1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3813

Yue Shizong was very familiar with the area around Victory Square, so he automatically acted as a tour guide, introducing to his family the locations and functional divisions of the various Hai Han government offices while they were strolling around.

Although this is not a scenic spot in the traditional sense, for family members from the Ming Dynasty, it is also a very interesting itinerary to be able to get a glimpse of the true appearance of the power center of the Hai Han Kingdom and understand the structure of the government.

But Yue Shizong didn't know that the Ming court had sent more people to Hangzhou than just the embassy. Although he was not in public for a long time, he had already been noticed by those who cared about him.

Not long after Yue Shizong and his family returned to the embassy that evening, a servant came to report that a visitor wanted to see them.

Yue Shizong took the visiting card and took a look at it. The other party was a businessman from Luzhou Prefecture named Huo Jingxing.

Yue Shizong remembered that he had met this person before. He was engaged in shipping business in the Yangtze River Basin and also had a branch in Hangzhou.

However, he was a little tired after a day of traveling, and he had agreed to stay away from his family for a few days, so he asked his men to send the visitor away and arrange a meeting after the holidays.

Unexpectedly, the subordinate returned shortly and whispered in his ear: "Sir, that person insists on seeing you, why not... meet him!"

Yue Shizong asked: "Did the other party give you money?"

The subordinate quickly denied, "That's not the case... Sir, that man revealed his identity. He is from the imperial court."

Yue Shizong turned his head to look at his subordinates, wanting to confirm the credibility of this matter, but saw his subordinates patting their waists lightly, and he understood instantly.

The patting action on the waist means that the person is revealing his identity through the waist badge, and those who carry the waist badge are usually people from certain special government offices. Even Yue Shizong dare not neglect him and can only ask his men to bring the person to the study to meet him.

While Yue Shizong was waiting in the study, he was also secretly thinking about the other party's intention. When he met Huo Jingxing last time, the other party did not reveal this identity. He thought that he must be carrying out some confidential mission. Even if Yue Shizong was an official appointed by the court, the other party could not let him know his identity.

But this time, in order to meet him immediately, Huo Jingxing actually revealed his identity. That must be some kind of emergency, and he might have come to the embassy to ask for help.

However, when Huo Jingxing walked into the study, Yue Shizong observed his expression and did not see any nervousness. And Huo Jingxing's attitude did not seem like he was asking for help.

Huo Jingxing simply bowed slightly to Yue Shizong, said "Lord Yue", and sat down on the chair opposite him.

Yue Shizong remembered that the last time he met this person, he was very respectful, but not so careless. This change from respectful to arrogant must have been caused by some reason, and Yue Shizong had a bad feeling in his heart.

Yue Shizong asked in a deep voice: "Should I address you as Manager Huo or Lord Huo?"

When Huo Jingxing heard that Yue Shizong wanted to confirm his identity, he took out a waist badge and showed it to him, "Jinyiwei Beizhenfu Division, Huo Jingxing, Lord Yue, please verify it!"

Yue Shizong carefully took the badge and took a look. He found that Huo Jingxing, who was pretending to be a businessman, was actually a captain.

In terms of official rank, Yue Shizong, a doctor of the Ministry of Rites, and Huo Jingxing, a captain of the Imperial Guard, were both of the fifth rank, and the two were considered to be of the same rank. However, Huo Jingxing had a special status, and the Imperial Guard was divided into the Southern and Northern Zhenfu Divisions. The Southern Zhenfu Division was mainly responsible for internal laws and military discipline, while the Northern Zhenfu Division was responsible for cases designated by the emperor, and had the power to arrest, interrogate, and even execute criminals. It did not have to go through the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and only had to be responsible to the emperor, which was almost equivalent to an imperial envoy.

When local officials met people from the Northern Pacification Office, no matter what their position was, they would often address them as "Shangcha" to show respect.

In this sense, after Huo Jingxing revealed his identity, he really didn't need to be humble in front of Yue Shizong anymore.

Yue Shizong was also a person who understood the rules of officialdom. He calmly handed the badge back to Huo Jingxing and asked, "I wonder what urgent matter has made the superior so anxious to meet with Yue?"

Huo Jingxing said, "I have been ordered to hide in Hangzhou. I have two tasks. One is to collect intelligence about Hai Han and report it to the court. The other is to supervise the Ming people entering and leaving Hangzhou and arrest traitors."

Yue Shizong was a little surprised. He didn't expect the other party to speak so directly. He could only follow the topic and ask, "I wonder if there is anything I can do to help you?"

Huo Jingxing said: "Master Yue has been in Hangzhou for three years. I believe he has seen many officials who defected, right?"

Yue Shizong didn't know what his purpose was, so he could only answer vaguely: "I have seen some, but these people usually don't stay in Hangzhou for too long, and will move to other places."

Huo Jingxing then asked, "Master Yue, do you know what these officials who betrayed their country and surrendered to the enemy have in common?"

Yue Shizong said: "I have never been responsible for investigating such cases. Lord Huo, please explain clearly."

Huo Jingxing said coldly, “Okay, then let me make it clear. Before these people defect to Hai Han, they usually transfer their valuables and family members here in advance to make it easier for them to act.”

"Especially those who want to continue to hold a position in Hai Han will often move their property and family members to Hangzhou, under the nose of the Hai Han Executive Committee, to show their determination to work for Hai Han."

"There are still many people like this in the prison of our Jinyiwei Yamen. No matter how they act step by step, they can't hide from our eyes and ears!"

"There is a case like this right now. I would like to trouble Lord Yue to help identify whether the person involved has also harbored treasonous intentions!"

Yue Shizong said: "It seems that this case is quite urgent!"

Huo Jingxing said: "This person has already brought his family to Hangzhou. I boldly guess that this person may commit an act of disloyalty in the near future! And this person holds an important position in the court. If he betrays the country, it will cause great damage to our Ming Dynasty!"

Yue Shizong noticed Huo Jingxing's sharp eyes sweeping over his face, and he felt even more uneasy. He pretended to be calm and said, "He holds an important position? I wonder what rank he is, and how Lord Huo could personally investigate him."

Huo Jingxing said: "His rank is not necessarily high, just like you and me, the fifth rank, but his position is the face of our Ming Dynasty, and it will damage the reputation of our Ming Dynasty! As a captain of the Jinyiwei, I should share your worries and prevent this from happening!"

The more Yue Shizong listened, the more he felt that the other party was insinuating himself, so he simply said, "Master Huo, can you just tell me the identity of that person? Maybe I know him, and it would be easier to investigate."