lady, please calm down

On the sixth day of August, the court was dismissed at noon.

When the ministers left the palace, they saw two large carts parked outside the palace, each carrying more than ten corpses.

Caught off guard, the officials were shocked.

Then a young officer took the initiative to walk up to Lin'an prefect Sang Yanting and whispered something to him. The latter looked stunned.

Soon, the lieutenant left with his subordinates, leaving only two large carts outside the palace gate. Sang Yanting hurriedly called the servants who were waiting outside the palace and asked them to go to the government office to call a team of yamen runners to come and receive them.

Among the court officials leaving the palace, the team on the left was headed by Xu Bang and Chen Jing'an who were from Huaibei, while the team on the right was mainly composed of former officials from Jiangnan such as Chen Bokang and Luo Ruji.

On the left, Chen Jing'an saw that the dead were all dressed as palace maids, and he did not stop at all. While everyone's attention was on the young officer and Sang Yanting, he quietly left.

Xu Bang was extremely curious, so he went to ask Sang Yanting, and then left with a smile.

On the right, the old officials from Jiangnan were equally strange. Although Sang Yanting was an old official from the Zhou Kingdom, after he took office as the prefect of Lin'an, he became almost a servant of the emperor, running around after those Huaibei students all day long, which greatly lost the dignity of an official and was disliked by everyone.

But everyone is extremely concerned about the origins of these corpses, and they cannot feel at ease until they find out what happened.

You looked at me, I looked at you, and finally, it was the Left Counselor Mei Rupin who took the initiative to step forward and ask, "Lord Sang, what's going on with these corpses?"

Sang Yanting did not hide anything and said directly: "The lieutenant just passed on a message that these people were all palace servants in Funing Palace. They were executed by Concubine Cai this morning and I am in charge of their affairs."

"."

When Mei Rupin heard this, he was immediately annoyed. It was not uncommon for several people to die in the palace every year.

But there is almost no precedent of executing more than 20 people at one time like this!
How cruel!

Furthermore, it would have been fine if Concubine Cai had buried these people quietly, but she actually had the bodies brought here in such a brazen manner. Did she really think that all the officials were blind?
Coupled with Concubine Cai's reputation for being vicious, Mei Rupin instantly became the embodiment of loyalty and righteousness, speaking for the people. He angrily said to his colleagues, "The country is newly established, and we should treat our subjects well and take care of our lives! Now more than 20 palace maids have died tragically in the palace for no reason. This is absolutely not the atmosphere that the country should have! Everyone, come with me to see His Majesty, and ask His Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly!"

"Treating subjects well" also includes treating ministers well, but the emperor had only been in Lin'an for two or three months when he executed Chang Huazhi, breaking the unspoken rule of "no punishment for scholars and officials" that had existed for nearly two hundred years.

Afterwards, he ignored the Minister of Punishments, Mr. Xie Kuo, and the Minister of Supreme Court, Mr. Zhou Wei, who had been claiming illness and not attending court until now. No matter how you look at it, the emperor's attitude towards his officials cannot be described as 'kind'!
The murder of a palace maid today seemed to have given everyone an excuse. Firstly, speaking up for the people would appear more noble and upright; secondly, blaming Concubine Cai was much less risky than blaming the emperor.

Perhaps out of sympathy or for other reasons, all the officials spoke up and echoed the sentiment, then turned around and walked back to the imperial city.

Because Xie, Zhou and others were "recuperating" at home, Chen Bokang and Luo Ruji became the representatives with the highest official positions. Mei Rupin, with several subordinates of the censors, surrounded the two men, as if they were afraid that they would run away.

"Don't worry, Lord Mei. Although I am not talented, I cannot bear to see such a tragedy! For the prosperity of our new dynasty and the survival of the people, I will stand with you this time!"

Luo Ruoji, who was sandwiched between the two men, made an impassioned speech. The censor beside him was quite surprised and said: All the gentlemen look down on Lord Luo and criticize him for being good at changing with the wind. Now it seems that the rumors outside are not true!
Even Mei Rupin bowed deeply to Luo Ruji to show his respect.

But in the blink of an eye, Lord Luo went to the toilet under the pretext of urinating.

Mei Rupin, who had relaxed his vigilance, waited for a quarter of an hour but no one came out. He went in to take a look and found the toilet empty. He realized that he had been tricked and everyone could not help but curse in a low voice.

After Luo Ruji slipped away, the remaining Chen Bokang became more conspicuous. Five or six censors surrounded him and would not let him slip away no matter what.

Mei Rupin saw that Chen Bokang was frowning all the time, and couldn't help but say: "Mr. Chen comes from a famous family and is known for his loyalty. Naturally, he won't learn the behavior of a villain like Luo Ruji!"

Chen Bokang knew that the other party was provoking him, but he could do nothing. He just raised his voice slightly and said to his colleagues: "Your Majesty is in the prime of life. He is not like the Emperor Zhou, and he is definitely not a weak monarch. You must pay attention to your attitude and don't annoy His Majesty."

It is true that Concubine Cai has a bad reputation, but she is extremely favored by the Emperor. This is a reminder for everyone to be careful with their words.

However, some people scoffed at Chen Bokang's reminder. Zuo Shao, a subordinate of Mei Rupin, a newly-appointed Jinshi the year before, and a seventh-rank right assistant, said righteously: "We study and become officials in order to govern the country and correct your majesty's mistakes. How can we shrink back and keep silent because of personal gains and losses!"

"." Chen Bokang looked at the eager expressions of many middle and lower-level young officials represented by Zuo Shao and gave up the idea of ​​persuading them.

Yande Hall in the Imperial City.

Yande Hall is located directly behind Chuigong Hall, which was often used for court meetings, and still belongs to the front court. Chen Chu used this place as the place to handle official business after court meetings.

In his hand was a battle report on the encirclement and suppression of the remnants of Emperor Zhou by Shi Wulang, Xiao Xin and Han Shizhong's troops in Fujian Province, but what he was thinking about was the incident at Funing Palace which Xiao Yi had personally reported to him half an hour ago.

After a while, Cao Xiaojian personally carried the food box into the hall. Seeing Chen Chu was in a daze, he quietly put away the official documents on the table and took out the porridge in the food box one by one.

After Chen Chu realized what was happening, he waved his hands and said, "Don't put it here, be careful not to contaminate the documents. I'm not hungry."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiaojian stopped his hand movements but said, "Your Majesty, before leaving Huaibei, the Empress specifically instructed me to watch your breakfast every day to prevent the stomach problems you contracted in Liao from recurring. If you miss a meal, the Empress will give me a punishment. Please let me suffer less."

Cao Xiaojian had arrived in Huaibei more than ten years ago, and he knew best how to persuade Chen Chu.

"Haha, the Queen is soft-hearted. She said that to scare you, but she would never really beat you with a stick."

Sure enough, while Chen Chu said this, he was helping Cao Xiaojian tidy up the imperial desk and make room for the porridge and rice.

Chen Chu took the bowl of chestnut and corn porridge, took a sip, and couldn't help but smile: "The porridge cooked by the chef in the palace is somewhat similar to the cooking skills of the firemen in the army."

Cao Xiaojian smiled as he helped Chen Chu serve the dishes, "Your Majesty, you may not know that since the Imperial Concubine came to Lin'an, she has replaced all the people in the Imperial Kitchen in the West Garden with her personal army. Your Majesty will naturally think that the taste is similar."

"Oh"

Chen Chu had no time to take care of such trivial matters. He only found out about it today. After thinking for a while, he couldn't help but say, "Huan'er is very thoughtful. If she hadn't been paying attention to me all these years, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get to where I am today safely."

Cao Xiaojian probably already knew what happened in Funing Palace this morning, and couldn't help but whispered: "The Imperial Concubine doesn't care about the outside world's opinions. She makes decisions when necessary. Her talent and intelligence are not inferior to Prime Minister Cai."

“I’m afraid I’ll be called vicious again.”

Chen Chu shook his head, but as soon as he finished speaking, a eunuch walked into the hall and said, "Prime Minister Chen, Lord Mei and others want to see you."

"Well, here it comes."

Chen Chu put down his bowl of porridge, feeling quite disappointed.

After a while, important officials such as Chen Bokang and Mei Rupin entered the palace.

After all, the imperial city is not a vegetable market, and most of the middle and lower-level officials who stayed in Beijing stayed outside the palace.

"What do you guys want?"

Chen Chu wiped his mouth and asked the question even though he knew the answer.

Chen Bokang saluted, but before he could speak, Mei Rupin spoke first: "Your Majesty! Just now, we saw 27 palace maids die tragically outside the palace. I wonder why?"

On the other side, Zheng Hongzu, the censor of the Imperial Censorate, immediately said: "Your Majesty's reputation for benevolence is not easy to come by. You must not indulge your royal family! I implore Your Majesty to punish the perpetrators to prevent the reputation of the country from being tarnished!"

After just two sentences, he showed his weapons and demanded that Chen Chu punish Cai Huan.

Chen Chu looked at Zheng Hongzu and said calmly, "Master Zheng, why don't you ask why?"

The fact that he said this showed that he already knew about this matter. Zheng Hongzu was not afraid at all and said calmly, "Your Majesty, please explain clearly!"

"Haha, Funing Palace was haunted last night. A fierce ghost claimed to be the mother of Changhua Cao Ling who hanged herself in prison. She went to Funing Palace at midnight last night to claim her life. These palace servants may have been harmed by the fierce ghost."

As Chen Chu spoke, his calm gaze swept across the faces of the ministers one by one.

Chen Bokang was the most shocked. He subconsciously looked up at Chen Chu. The huge information contained in the words "claiming to be Cao Ling's mother" made Chen Bokang experience confusion, doubt and sudden enlightenment in just a few breaths.
Then he turned his head and looked at his colleagues.

But, this kind of thing is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of the entire family. Naturally, Chen Bokang could not see anything special from everyone's faces, and for a moment he could not tell whether anyone present was involved in this matter.

The person who might have been behind the plot is now standing in their camp, indignant and seeking justice for the palace people.

It is also possible that the person who planned it was one of those who was sick at home.

It is also possible that people in the palace and officials who were sick at home were involved.

But all this is speculation.

As a member of the gentry, Chen Bokang naturally understood some of the methods used by the civil servants, but he still couldn't help being shocked. Has the relationship between His Majesty and the officials and gentry in Jiangnan become so tense?

But the Imperial Censor Zheng Hongzu seemed to have no idea what the haunted palace meant. He just held the board in his hand and said, "This is nonsense. It must be a rumor spread by the women in the harem. Your Majesty is the emperor. How can you believe this?"

Chen Chu leaned forward slightly, looked at Zheng Hongzu and said with a half-smile: "Whether you believe it or not, I believe it anyway!"

"Hahaha"

Zheng Hongzu laughed angrily, his beard trembling, "Your Majesty, do you think we are three-year-old children? We came here today for Your Majesty and for the Great Chu, but Your Majesty mocked us. Isn't it disappointing the loyal hearts of the world!"

Facing Zheng Hongzu's questioning, Chen Chu's smile gradually faded, and he suddenly asked, "Who told you to laugh?"

"Uh"

Before Zheng Hongzu could react, Chen Chu shouted, "Eunuch Cao!"

Cao Xiaojian stepped forward and immediately scolded: "You are disrespectful in front of the emperor. You should be fined three months' salary, demoted and expelled from the palace! General Pang, please come!"

Pang Shengyi, who was on duty today, was already unhappy with the civil servants who were coming in so aggressively. As soon as Cao Xiaojian finished speaking, he led his men to rush forward and dragged Zheng Hongzu out of the Yande Hall.

"."The officials were speechless. The emperor still didn't give them face.

"Your Majesty is having a meal, please follow me and leave for now."

After Chen Bokang realized that something was wrong today, he tried to persuade everyone to leave first.

At this moment, one of the young officials waiting outside the palace stepped out and stood in the middle of the gate. He knelt on the ground with a plop and shouted, "Your Majesty! Imperial Concubine Cai has repeatedly exceeded her authority and interfered in government affairs. Today, she slaughtered palace maids on a large scale! She is not a good concubine. Please depose her from the position of Imperial Concubine for the sake of the country!"

Chen Bokang looked back in shock again. At this point, the situation was completely out of his control.

The person who dared to remonstrate was Zuo Shao, the Right Assistant of the Censorate. But how could Cai Huan be moved? Not only was she the favorite concubine of His Majesty, she was also the beloved daughter of Cai Yuan!

To attack her so blatantly is to attack the entire Huaibei faction.

Chen Bokang looked at Zuo Shao's righteous face and for a moment he was unsure whether this young man was really acting out of justice or was promised enormous wealth by the person behind the scenes, so he dared to jump out and touch the tiger's whiskers.

On the imperial steps, Cao Xiaojian wanted to speak again to reprimand him for his impoliteness, but Chen Chu interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

Then Chen Chu stood up and walked down the stairs until he reached the center of Yande Hall. He then looked at Zuo Shao and asked, "What's your name and where do you work?"

"Your humble servant Zuo Shao is honored to be the Right Assistant Minister of the Court of Remonstrance!"

"Well, from now on, you are no longer one." Chen Chu said calmly, then turned back to Pang Shengyi and said, "Roaring in front of the emperor, selling your reputation, resigning from your post, and immediately taking you to the Dali Temple to await trial."

"emperor!"

"Your Majesty, censors cannot be convicted for their words. This is the ancestral rule!"

Immediately, voices of dissuasion were heard in the hall.

"Ancestor's rule? Whose ancestral rule?"

Chen Chu asked back, and then scanned the faces of the old and young, all of which were full of righteousness, and suddenly lost his patience, "That's enough! The previous dynasty fell, you were laid off and found new jobs, and I will establish a new dynasty, and it is impossible for me to do everything you want. We are just the couple who divorced and got together to live together. It's okay for each of us to have our own ulterior motives, but if anyone crosses the line, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"."

The hall suddenly fell silent.

When things got to this point, there was no warmth left between the king and his subjects.

It not only points out the knowledge of certain people's behind-the-scenes manipulation, but also serves as a warning similar to an ultimatum.

Having said that, this attack on Cai Huan naturally ended abruptly.

But it was more like a test.

"No need for you to do anything, General. I'll do it myself!"

Outside the hall, Zuo Shao was still very tough. He took off his official hat, stood up and followed Pang Shengyi. However, as soon as Pang Shengyi turned a corner with him, he kicked Zuo Shao in the waist!
All I heard was Lao Pang cursing in a low voice: "Pretend to be your mother! Are you really so strong-willed that you will be bullied by the Jin Kingdom and become idiots? Your Majesty is right, you are all people who sell your integrity for fame!"

Inside the hall, with Chen Bokang's mediation, although the ministers looked unhappy, they bowed one by one and left the Yan De Hall.

"Your Majesty, I will take my leave."

Chen Bokang, who was at the back, bowed to Chen Chu and seemed to want to say something, but it ended up as a silent sigh.

Chen Chu, who was still standing in the center of Yande Hall, waited until Chen Bokang retreated to the hall door, and suddenly asked leisurely: "Mr. Chen, did you hear about what happened last night in advance?"

"."

This question left Chen Bokang speechless for a long time. The fact that Chen Chu asked him this showed that he still had some trust in him.

But asking this also shows that Chen Chu no longer completely trusts him.

Chen Bokang seemed to have aged a lot in an instant. He slowly bowed and said, "Your Majesty once said something to me in the early years. It is still fresh in my mind. I really didn't know what happened last night."

This conversation was extremely obscure, and no one pointed out the shocking conspiracy behind the "ghost" incident. Chen Bokang's answer was entirely up to his heart.

Chen Chu stared at Chen Bokang for two or three breaths, then suddenly laughed, "I also remember the scene when I first met you in Huainan. I trust you, Mr. Chen."

On the same evening, in Caizhou City, thousands of miles away.

Cai Yuan, the legitimate prime minister of the Great Chu, rode in an ox cart and brought more than a dozen plain-clothed followers into the city before sunset.

That night, Caizhou militia commander Gou Sheng and criminal department chief Ximen Fa successively received invitations from Prime Minister Cai, inviting them to his house for a chat.

If the person who sent the invitation was not Zhang Bo, an old servant of the Cai family, the two would not have believed it.
Firstly, although they were both old men from Huaibei, they held low official positions and did not have the face to ask Prime Minister Cai to send them an invitation.

Secondly, Cai Yuan was, after all, the current prime minister and Duke of Korea. Normally, his entourage would make a lot of noise when he went out. How could there be no rumors at all when he returned home in glory?
It was not until that night when the two of them went to the Cai family's early house in the state capital and saw the living Prime Minister Cai with their own eyes that they were completely sure that this was true.

The two of them were both subordinates and juniors in front of Cai Yuan, so they were particularly respectful.

Cai Yuan did not exchange pleasantries with the two men and went straight to the point: "Last month, His Majesty sent an order to Tokyo, asking me to go to Lin'an in person. Are you two willing to go with me?"

"If the Prime Minister has any orders, I will not refuse even if I die!"

"Ximen vowed to go with the Prime Minister!"

The two of them expressed their opinions without hesitation and with extraordinary decisiveness.

"Yes! He is indeed the old man who followed Your Majesty in his early years!"

Cai Yuan stroked his beard and smiled, then he talked about the purpose of his trip southward, "The officials and gentry in Jiangnan are stubborn and unyielding, and His Majesty has lost his patience and wants me to go to Lin'an to take charge."

"Your Excellency is wise and considerate of the state! You should be the most important minister to His Majesty!"

Gou Sheng first flattered him, then asked, "I wonder what the Prime Minister wants us to do in the south?"

Cai Yuan looked at the two men one after another and said slowly, "If I remember correctly, both of you have served in criminal litigation for many years, right?"

Gou Sheng and Ximen Fa looked at each other, and the latter said, "What the Prime Minister said is correct. I am still working in the Criminal Department. Before Brother Gou became the Tuanlianshi, he was the one who appointed me to this position."

"Prime Minister, is there a case in Lin'an that needs our help?"

Gou Sheng understood something and couldn't help but ask a question.

Cai Yuan nodded, "Yes, there is indeed a major case in Lin'an that His Majesty is supervising. You two should write to me tomorrow and go to each government office to select some capable officials, limited to 300 people, and follow me south the day after tomorrow!"

Ximen Fa was shocked when he heard this: Three hundred capable officials?

What a big case this is that requires so many people?

"Prime Minister, this case is not a small matter, is it?"

Since it was related to the task he was about to do, Gou Sheng naturally wanted to know more.

Cai Yuan did not hide it. He looked at the moonlight outside the window and said calmly, "It is indeed not small. Maybe half of the officials in Jiangnan are gone, which is not surprising."

"!"

Gou Sheng and Ximen Fa were both shocked!
Half of Jiangnan officials are gone?

Such a major case is worthy of a prominent mention in history books!

Both of them are now less than 40 years old, but they are gradually reaching a bottleneck in their careers as they are getting further and further away from the core power layer. When they suddenly heard about this, they intuitively felt that the opportunity to make a great contribution had come again!

I am so excited!

It has to be said that Cai Yuan was very good at selecting people. These two were loyal, capable, and internally motivated. Furthermore, since they had never been to Jiangnan, there was no possibility that they had any old connections with the local officials and gentry.

That night, Cai Yuan took the time to give the two of them a brief account of the situation in Jiangnan and the goals they wanted to achieve this time.

It was not until the beginning of midnight that the two left Cai's mansion.

On the way home, the two walked under the moonlight, unable to suppress their surging emotions.

Ximen Fa was silently thinking about who to bring with him. When he turned around, he saw Gou Sheng looking at the long street, as if thinking about something. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what are you thinking about?"

Gou Sheng came back to his senses and sighed, "Many people from Tongshan always privately say that Prime Minister Cai stood out from your four families and became the head of all officials because of the imperial concubine. Today I know that this is not the case."

"Oh? Tell me in detail, brother."

Although they were low-level local officials, they had a considerable understanding of the court situation due to their different status. Gou Sheng said, "When your majesty has nothing to do, Prime Minister Cai is so low-key that people can forget him. But once your majesty has something to ask him, Prime Minister Cai will be like a sword out of its sheath, showing his sharp edge. Compared with him, Lord Xu is not talented enough; compared with Lord Chen and his brother, they seem to have too many concerns. Only Prime Minister Cai seems to have no concerns and is still as forward-looking as he was in the past! How can your majesty not love such a prime minister! If the imperial concubine had not been childless, it would really be possible."

Gou Sheng was filled with emotion for a moment and said too much, so he quickly stopped talking.

Ximen Fa pretended not to hear the last sentence and sighed, "Yes. This time, Your Majesty uses Prime Minister Cai's sword. I wonder how many heads will be chopped off." (End of this chapter)