger of the sky and vent the anger of the people."
Seeing his promise, Hai Rui also lightened up and said, "Let Councilor Feng Shiyu go with us to repair the dam. If the matter is urgent, follow the authority and directly use the dirty money to fine you."
"There is no need to bring soldiers. The Yuezhou guards will soon change defenses with the Beijing camp. Liu Zhen, the commander-in-chief, will handle the matter and will also lead troops to Yuezhou. The governor can join him."
Zhao Xian nodded and turned to leave.
Suddenly Hai Rui stopped Zhao Xian again: "Governor Zhao, the governor's office previously suppressed chieftains, and many chieftains were attached to him."
"Is there anyone who is a little friendly and wants to do business with us?"
Zhao Xian was stunned: "Toast?"
Chieftains are Shizhou, Yongshun, and those Shaomin tribes.
Why are you asking this suddenly?
Hai Rui nodded, meaningfully: "Privately crafted armor has a destination."
Chapter completed!