I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 275 Dare to be a hermaphrodite in front of Hai Rui?

In the central courtyard of the Songjiang prefectural government office, Hai Rui sat in the signing room, flipping through the files of the six departments of the Songjiang prefecture, especially those of the household department and the criminal department, reading them back and forth twice.

After putting it down, I couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

The old servant Shu Youliang came in with a cup of tea, "Master, you sighed again."

"Old man, can't I sigh?"

Shu Youliang placed the teacup on the table and said with a smile, "I only know that when the master sighs, bad people will suffer."

Hai Rui was so angry that he laughed. He picked up the teacup and was silent for a while. The smile on his face slowly disappeared.

He turned and looked out the window, feeling a little lost.

"Has Yang Jinshui arrived in the capital?"

Shu Youliang was stunned and quickly replied, "Master, Eunuch Yang arrived a long time ago, more than 20 days ago. He took a boat from Shanghai to Dagu and arrived in about 10 days."

He looked at Hai Rui, who was sitting on a chair and looking out the window with a lost look on his face, and asked hesitantly, "My dear, why are you still sympathizing with Eunuch Yang? If this gets out, I wonder how much criticism it will cause."

"There are good people and bad people in this world. There are bad eunuchs, but there must be good people as well. Just like there are good people and bad people among scholars.

Yang Jinshui works diligently and for the country and the people. His integrity and conduct surpass those of many famous scholars. I don’t know if I can say that he and I have a mutual understanding, so what?”

Shu Youliang was speechless, "Okay, Master, you and he have a mutual understanding, but what about the case of Xu's family occupying land?
My Lord, you have been stationed in the Songjiang prefectural government for almost a month, and the whole world is waiting for you, the judge, to judge this case."

Hai Rui felt a little irritated, so he stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the small courtyard. Inside were two large water tanks half a person's height, with a few lotus leaves floating on them and a lotus flower in bloom. The pink petals were particularly bright in the sun.

"Things in this world are not so simple and clear. I want the hundreds of thousands of acres of land occupied by the Xu family to be returned to the people. I must be careful in dealing with this matter. Otherwise, it will be a waste of effort!"

Shu Youliang laughed, "Master, is there anything in this world that makes you afraid to do anything?"

"Of course. Giving up one's life and property and fighting hard is actually very simple. All you need is a strong will and the determination to do it.

But it is extremely difficult to deal with the complicated situation and let the people get a good result. Fortunately, Xiyuan supports me. "

"I feel like the master is different from before."

Hai Rui turned his head to look at Shu Youliang, put his hands behind his back, and sighed, "In the past, Master was in a low position with little power. If you wanted to do something that would benefit the country and the people, you could only be stubborn.

It’s different now. The master has a higher official rank and greater power, and can do more for the country and the people.

But the situation has become more complicated. If we just keep being stubborn, nothing will be accomplished."

Shu Youliang lowered his head and muttered, "The word 'official' has two mouths in it, so you can say whatever you want."

Hai Rui glared with anger and amusement at this old servant who had followed him for more than 20 years and was like a family member to him.

"Master, Magistrate Cai is here."

"please come in."

Cai Guoxi, dressed in a red official robe, held up his front and walked in with his head held high. When he saw Hai Rui, he bowed and said, "Lord Gangfeng, I am sorry to bother you."

Hai Rui politely returned the greeting: "Governor Cai, I am the one who usurped your position. I am sorry for the disrespect."

The two men sat down in the signing room. Shu Youliang brought them some hot tea, placed it in front of them, and then left.

"Mr. Gangfeng, I wonder how the investigation into the Xu family's occupation of farmland is going?" Cai Guoxi asked straight to the point.

"I have checked everything that needs to be checked."

In these days, Hai Rui not only turned over the household documents of Songjiang Prefecture and Huating, Qingpu, Shanghai and other counties, but also sent a letter from the imperial envoy to ask Liu Da to go to Suzhou Prefecture and Wang Er to go to Nanjing City to copy all the documents there. Cai Guoxi's eyes lit up and he asked expectantly, "Mr. Gangfeng, when will your memorial be sent?"

Hai Rui replied calmly, "It's time to bow."

Cai Guoxi's expression changed slightly, and he stroked his beard and pondered, "Mr. Gangfeng, what are you waiting for?"

"Yes, I'm waiting for the letter." Hai Rui answered frankly.

Cai Guoxi's face became even gloomier. "Lord Gangfeng, you are not waiting for a letter from Xu Yuanfu."

Hai Rui did not deny it and answered directly: "Yes, I am waiting for the letter from Lord Shaohu and the order from Xiyuan."

Cai Guoxi looked at Hai Rui with disdain in his eyes, "Lord Gangfeng, the people of Suzhou and Songjiang are looking forward to your impartial judgment and your integrity. I never thought that you would disappoint them so much!"

Hai Rui also looked at Cai Guoxi, calmly saying, "I know what the people of Suzhou and Songjiang want. The final result has not yet come out, so they will not be disappointed. But Governor Cai, I have disappointed you, haven't I?"

Cai Guoxi looked sharp and asked in a cold voice: "I don't know what Lord Gangfeng means by this!"

"Haha, Magistrate Cai knows what I mean. What I want is to return as much of the land occupied by the Xu family as possible to the people who lost their land."

Cai Guoxi's tone was somewhat impolite, "Lord Gangfeng, isn't this what I want?"

Hai Rui's eyes became sharp and he stared at Cai Guoxi for a full half a minute, which made him feel a little uneasy.

Being able to hold out for so long under the sharp gaze of Hai Qingtian, who is famous throughout the country, Cai Guoxi indeed has a "clear conscience"!

But even if Cai Guoxi had a clear conscience, he couldn't bear staring at her for such a long time.

Hai Rui's gaze is like a knife or a sword, it can cut through your layers of concealment and reveal the darkness and filth in the deepest part of your heart.

"Mr. Gangfeng, I have a clear conscience!" Cai Guoxi said this inexplicably.

"Haha, I have a clear conscience!" Hai Rui snorted coldly, "How can the aristocratic families occupy farmland, hide people, and evade taxes without the help of the government?

As the prefect of Songjiang, you are in charge of several counties including Qingpu, Huating and Shanghai. Do you dare to say that you were completely unaware of the fact that the Xu family had occupied your land for several years?

Now that the child is dead, you are the one who is feeding him. The land has been occupied, and the autumn harvest is insufficient, so you are anxious. What were you doing before? Let me ask you again, when you knelt at the gate of Xu's house, did you really want to force Xu to return the land, or did you want to shirk your responsibility? "

Hai Rui's words were as sharp as his gaze, and they made Cai Guoxi panic. It was as if all the dark things hidden in the deepest part of his heart were dug out by Hai Rui and placed in the sun, emitting black smoke and a foul smell!

Cai Guoxi replied hesitantly, "Student, your humble servant, I am just dissatisfied with the Xu family's reckless behavior and I can no longer tolerate it. Your humble servant cannot bear to see the people in your jurisdiction being oppressed by the aristocratic families, so I stepped forward."

Hai Rui listened to Cai Guoxi's stammering defense without saying anything. He just listened quietly with a smile on his face.

What kind of officials and scholars has he not seen?

He was well aware of the petty thieves in the Ming Dynasty officialdom and the selfish minds of the officials.

I'm too lazy to argue with Cai Guoxi.

In short, what were you doing this morning?
After waiting for a while, Hai Rui interrupted Cai Guoxi rudely, "Well, Prefect Cai, there is no need to say any more. If I hadn't thought about you finally standing up for the people of Songjiang and going to the Xu Mansion to demand justice for them, I would have impeached you and the co-prefect, as well as the counties of Huating, Qingpu and others!
You neglect your duties, fear the powerful, and turn a blind eye to things that do not concern you. You are the local officials, and the people's affairs are your affairs! How can you avoid seeing them?

Fortunately, you finally stood up, no matter if it was because of your career or to gain fame and shirk responsibility, you finally stood up and were willing to speak up for the people of Songjiang. You are better than those blind and black-hearted bastards in Suzhou Prefecture. I will let you go for now!"

Cai Guoxi eventually understood that Hai Rui's reputation as a well-known judge at home and abroad was not only due to his uprightness, but also due to his sincere heart in upholding fairness and justice, as well as his knowledge of the ways of the world and his understanding of human nature.

He lowered his head, clasped his hands and said, "Master Gangfeng, I know I was wrong."

Just as Hai Rui was about to speak, Shu Youliang hurried to the door and said, "Master, the eldest son of the Xu family is here."

(End of this chapter)