Zhongqing City, in the mansion of Hucao Shangshu Liu Yu.
Looking at the man arriving in front of him, Liu Yu was slightly startled, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but ask:
"Steward Xiang, is it still impossible for the young master to come unexpectedly?"
The man Liu Yu calls Butler Xiang is a middle-aged man in his forties with a goatee.
Upon hearing Liu Yu's inquiry, Butler Xiang shook his head and said:
"Master Liu, you must be careful in the current situation. As a young master, if I come to meet you and fall into the eyes of someone who is interested, it will be a bit risky..."
After hearing what Butler Xiang said, Liu Yu realized what he was saying and nodded hurriedly:
"That's right, that's right. As the Minister of Hucao, I should be more careful now! If the matter is exposed because of me, it will be a crime worthy of death!"
When speaking at this time, even if he was just facing a housekeeper, Liu Yu's posture seemed unusually humble.
Butler Xiang nodded slightly and said:
"Young master asked me to send you a message. How should we deal with Hai Rui, the supervisory censor of Jianchang Mansion? Has Mr. Liu made proper arrangements? If the censor is exposed because of a small censor, it will be in vain.
Such strength!"
When Liu Yu heard this, he quickly vowed:
"Please go back and tell the young master that everything has been arranged. Now that everything is going well in the north, Hai Rui is going to be in dire straits, so he must not care about food and grass!"
When Butler Xiang heard this, he frowned slightly and asked again with concern:
"It's not that I don't believe Mr. Liu, it's just that the censor Hai Rui has a strong, upright, stubborn and arrogant character. There are rumors in the official circles in the capital, and the young master has heard about it. In addition, he is the censor appointed by your majesty today.
There are legal experts guarding him, Mr. Liu, can you use various means to prevent him from starting the investigation?"
After hearing Butler Xiang's question, Liu Yu showed a confident smile, stroked his beard, and said seriously:
"Hai Rui is now a royal censor and has the blessing of the emperor. Naturally, he cannot face his sharpness. But in official circles, you need to be tactful. If it is too sharp, it will be easy to break..."
Having said this, Liu Yu paused for a moment, then told Steward Xiang one by one about his plans and their profound implications.
Butler Xiang listened to Liu Yu explain his plan one by one, his eyes flashed with joy, he nodded repeatedly, showing satisfaction, and said in approval:
"Okay, no wonder the young master often says that with Mr. Liu's help, he can sit back and relax!"
Liu Yu lowered his head slightly and said humbly:
"Steward Xiang is so ridiculous. Without the help of my benefactor, I, Liu Yu, would be where I am today. How can I repay my kindness to you? It's not an exaggeration!"
When Butler Xiang heard this, he looked at Liu Yu with a very deep look and his smile was very interesting.
-----------------------
Jianchang Prefecture, Changning County.
Outside Hai Rui's residence, a figure stood there, wandering and watching for a long time. His behavior looked rather suspicious.
Just after the man hesitated for a moment, the clouds in the sky were blown by the wind and suddenly covered the bright moon in the sky. At this time, the night suddenly became dark.
Looking at the not-so-well-guarded courtyard in front of him, the man finally couldn't bear it any longer. He gritted his teeth suddenly, started using Qing Gong, and moved forward, moving straight towards that direction.
But just when he climbed up the wall in the dark and was about to jump into the courtyard, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck.
At this time, the clouds moved away, the moon shed its light again, and the night suddenly became brighter.
The man looked out of the corner of his eye and saw a short but sturdy man in uniform of a police officer who had arrived at his side at some point. He was raising his palm and thrusting it toward his neck.
Came to slap.
The palm force stirred up a strong wind, and it seemed like it was just a simple slap. But the invisible internal force had already spread out from the palm, blocking the man's many escape routes. The majestic palm force was like a mountain pressing down, causing the man to
There is an irresistible heart in life.
The man was warned in his heart, but was unable to resist. Regret and unwillingness suddenly filled his heart.
But just when he closed his eyes and waited for death, an iron ruler suddenly came out and blocked the strong man's cold and heavy palm.
The figure holding the iron ruler also suddenly appeared, stretching out the iron ruler in a fluttering manner, making the originally inevitable palm no longer able to fall.
"Junior Brother Zhang Shan, you don't leave any room for your moves, why are you doing this?" The person who spoke said there was a hint of helplessness in his tone.
A strong man named Zhang Shan frowned when he saw his palm being blocked. He withdrew his palm and retracted it. He looked at the senior brother who blocked him and said forcefully:
"Senior Brother Luo Fei, the law will not tolerate mercy! Since he is an assassin, he will not be killed without mercy!"
Legalist disciple Luo Fei frowned when he heard his junior brother's tough words and the murderous intent on his face, and said:
"Junior brother, the laws of all countries in the world are all determined. To judge a crime, you must obtain a confession. You have not even interrogated and confirmed his identity, and you only punished him based on preconceived notions. It really does not conform to our Legalist philosophy!
"
To convict someone, you must obtain a confession. That is to say, to determine guilt, you must obtain a confession of guilt. This is the phrase "signed and stamped" that is often mentioned in costume dramas.
This disciple named Zhang Shan was actually the Legalist disciple who killed him when the assassins attacked.
More than half of the assassins who came to kill Hai Rui that night died in Zhang Shan's hands. They were merciless when they attacked, and they often resorted to killing moves.
Legalist disciples are often accused of harsh methods because of their lay school opinions. However, it is quite rare for Zhang Shan to study law and develop a cruel nature.
Luo Fei, as a Legalist senior brother, was the leader among the Legalist disciples who came to Yun Guojixia Academy. Regarding Zhang Shan's actions, Luo Fei obviously had to intervene to dissuade him.
After all, if a Legalist disciple becomes an official, he will definitely enter the judicial bureaus of all countries in the world. If Zhang Shan continues to be so cruel in her methods in the future, regardless of the right or wrong reason, she will definitely make a big mistake in the end and there will be no turning back.
After hearing what her senior brother said, Zhang Shan pondered for a moment, then immediately lowered her head to look at the squatting man, with a sharp look in her eyes, and shouted:
"Are you an assassin?"
At this time, the moonlight was bright, and the appearance of the "assassin" was clearly seen.
This man has a childish appearance, with a short green beard at the corner of his mouth. He looks like a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old.
Staring at Zhang Shan's sharp eyes, the boy looked extremely panicked and hurriedly explained to himself:
"No, no! I'm not an assassin! I'm here to complain. I'm here to complain to the Censor..."
Zhang Shan heard the boy's cry of humiliation, sneered, and shouted:
"You dare to quibble! Those who complain can go to the county government to accept the case. Even if they have hidden secrets, they can still come to complain during the day. Who else can come here at night but the assassin?"
When the boy heard this, he twisted his body suddenly and said urgently:
"I really came here to complain...I, I, I brought the complaint paper with me!"
After hearing what this kid said, Luo Fei immediately said:
"Junior brother, whether he is an assassin or not, you have to let him continue talking!"
Hearing this, Zhang Shan pursed her lips, immediately grabbed the boy by his collar, flew him down from the top of the wall, and then threw him to the ground, saying:
"Boy, hand over the paper. If not, then explain the matter honestly!"
"No, no, no, there is, it really is!"
The boy said generally, while hurriedly untying the package from behind, holding it in front of his chest, and said:
"I am Xu Feng, who is here to deliver the writ. Qian Qian, the county lieutenant of Bei'an County in Jianchang Prefecture, colluded with the Huang family in the county, and falsely accused He Yang, a poor scholar, of committing adultery with a concubine of the Huang family. The magistrate of Bei'an County was unjust because of this.
Turn a blind eye. The Jianchang Prefecture government office worked in collusion and even destroyed evidence in order to confirm the case. I have received favors from He Yang and could not bear to see him being wronged. I heard that the Supervising Censor Hai Rui was honest and upright, so I came to submit the complaint!"
At this time, Zhang Shan had not yet spoken, but Luo Fei asked first:
"If that's the case, why don't you just deliver it to me? It's really hard for people to believe what you say by coming in the middle of the night and sneaking in secretly!"
When Xu Feng heard this, without saying a word, he opened his clothes on his chest, revealing his chest which was wrapped in white cloth but still oozing with blood, and he said sadly and angrily:
"The Huang family sent people to pursue and kill them all the way to Changning County. I didn't dare to show up during the day, so I had to come at night to complain! I heard that Master Yu Shihai was honest and upright, not afraid of the powerful, and just wanted to ask for help.
Sir, please restore the innocence of scholar He Yang!"
Luo Fei and Zhang Shan stepped aside slightly, looked at each other, and then took the package in his hand.
After the two opened it, they found several pieces of paper and testimonies.
After Luo Fei confirmed, he nodded and said:
"Okay, I'll report it to the Imperial Censor for you! But don't get too happy first. The merits of the matter need to be decided by the Imperial Censor before deciding whether to accept it or not!"
When Xu Feng heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, he leaned over and saluted:
"Thank you both for your help!"
A moment later, in the study, Hai Rui looked at the written testimony in front of him, his brows serious, and then he slapped the table with his palm, his face completely cold.
"I originally thought that the Jianchang Mansion had only been solved by someone, which made those rats so rampant. But if what is said on this paper is true, then the whole Jianchang Mansion is really rotten.
It’s over!”
On the side, Zhidu and Zhang Tang took the papers and confessions one after another. After taking turns to read them, they also frowned.
This piece of paper was written by He Yang, a scholar from a poor family who was falsely accused. He is sincere and sincere, and every word is like a cuckoo crying for blood, fully describing his grievances.
There is also the testimony brought by Xu Feng, which is a witness's confession, proving that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with He Yang.
If all these are true, then the facts of this case are clear. If it were not for the collusion between the Bei'an County magistrate and the local powerful Huang family, the local magistrate turning a blind eye, and the Jianchang Prefecture aiding Zhou in his evil deeds, there would be no Yang who would be imprisoned and waiting to be interrogated.
thing!
Zhidu and Zhang Tang looked at each other, then looked at Hai Rui who was obviously angry, and couldn't help but say:
"Your Majesty, do you mean to investigate this case thoroughly?"
Hai Rui said without hesitation:
"Of course we have to check!"
Zhang Tang couldn't help but worry:
"But now, your Excellency still needs to thoroughly investigate the matter of the court's relief of food and grass. If this case is thoroughly investigated, I'm afraid..."
When Hai Rui heard this, he was silent for a while and then said immediately:
"The official document of the execution of the scholar He Yang has been reported to the Xingcao. If we wait for the reply from the capital, I will not be able to intervene! One life cannot be delayed!"
With Hai Rui's temperament, it was obviously impossible to watch the innocent scholar named He Yang being killed out of resentment, even if the food and fodder case was urgent at this time.
Having said this, Hai Rui paused slightly and then said:
"But even if we thoroughly investigate this case, it won't necessarily distract us. Some people in the Jianchang government office colluded with commercial banks to embezzle relief grain and grass. It can be seen from the previous county government treasury that the truth behind this is
People are well prepared and clues are hard to find. We might as well use the He Yang case to trace the clues in Jianchang Mansion!"
Hearing Hai Rui's words, Zhang and Tang from Zhidu suddenly felt enlightened and their spirits were shaken. They all raised their hands and said:
"Your Excellency is wise!"
--------------------------
Yun Kingdom Palace, in the Yangxin Hall.
Xiao Cheng frowned, looked at Dongchang's secret letter, and frowned:
"Is it really him?"
When Feng Bao heard this, he lowered his head and said:
"Yes! My subordinates have found out that the restaurant that Hucao Shangshu Liu Yu has been frequenting recently is the property of the trading house below Jintang Peak. The agency masters in the East Factory also sneaked into the restaurant and found the location where
Liu Yu often goes to the office in the private room. Although he did not open it to avoid alerting others, the fans also discovered that this restaurant is only one street away from Jin's house."
After checking this, we can obviously conclude that this Hucao Shangshu Liu Yu is a high official of the imperial court who colluded with Jin Tangfeng.
At the very least, it is one of them!
Xiao Cheng lowered his head and glanced at the secret letter again, and the pupils in his eyes suddenly shrank.
In the report from Dongchang, it was suddenly mentioned that Liu Yu met Xiang Shan, the steward of Qu Cheng's family, the minister of the dynasty, at his house today.
Feng Bao had already lowered his head at this time and did not dare to say a word.
Even though Qu Cheng, the minister of the dynasty, seemed a bit inconspicuous under Ma Minwen at first, he is now regarded as the representative of the four families of Yang, Ma, Qu, and Tao in the imperial court.
figure.
Leaving aside the Yang family for now, the heads of the other three families, Ma Minwen, Qu Cheng and Tao Ai, are all veterans of several dynasties. There are many disciples and former officials in the court. Regardless of whether it is due to the original intention of the three of them, these disciples and former officials
, have long been driven by interests and have united with each other, and their influence on the government and the opposition is astonishingly great.
As the steward of the Qu family, Xiao Cheng couldn't help but take Xiang Shan seriously when he appeared in Liu Yu's house!
"What else was found?"
Feng Bao lowered his head and said;
"It involves the current minister's order, so I don't dare to continue the investigation, so I have to stop here and wait for your majesty's orders!"
Feng Bao, who had been beaten by Xiao Cheng before, seemed very measured at this time.
Xiao Cheng was silent for a moment, stood up, and walked slowly out of the Yangxin Hall.
It was also evening at this time. Xiao Cheng looked through the many palaces into the distance. The setting sun was setting in the west, making the horizon full of red clouds.
"Go check it out!" The cold voice made the beautiful scenery of the setting sun particularly chilling.
"yes!"
Xiao Cheng patted the white marble railing outside, his eyes were deep, and he murmured:
"Don't force me!"
The three families helped Xiao Cheng stabilize the court in the early days of his power. Xiao Cheng was quite honest in his life, so he still remembered it. If he had a choice, he would really be reluctant to attack them, and he would have the reputation of being a ungrateful person...