Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

"Your Majesty, the case has been investigated. Concubine Yuan was indeed framed. The instigators were Concubine Wu and Minister Wu. In addition to several prisoners in the factory prison, Concubine Zhou in the palace also took the initiative to report to the Empress and confessed Concubine Wu. Please read it, Your Majesty." Dai Quan took a memorial, walked gently into the Yangxin Palace, and said.

Emperor Xifeng took the memorial and read it through. His judgment on the case was exactly the same as that of the Jinyiwei, so he sneered, "Wu Shitao is so bold! He actually reached his hand into my harem. Send this memorial to the Grand Secretaries of the Military Affairs Office for review."

"Yes."

"Who is behind this?" Emperor Xifeng asked.

Dai Quan said: "Your Majesty, Wu Shitao refused to admit it and only said that he was trying to overthrow Concubine Yuan and pave the way for Concubine Wu, and he had no intention of seizing the throne.

After being tortured, he still refused to change his words. I think this may be an accident. Wu Shitao does not have the courage to interfere in the country's affairs. "

Emperor Xifeng snorted coldly. He had been in charge of the world for many years and was of a deep character. He would never easily believe in any coincidence. In his mind, all coincidences were carefully arranged because he was that kind of person.

However, considering that now is not the time to investigate the succession, he buried this matter deep in his heart, let it go, and said coldly: "Since the evidence is irrefutable, Concubine Wu used treacherous schemes to cause chaos in the palace, Wu Shitao deceived the emperor and helped Zhou to commit atrocities, and Ji, Mo and others committed treason and assisted in the execution, how can I let them go easily?

"Deprive Wu of her title and banish her to the cold palace. All Wu Shitao's family members shall be executed. All other people involved shall be executed and their homes shall be confiscated."

"I obey your order." Dai Quan bowed and asked in a low voice, "What about the virtuous concubine..."

Emperor Xifeng's eyes flashed, and he said, "The consort Yuan was wrongly convicted. The house arrest shall be lifted and her former state shall be restored. I shall also give her brocade, gold and jade as a consolation and send another imperial physician to treat her."

"Yes." Dai Quan glanced at Emperor Xifeng secretly, and said, "This time, it's all thanks to Shao Bao's quick resolution of the case, otherwise Wu would have been so proud.

I was wronged to be the governor of the East Factory. I didn't see the situation clearly and didn't check the villains. I almost caused the virtuous concubine to be killed by the villains. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

These words were apparently an apology, but in reality they were bringing Jia Cong up so that the Emperor would not forget him.

Emperor Xifeng glanced at him and said, "Well, you are a clever servant, are you trying to get credit for yourself?
It's not that Jia Cong solved the case quickly and the East Factory didn't know, but it was because it was related to their own interests, how could they not be quick? "

Dai Quan smiled and said, "I dare not, Your Majesty is wise."

Emperor Xifeng thought about it and decided that although Jia Cong was justified in this matter, he could not allow the court officials to be arrested at will.

Even if an important official of the court breaks the law, he should be reported to the court and then sentenced according to the law. How can he be executed first and reported to the court later based on personal interests?

Moreover, the dignity of the Quasi-President and the New Party must also be taken into consideration. This is a good opportunity to weaken Jia Cong.

He said: "Pass on the oral order, Jia Cong abused his power without asking for permission and arbitrarily arrested important officials of the court. Although there are reasons for this, the law cannot be broken and the precedent cannot be changed.

"He was ordered to appoint Fang Ji, the commander of the Northern Pacification Commissioner, as the deputy commander and to hold the seal of the Imperial Guard. He was ordered to stop worrying about the Imperial Guard and concentrate on military affairs."

Dai Quan was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "As you wish."

Although the emperor's decree did not remove Jia Cong from his post as commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it stripped him of his seal-holding position, making the title of commander a mere figurehead.

The power of the Jinyiwei has never been determined by the rank of their positions, but by who holds the seal.

Whoever holds the seal of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is the official and the boss.

According to the convention of the imperial court, in addition to the commander-in-chief, the commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief were all qualified to hold the seal.

Dai Quan came out and went to the Jinyiwei Yamen in person. He delivered the oral instructions to the Jinyiwei senior officials, bowed and smiled, "Don't worry, Shao Bao. The emperor is also worried that you have too many duties and are overworked, so he asked Fang Zhenfu to help share the Jinyiwei's affairs, so that you can focus on military affairs in the future."

Everyone was secretly shocked. Could it be that the Jinyiwei was going to change again? However, seeing Jia Cong's calm expression, they slowly calmed down when they thought of his power.

Jia Cong bowed his hands to the sky and said: "Cong has been blessed with many favors, but the responsibility is heavy and my talent is not enough. I am really unable to do anything and the rope is short.

I just wanted to avoid disappointing His Majesty's grace, so I have been trying my best to maintain it. Fortunately, the Emperor has granted me grace and has exempted me from the hard work. I am only happy and have no other thoughts. Please ask Chief Steward Dai to tell His Majesty. "

Dai Quan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Shao Bao, I will definitely report this to His Majesty. There is one more thing. The case of Concubine Yuan has been investigated and it is indeed Concubine Wu who plotted against her. The Emperor has made a decision and has vindicated Concubine Yuan."

Jia Cong was "pleased" and said, "Thank you very much, old Prime Minister, for your concern. Our whole family is grateful."

"What are you and I worth as brothers?" Dai Quan smiled and cursed in his heart, "You little thief, you are so cunning. Why don't you give me money if you want to express your gratitude?"
He looked to the side and said, "Okay, we can't stay here for long, so I'll leave now. Brother Fang, we need to get closer in the future."

Fang Ji was overjoyed. After years of hard work, he finally ascended to the throne he had always dreamed of. He almost fainted from joy. He nodded and bowed, saying, "I hope the old minister will support and take care of me in the future. I will be at your disposal day and night."

Seeing this scene, Lei Tai, Kong Xing, Jie Hui, Fan Ming, Wang Fei and other direct descendants of Jia Cong all sneered slightly.

Wen Zhen, Zhuang Qing, Tang Zhan, Meng Chen and other veteran Jinyiwei promoted by Jia Cong were also secretly dissatisfied. Fang Ji was too spineless. He was kowtowed before he even took office. Wouldn't he be licking the sores of the Eastern Depot in the future?

The principle of power institutions is the same as that of people. Once they kneel down, it is difficult for them to stand up. Once they stand up, they will not be willing to kneel down again easily.

Fang Ji turned around and saw that everyone looked unhappy. He quickly bowed and said with a smile: "Brothers, don't think that I am undermining my prestige. It is true that courtesy is often appreciated. It doesn't cost anything to say a few polite words, right?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "You are right. From now on, I hope Fang Tongzhi will take care of my duties. I will not worry about it anymore."

After saying this, Lei Tai waved his hand and took out a sandalwood seal box inlaid with brass and carved with double fish and sea water patterns and handed it to Fang Ji. It was the seal of the Jinyiwei.

Fang Ji tried hard to suppress his joy, and took it with trembling hands. He bowed and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will do my best and live up to my mission."

Then he turned around and looked at everyone, smiling, "I hope you brothers will support me in the future."

Everyone bowed and laughed dryly, without expressing their opinions.

Fang Ji looked a little embarrassed, but he didn't dare to say anything because of Jia Cong.

Jia Cong laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Now that Fang Tongzhi is in charge, the brothers will naturally follow his orders."

After hearing his words, everyone said, "Don't worry, Master Fang. I will be at your service."

Fang Ji's expression looked better then, and he laughed it off to cover it up.

Jia Cong waved his hand and said with a smile: "Everyone, go away. I am going back now. From now on, please let Fang Tongzhi decide on all the errands in the government office. I will also stay away for a while."

"Sir..." Everyone wanted to keep him but didn't know what to say. Jia Cong had already left.

As soon as Jia Cong left, the atmosphere became a little awkward. The senior Jinyiwei officials looked at each other, but no one spoke or moved.

Only Fang Ji was standing there awkwardly, holding a seal box.

"My fellow brothers, shall we go back and discuss our assignments first?" Fang Ji said with a smile, looking at the four great commanders of the Northern Division.

Tang Zhan bowed and said, "I obey your command. Please go back first. I will go to Captain Fan to hand over this month's money and grain and come back later."

Meng Chen, Xi Ying, Gu Qiu and the other three thousand households also bowed and said, "The same goes for us. We will come immediately to listen to your instructions."

Due to Jia Cong's rules, the money and grain of the North and South Offices are now allocated directly to the eight powerful thousand households without going through the Pacification Commissioner, so that the Commander's Office can strengthen its control over the Pacification Office.

Fang Ji was also helpless and could only nod and said, "Okay." After saying that, he turned and left, secretly planning in his heart that he would definitely change these stupid rules in the future.

After he left, everyone gathered around Lei Tai and Fan Ming, talking in unison: "Old Lei, Old Fan, what does Shao Bao mean? Can you give me a definite answer?"

Lei Tai smiled and said, "Everyone, don't be anxious. I just got the news just like you. The young guard didn't tell me anything, so how can I answer you? But I think you were all promoted by the young guard, so you should have your own opinions."

Wen Zhen nodded slowly and said, "We have our own ideas, but now Old Fang is in charge..."

Fan Ming laughed and said, "I still have the money. What do you think is more valuable, the seal or the money?"

Everyone laughed. They had all been through hard times, and what was the use of having a big seal if they had no money?

The officer in charge of the Ministry of Experience also laughed and said, "I am in charge of the transfer of documents, promotions and demotions in this guard. Without the seal of the commander, I will not recognize anything. If you have the guts, just dismiss me and I will become a lieutenant."

Everyone laughed and said, "That's right. We can only have a good life now by following Shao Bao. If others want to make a fuss, I will just quit and take a sinecure. I will let Lao Fang do whatever he wants and be happy.

Anyway, you have to pay for what you have done. The fate of Wan Jin and Tang Yan is still there. Do you think you can fight Shao Bao?"

Lei Tai smiled and said, "Since everyone has their own ideas, there is no need to rush. I will go to the Shaobao Mansion to ask and then make a decision."

"Alright."

At that moment, everyone returned to the yamen.

Fang Ji returned to the Beisi hall and placed the seal box upright on the table. He was filled with rage and was thinking about how to vent his anger. Now that he was in charge of the Jinyiwei, he had to at least clean up the Beisi first, if nothing else.

Not long after, Tang Zhan and the other four commanders came back to pay their respects.

Fang Jiji sat in his chair and said calmly, "Can you tell me whether the money and grain have been delivered?"

Tang Zhan shook his head and said, "No, Captain Fan said that there is no money or grain in the warehouse, so it is difficult to allocate it for the time being."

"Huh? Ridiculous! When have I ever been short of money?" Fang Ji shouted.

Seeing that everyone looked unhappy, he recalled the hard times in the past and added: "Since the admiral took charge of our guard, when have we ever been short of money and food?"

Meng Chen spread his hands and said, "We don't understand why, so we have to come back and report to you, sir."

Fang Ji took a deep breath, nodded and said, "I'll go find Fan Ming and ask him about it later. Now let's talk about the North Division."

"Please give your orders, sir." The four of them bowed.

Fang Ji nodded slightly, quite satisfied with the attitude of the four people, and waved his hand and said, "Everyone, sit down.

In the past, many tasks in the Northern Division were personally instructed by the Admiral. Now, the Emperor cannot bear to see the Junior Guardian work too hard, and has sent me to take charge of the seal. I may have to take on more responsibilities in the future.

If there is anything I have not done, I hope the brothers will bear with me.

Of course, if you guys still remember the rules of this guard, don't bother the guard unless it's important. If there's anything, we can just discuss it behind closed doors."

"Of course, I will follow your orders, sir."

The four of them were all experienced people, and they had made up their minds to pretend to obey but secretly disobey, and only used smiles to coax Fang Ji. Anyway, the real power of Beisi was in their hands, so they were not afraid that Fang Ji could turn the world upside down alone.

Fortunately, the young guard was quite foresighted and had already made personnel arrangements, which finally came in handy at this time.

You can't withdraw me just because Fang Ji can't do anything to me? Even if you withdraw, the experience department won't agree.

We are all powerful thousand households officially registered by the Bureau of Experience, and we have been such households until the case is closed. No one can say anything about us.

Even if he was forcibly dismissed from his post by Fang Ji, he would just lie dormant until the Shao Bao came back one day to reorganize the Jinyiwei affairs. Hehehe, wouldn't he stand up again?

It is not difficult to choose whether to join Fang Ji or Jia Cong.

"Okay! In this case, let's first..." Fang Ji was about to arrange the tasks when he suddenly heard the captain report that the chief official of Prince Beijing's Palace wanted to see him.

Fang Jiwei hesitated for a moment and said, "Please come to the study and I will see you. Please wait a moment."

Tang Zhan and the others smiled and said, "My Lord, please go and do your work."

Fang Ji met with the Chief Secretary and politely sent him out. He pinched the two business cards in his sleeves and had an idea in his mind.

It was difficult to refuse the invitation jointly sent by Chief Steward Dai and Prince Beijing, and thinking it was not a big deal, he readily agreed.

After returning to the hall, he asked, "I heard that the Southern Division arrested an actor from Prince Beijing's mansion. Is this true?"

Meng Chen, the commander of the Wind Thousand Household, said, "It is true. I heard that this person is an actor in public, but secretly a spy from the East Factory. He knows a lot of things. I think this is why he was arrested by the Southern Division."

Fang Ji frowned and said, "What's the value? There is no earth-shattering case, why bother to directly touch the people of the East Factory? Now Chief Steward Dai and Prince Beijing have sent a letter to ask for people, how should I respond?
The Nansi is too ignorant. How can the two families of the Factory and the Guard meet in the future?"

Everyone said: "That's right, your Excellency means..."

Fang Ji thought for a moment and said, "Someone, come here! Take my letter to the Southern Division and ask them to release Jiang Yuhan."

"Yes." A captain walked away quickly.

Tang Zhan, Meng Chen and others laughed secretly in their hearts. They knew the inside story but kept it hidden on purpose just to let Fang Ji hit a snag. It would be even better if he could run into the sword of the young guard.

Not long after, the captain came back dejectedly and said, "Your Excellency, the Southern Division will not release us."

Fang Ji frowned and said, "You didn't say it was my intention?"

"I told you. Captain Zhuang said that he had the person in his hands, but he didn't see the warrant from Wen Zhenfu. Even if the King of Hell came, he wouldn't let him go. He said it was the rule of the Southern Division."

Fang Ji was secretly angry, but he held back his anger and said, "Then go find Wen Zhenfu to issue a warrant."

"I went there, and Governor Wen said that the Admiral had ordered the arrest of this person. Without the Admiral's handwritten order, who would dare to release him without a royal decree?"

Fang Ji was furious and shouted, "How dare you! You don't take me seriously! Come, follow me to the Southern Division. I will go there myself and see who dares not to release him!"

"Yes!"

The four captains remained silent, laughing in their hearts, thinking, do you really think it is so easy to be the seal-carrying officer of the Imperial Guard?
In a rage, Fang Ji brought more than a dozen of his trusted aides and rushed to the Southern Division, rushing straight into the prison. The captains did not dare to stop him and let him go in.

Zhuang Qing was playing with the purple clay Xishi teapot leisurely, taking a sip of strong tea from time to time, and ordering his hundred men to torture Jiang Yuhan in various ways for his amusement, when he suddenly heard Fang Ji rushing in angrily. He smiled faintly and stood up to greet him.

"I didn't know you were coming, and I'm sorry for not welcoming you."

Fang Ji looked at the bloodstained and dying Jiang Yuhan lying on the rack and asked, "Is he Jiang Yuhan?"

"Exactly."

"Let him go." Fang Ji said in a deep voice.

Zhuang Qing refused to give in and said calmly, "Please forgive me, sir. I cannot let this man go." (End of this chapter)