I'm really not doing business

Chapter 679: The glow of the rotten grass is no match for the bright moon in the heart of the sky

The temporary palace of the Ming Emperor was located on the shore of Mochou Lake outside Sanshanmen. It was the only temporary palace built by the Ming Emperor during his southern tour. It was called a temporary palace, but in fact it was the Nanhu Villa, a small manor with an area of ​​less than 40 acres. Compared with the imperial palace which covered thousands of acres, it was indeed much smaller.

The Nanjing Imperial Palace had the problem of subsidence during the Hongwu period, and during the Yongle period, it was demolished again by Emperor Chengzu Wen. Even if it had been maintained all the time, it would not be habitable, and it was not maintained later.

Nanhu Villa was also built by Wang Chonggu. For safety reasons, the foundation of the entire Nanhu Villa is poured with concrete, which ensures the overall stability of the building and also ensures safety. Even if someone sets it on fire, it cannot be burned down. Even if someone bombards it, without large-caliber artillery, this small Nanhu Villa cannot be harmed.

This is the only palace built during the southern tour. When we arrive in the capital, we will stay in the Yanzi Restaurant or even in private houses. Your Majesty is happy about it, but the court officials are not. This is a matter of face for the empire.

Chen Lin cleaned the entire South Yamen, and everywhere was very clean. Chen Lin even checked it personally many times, and only felt relieved after making sure that the streets had been repainted and looked brand new.

Li Le, the governor of Yingtian, also renovated the ground buildings of the Xiaoling Mausoleum, repaired the stele, replaced the floor tiles of the sacred way, and also repaired the tomb of Sun Quan, who was the gatekeeper of the Xiaoling Mausoleum, to prevent it from being too simple and irritating to the emperor.

In short, after much trouble, Nan Ya finally made preparations to welcome the emperor. The emperor had already arrived in Yangzhou, and it would only take three days for him to reach Nan Ya.

After Hai Rui found out the facts of Chen Wuyin's crime, he also entered the Southern Court from Xiashu Town.

People like Hai Rui, Shen Li, and Yuan Hongyu are annoying in the officialdom, but everyone tacitly acknowledges the existence of these people, including characters like the Suyi Censor. Even in the Southern Yamen, an honest official like Yuan Hongyu can survive, although sometimes he has to put his face in his pocket and beg his former subordinates.

Although there are few such people in the Ming Dynasty officialdom, they do exist, because the officialdom needs such people, and the officialdom is a complex ecology.

When Yuan Hongyu scolded Yan Song, it was at the height of his power. In the end, Yan Song did not make things too difficult for Yuan Hongyu. He just drove him out of the capital, out of sight and out of mind. When Yan Maoqing was inspecting the salt industry with smoke in his eyes, Hai Rui simply treated Yan Maoqing with simple tea and meals, which made Yan Maoqing so angry that he scolded Hai Rui for not being able to adapt.

Shen Li had such an experience, as did the incorruptible Yu Qian. Although upright ministers were not liked by others, they would at most be driven out of the capital. Out of sight, out of mind, they would not be hunted down and killed. This was also one of the tacit understandings in the officialdom.

Because when something happens, positions of power where absolutely no mistakes can be made are filled with people like this.

In fact, it is difficult for people with absolute integrity and justice, absolute worldly wisdom, and absolute virtuous officials to survive in the officialdom, because they are extreme and extremely dangerous in the long run, and this is true for any organization.

It was not until Hai Rui returned to the capital after experiencing many ups and downs that he understood this. The same was true when Yuan Hongyu went to intercede for Hai Rui.

"I'm waiting for the officials in the Southern Court to take action against me. If they don't, I will take action against them." Hai Rui had been waiting for the hunting to begin since he arrived at the Southern Court to take up his post.

Hunting is a calamity that a loyal minister must go through, and each time it is more severe than the last. Hai Rui experienced it once, and that was a real hunting.

If you don't think highly of one thousand taels, how about ten thousand or one hundred thousand taels? In the eyes of many people, loyalty is just because the chips for betrayal are not enough.

You don't value money? What about beauties? If you don't value beauties, then do you also not value a beauty who knows you and understands you?
Well, you despise money, beauties, calligraphy and painting, gold and stone, and treasures. You are honest and righteous, but what about your parents, spouse, and children? Do they despise these things as much as you do?
When a person is caught in a hunt, it is difficult to resist the temptation. Individuals can suppress greed with reason, but relatives and friends are not moral role models.

Hai Rui proved with his actions that such people do exist and can resist all external temptations. At this time, in the eyes of many people, he just doesn't understand the ways of the world and is shameless and will resort to tricks.

Can the Tiqi protect you, your family, your parents, and your children?

Hai Rui was waiting for the hunt to begin. Chen Wuyin had been convicted of treason, and the center of the vortex of the struggle had been set. Anyone in the Southern Court who was so corrupt would be dealt with in the same way. It was a fight to the death, on the brink of life and death. The enemy would definitely attack, and Hai Rui was waiting for the attack.

Wang Chonggu's younger brother Wang Chongyi died in the assassination, and Hai Rui did not think he could escape.

Hai Rui has even figured out the time: it will be within three days, before His Majesty arrives at the Southern Court from Yangzhou. Once His Majesty arrives at the Southern Court, these thieves will have no chance to attack.

The list has been compiled, and the number of people is far less than Hai Rui expected. The entire Southern Court, the Six Ministries, and the Censorate together only have twenty-seven people. There are only twenty-seven bureaucrats like Chen Wuyin who took advantage of the new policy to seek personal gain and sell their dependent status. Among them, only seven were charged with treason.

Treason is not a blanket crime that can throw anything into the basket. Talking a few nonsense words is not treason, but secretly abusing power for personal gain to pocket a little does not amount to treason.

"How can the glow of a firefly on rotten grass compare to the bright moon in the sky?" Li Le felt that nothing would happen. In his opinion, these bureaucrats in the Southern Court would only dare to make some small moves. If they were really asked to go against the court to the death, they would not dare to do so even if they had ten thousand courageous men.

Your Majesty's knife is not sharp. If you really want to attack Hai Rui, how could the bureaucrats have the courage to do so?

"General Yuan is not lying. It's just that Your Majesty followed closely and came too quickly." Li Le explained his reasons again. He had lost the best opportunity. Chen Wuyin's case had already been determined and there was no possibility of changing it. Either he did it before Hai Rui found out the truth, or he didn't do it at all.

The bureaucrats in the Southern Court are indeed bastards, but they can be bastards at different times. The emperor came with his troops and would really carry out a purge, but the bureaucrats in the Southern Court are not so desperate to kill themselves.

If we really take action against Hai Rui, it would be equivalent to losing any chance of negotiation. Your Majesty has always been open to negotiation since he ascended the throne, and the conditions during the first negotiation were extremely favorable, even favorable enough that most people could accept.

Moreover, once the Southern Court officials could no longer hold back and took action against Hai Rui, they would be in a dilemma of whoever took action first would be in the wrong. Even the Northern Court officials would be in a dilemma of not being able to say a good word for the Southern Court officials. The literati in the world could not find any fault with the emperor, and the Southern Court bureaucrats' greatest reliance, the influence of public opinion, would be completely useless.

The reason why the Prince of Yan's palace revolted was because Emperor Jianwen was forcing him too much. The Prince of Yan was pretending to be crazy and stupid, but he still refused to let go, which was forcing him to revolt. Therefore, even the humble scholars in the Southern Court did not overly attack the Prince of Yan's motives for revolting. The main criticism was that Zhu Di used too drastic means after he ascended the throne.

In Li Le's opinion, the officials in the Southern Court should be more afraid that something might happen to Hai Rui.

This is Li Le’s opinion, he thinks so.

"General Hai, there is a situation." Chief Justice Chen Mo hurried in and said with a serious expression.

"What happened?" Hai Rui stood up and said with a frown, "Tell me in detail."

"When the Caihu Camp delivered the vegetables, the Tiqi found a packet of poison, which was a Qianji poison." Chen Mo told Hai Rui what had happened.

The Qianji poison is Strychnos nux vomica. Li Shizhen said: It looks like the coins of a horse, hence the name. Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, died after being given the Qianji poison by Emperor Taizong of Song.

The terrible thing about this poison is that it is tasteless, that is, you can only taste its bitterness when you put it in your mouth. The chief medical officer is quite knowledgeable about this thing, because it is also a good medicine for rheumatism, stubborn arthritis, numbness and paralysis, and the optimal dosage is almost the same as the poisoning dosage.

The chief doctors would not prescribe this medicine unless absolutely necessary.

Now, a packet of poison appeared in the vegetable basket of Caihuying. The amount was enough to kill ten people, let alone Hai Rui.

Hai Rui stood up and said to Li Le with a smile, "Look, Governor Li, they are so crazy. You analyzed so many reasons why they couldn't do it, but they still came."

"Although you have been in Yingtian Prefecture for more than ten years, you still haven't seen their true colors. First, you have the protection of the chief minister, so they are afraid and don't dare to do anything. Second, you haven't touched their fundamental interests. They have loopholes to exploit in new policies such as land surveying, returning land, performance appraisal, abolishing slavery, and prohibiting subcontracting, so they are not in a hurry."

"As for me, they can only feel at ease if they kill me. They know what I am here for."

Hai Rui is different from Li Le. Li Le will never encounter a hunt. This kind of hunting from the ruling class is a pressure that Li Le has never felt before. The reason why he thinks it will not happen is because Li Le has a backer. As long as Zhang Juzheng is alive, these people need to worry about Zhang Juzheng's reaction. After all, Zhang Juzheng is the master, and he will really take action if there is any problem.

And there is another point. Hai Rui really wants to target their vitals, even to the point of killing them, so the means of resistance will be much more brutal. Compared with Hai Rui, Li Le is just like a good guy.

"General Hai, the imperial guards know more about poison than these despicable scholars." Chen Mo said very calmly. Ensuring Hai Rui's safety was the order the imperial guards received.

Your Majesty would visit the place where the family of Duntai Yuanhou gathered in Nanhai Zi before the Chinese New Year every year, and would send eunuchs to visit them during the holidays. Since the establishment of Duntai Yuanhou in the second year of Jingtai, Your Majesty has been the emperor who respects Duntai Yuanhou the most, without a doubt.

The Tiqi will not betray, and the bargaining chip that can make the Tiqi as a whole betray the emperor is really too expensive.

"Let's go and take a look." Hai Rui asked Chen Mo to lead the way in front, and his steps were still steady. He did not feel any panic because someone wanted to kill him. This time when he went to Nan Ya, the storm was much smaller than in the past. He had been harassed at the post station in Xia Shu Town, and had to stay overnight at good families, and was threatened and bribed. The scale of the hunting was much larger than today.

Just a packet of poison.

Hai Rui walked briskly to the scene of the crime. The Ti riders were collecting evidence, while a vegetable farmer from the Vegetable Farm was kneeling on the ground, trembling.

"What's your name?" Hai Rui walked up to the vegetable farmer in Caihuying and asked in a relatively gentle tone.

"I am Pan Sangui, a vegetable farmer in the Vegetable Farm of Yingtian Prefecture. Please spare my life, Lord Hai. I was blinded by the desire for money and took this job. Please spare my life, Lord Hai." Pan Sangui, who was pale and skinny, was kneeling on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly in fear.

"What did you call me?" Hai Rui stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the vegetable farmer, and asked with some curiosity.

"Hai Qingtian." Pan Sangui kowtowed again.

Hai Rui then sighed and said, "You know who I am, but you still want to harm me? I have done something wrong to the people and have become a dog official. Do you want to kill me?"

"No."

Hai Rui thought for a moment and then asked, "Is it because of something I did or didn't do that I let you down? Do you want to kill me? I did have a lot of unfinished business, and I left the people suffering."

Hai Rui had many unfulfilled wishes, and Nan Ya was his biggest wish. He had not accomplished the return of farmland and the One Whip Law in the beginning. Now only Songjiang Prefecture had implemented the One Whip Law. Hai Rui thought that it was the unfinished business that made the vegetable farmer Pan Sangui bear a grudge against him.

"No."

"Under threat?" "Hai Qingtian, spare my life!" Pan Sangui did not give a direct answer, but kowtowed again and begged for mercy.

Hai Rui looked at Pan Sangui, exhaled, and asked in a low voice: "What are you going to do next? Are you going to commit suicide? Those people told you to die if you fail, right?"

"Ah?! How did Hai Qingtian know?!" Pan Sangui looked up in shock, then leaned back suddenly and fell to the ground. Looking at Hai Rui's face full of fear, he wondered if Hai Rui had some kind of mind-reading magic that allowed him to know exactly what Hai Rui was thinking and what he was going to do!
"Ah, these are all old tricks. It's been fourteen years. Can't they try something new? I thought these cheap scholars could come up with some new tricks to show me this time, but that's it?" Hai Rui said with a hint of disappointment.

Even if Pan Sangui wanted to harm Hai Rui, he still called Hai Rui "Hai Qingtian" instead of "dog official", because he really couldn't call him that. It was obvious that he was forced to do so. The poison might succeed, but it might also fail. After the failure, there would naturally be a chain of moves. Once Pan Sangui died in prison without trial, Hai Rui would be accused of killing people to vent his personal anger and taking human life lightly.

Li Le had never experienced such a bloody political struggle, and he was even more surprised than Pan Sangui.

Hai Rui, what did you experience in Yingtian Prefecture back then?
"If you want to kill me, you must first let the world misunderstand me, slander me, deceive me, humiliate me, laugh at me, look down on me, despise me, and hate me. Then I will not be the stubborn Hai Rui, but a traitor. Only then will my death be justified." Hai Rui said calmly, "It's a pity that they know how to deal with people like me. I also know how to deal with them."

Hai Rui looked at Chen Mo and said with a smile, "Captain Chen, don't let anyone commit suicide out of fear of punishment."

"Understood, sir!" Chen Mo was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He had never thought of this at all.

"Interrogate him thoroughly and find out why Pan Sangui came here, who ordered him to come, and what grievances he suffered. We must interrogate him clearly. He cannot be left as an innocent ghost." Hai Rui instructed Chen Mo and made specific arrangements, asking Chen Mo to find out what threats Pan Sangui had faced before he would come.

Pan Sangui was doomed to die. He assassinated an imperial official, and he did it for no reason and without any grudge against an honest and upright official like Hai Rui. The emperor would not and could not pardon him, even if Pan Sangui was really coerced.

But Pan Sangui will not become a wronged ghost, and the bastards who threaten Pan Sangui will be buried with Pan Sangui.

"Let me think about it. What other tricks do I have?" Hai Rui held his hands up, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "It's only right. I went to Yingtian sixteen years ago. I should find a child of similar age and run to the government office to recognize him as my father."

"What does General Hai mean?" Li Le was a little confused, and Chen Mo was also a little bewildered. What was Hai Rui talking about? Who did he recognize as his father? What kind of magical trick was this?
"It seems your teacher didn't teach you these tricks." Hai Rui said with a smile, "I left behind many romantic debts in Yingtian Prefecture. All I need to do is find a dozen or so kids around 15 or 16 years old, have them come to the government office and kowtow to me and acknowledge me as their father. Hey, is there really no other way? Throwing dirty water on people may work once, but will it work every time?"

"Did General Hai have a romantic debt in Yingtian Prefecture back then?" Chen Mo was a bit straightforward. He subconsciously felt that this matter was rather tricky. His Majesty had never taught him how to deal with such a situation.

Hai Rui waved his hands repeatedly. Chen Mo insisted that if he admitted it, Chen Mo would find a way to deal with him. Hai Rui quickly said, "No, this is all the tricks of the lowly scholars. When I first arrived at the Southern Court, many of my sons and daughters showed up. They were all from Nanping, Fujian. I was a teacher there at the time, but they made me very embarrassed."

"Captain Chen, you are doing this and that, and this and that."

"Understood!" Chen Mo's eyes lit up as he listened. Hai Rui knew the methods of these lowly scholars and naturally had ways to deal with them. He couldn't help but say, "To deal with these scholars, we still need scholars."

Chen Mo was no match for these crappy moves. He could defend against overt assassinations, but not such soft attacks.

Who says a soft knife can't kill people? If a soft knife can't kill people, then the Zhejiang Governor Zhu Wan would not have committed suicide.

"I'm not laughing at them for not making progress. It's just that after so many years, they're still using the same old methods." Hai Rui was somewhat disappointed with the cheap scholars. Having been in the capital for these years, he had gotten used to watching the excitement with His Majesty, and he always hoped to see something new. However, the cheap scholars in the Southern Courtyard never disappointed anyone.

Li Le still didn't quite believe it. We were all decent people, so why did we have to act so indecently?
But soon, Li Le realized that he was wrong, and extremely wrong. When Hai Rui returned to Nanjing, Li Le was really shocked. This man could be so bad!

In front of the Yingtian Prefecture government office, more than a dozen pairs of mothers and sons, and mothers and daughters came. They brought their children and knelt on the ground crying for their parents. It was really a mess.

The imperial guards had received orders in advance and were unmoved, not even bothering to ask questions. The three feet in front of the yamen was the final warning. Once they crossed that line, the imperial guards would draw their embroidered spring swords and warn these people not to go any further. Even if they cried three feet away, the imperial guards would not care.

Soon, the crying attracted countless people to watch. Most of the people did not believe it at all, but some people were whispering in the crowd, saying that these officials were all birds of a feather, etc., creating public opinion.

Of course, the scene was somewhat awkward.

According to the script, at this time, the imperial guards and yamen runners should have taken action, either to drive them away or to ask Hai Rui to deal with them. But no, the yamen was extremely quiet, without any movement. The imperial guards guarding the gate seemed to be watching the fun, just watching quietly and doing nothing.

This makes the mouthpiece of public opinion that stirs up the crowd seem very embarrassed.

"Who is making noise outside the gate?" A man in a scholar's robe appeared in front of the yamen and shouted angrily in a rather harsh tone.

"You are an ungrateful man! You said you would marry me, but you left without any hesitation, leaving my mother and me to be looked down upon! Hai Rui, do you still remember me?" A woman shouted angrily when she finally got a response.

Chen Mo stood in front of the door and couldn't help but admire this woman's excellent acting skills. Look at the way she gritted her teeth, as if she wanted to eat the unfaithful man alive!
With someone taking the lead, a dozen women were about to attack the yamen again, but the imperial guards once again drew their embroidered spring swords, and these women began to make a scene. The man in Confucian robes who walked out of the door suddenly took a step back, revealing another man in Confucian robes.

"You don't even know me, how can you say that you and I had a child!" The second man in Confucian robes shouted angrily in shock and anger, seeming to be a little angry out of shame.

When the two 'Hai Rui's' stood in front of the door, everyone was a little confused. The melon seeds in the hands of the onlookers fell to the ground. The scene was really weird. At this point, even the dumbest person would know that this was someone trying to throw dirty water on Hai Qingtian.

These days, Hai Rui's portraits are not posted all over the city, and few people have actually seen Hai Rui.

These women cried and wailed for a long time, subconsciously thinking that the man in the Confucian robe was Hai Rui. They had recognized the wrong person.

"You've been gone for more than ten years! It's no wonder that I didn't recognize you for a while! People call you Hai Qingtian, but do you know how my mother and I have been living all these years?" A woman said loudly with her eyes rolling very quickly.

The second Confucian robe man once again stepped aside, revealing a third Confucian robe man. This man held his hands and said gently, "You've made a mistake again. I am Hai Rui."

Then came the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh. A total of seven men of similar height, body shape, and appearance appeared and stood in front of the door.

"Now, among the seven people in front of you, there is one who is Hai Zongxian. How about you find him now?" Chen Mo took two steps forward, paused the hook-and-sickle spear in his hand, and said loudly.

Those who like to watch the fun don't mind any big deal. Things have come to this point, and the onlookers have already seen everything clearly in their hearts. Among these corrupt officials, it is hard to find an honest official, but they are trying their best to slander his reputation and destroy it!
"Pick one! Pick one! There are so many people out there, you can't make the wrong choice! It can't be a one-night stand where you can't even recognize the person now!"

"This is so disgusting. What kind of person is Hai Qingtian? Do you think you can throw dirty water on him?! Choose quickly, choose quickly!"

"As soon as you open your mouth, you can say the word treacherous. If you can't choose today, no one will leave! Whoever said bad things about Hai Qingtian just now, stand up! I will slap you in the face!"

……

Chen Mo looked at the excited people. He knew clearly that at this point, Hai Rui had already won the battle of wind power and public opinion, and it was a complete victory. Just looking at the people's reactions, it was clear.

The dozen or so women looked at each other, gathered together to discuss and argue for a long time before finally choosing the one who looked the most like the man.

"Have you made your choice?" Chen Mo asked calmly as he looked at the women's choices.

"It's chosen." A woman said through gritting her teeth.

"Okay, actually these seven are all fake." Chen Mo looked at the woman and changed the subject, then revealed the answer with a smile.

He had received professional training, so he did not make the audience laugh, but instead revealed the truth. However, when the onlookers heard the answer, they laughed so hard that they fell over. It was indeed a very funny example.

These seven men in Confucian robes were all people that Chen Mo had found from the opera troupe. They were there specifically to act in the play. Each of them had only one line to speak, and that was it.

"False accusation and retaliation! Everyone listen up, arrest the person who is crying immediately!" Chen Mo looked at these women with murderous eyes and began to order them to be arrested.

In the Ming Dynasty, false accusation was a serious crime, and false accusation and retaliation were never empty words.

Amid the noise, the farce did not end, because finally a man in a Confucian robe appeared in front of the government office. Almost everyone present could tell at a glance that this thin man who stood as straight as a pen holder was Hai Rui. The extremely gentle Hai Rui still showed his sharp edge.

The vital energy of bones is derived from the bones.

Hai Rui's appearance made everyone at the scene quiet down.

Hai Rui looked at the scene with some emotion. He took two steps and stood in front of everyone. He was silent for a moment before he said, "This morning, I captured a vegetable farmer from the vegetable camp. He brought a bag of poison and wanted to assassinate me. I asked him, 'I am Hai Rui, do you want to kill me too?' The farmer looked around and said something else. It was obvious that someone was threatening him."

"This happened in the morning. It's not even noon yet and a bunch of people have come and said they recognize me as their father."

"My fellow elders, Hai Rui is a lone minister. He came to the Southern Court this time to investigate corruption. If during the investigation, Hai Rui is found to be as stupid as last time and is punished, Hai Rui will not leave this time, even if he dies."

"When you pass by my grave, please don't scold me. I really tried my best. Thank you for your kindness."

Hai Rui said this to the common people, and also to the powerful and wealthy who were hiding behind these poor laborers, stirring up the people and confusing right and wrong. He, Hai Rui, was not afraid of death, and these people could not scare him away with death threats. This time, with the emperor's support, he would continue to do it even if they killed him.

Last time, he was halfway through his work when the emperor promoted him, and it ended in a mess.

Everyone has unfinished business, including Hai Rui. Investigating and prosecuting Xu Jie was just one of them. He had failed to complete or do well what he had done when he was the governor of Yingtian, so he had to finish it this time.

(End of this chapter)