I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 70: Skinned to the Bone
"Hu Bu Tang, a month ago I led my troops to patrol the Baiyangkou area. It is a river valley washed out by the Yanmen River. The terrain is dangerous, but it leads directly to the right wing pasture of the Tumed tribe. It has always been a passage for the northern barbarians to send spies to enter the pass to spy on our military situation.

That day, I stopped a group of merchants there. There were fifteen horses and more than forty people, and the horses were heavily loaded. I led my men to stop them, and they showed their pass documents.

However, there was a precedent of the Northern Tartar spies killing our people and passing through with the pass. Since they had the pass, why didn't they go through a pass like Hukouyu instead of sneaking through a remote pass like Baiyangkou?

I ordered a search, and they found hundreds of swords, spears, and armor, as well as iron ingots and other contraband items that the court had expressly prohibited from leaving the country. I immediately ordered someone to arrest them and take them to the residence of the deputy commander of Gaoshan Guard.

As a result, they were released that night, saying that there was insufficient evidence. Then someone found me and offered me 50 acres of good farmland and 100 pieces of cloth, asking me to shut up. I confiscated them.

After listening to Liang Yong's story, Hu Zongxian had an idea of ​​what was going on. It was just as he had expected.

"Liang Yong, do you know which company the smuggling team you arrested belonged to?"

"Qi County Hengyuantai."

"Chen Wu, Dong Yiyuan, take Liang Yong down and have a good rest."

"Yes!"

"Ma Gui, you continue to deploy defenses inside and outside Gaoshanwei City."

"Yes."

"Fu Yingjia, hold the door. I have something to discuss with Censor Pan."

"Yes!"

Hu Zongxian said: "Shi Liang, I think you have understood it too."

Pan Jixun nodded, "I understand. Since Ruzhen took office, he has strictly investigated border affairs and chopped off many people's heads. They are somewhat afraid, so they don't act so brazenly and take a remote path instead.

As a result, they were bumped into by Liang Yong. They were worried that the matter would be exposed, so they came up with this trick to kill him. But according to His Royal Highness, these people are a bit rough in their work!"

Hu Zongxian looked at Pan Jixun.

You are the tutor of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. How come you have taught him for several years, but it seems like you have been greatly influenced by him?

"Shi Liang is right. Now that things are like this, we have to think carefully about it."

"Does Ruzhen have any ideas?"

"Before this, I had kept in mind the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and tried my best to tighten the fence and guard the border, and not to lift their lids. But even though I didn't lift them, they kept their heads close to me.

Today, I rescued Liang Yong and captured Lin Zhengbiao, Bai Liangcai and others. This matter cannot be reversed. We must face what we have to face!"

Pan Jixun waved his hand and said, "The border issues in the three towns of Shanxi are just like the Japanese invasion in the southeast. They are all abscesses. The Japanese invasion in the southeast was not treated in time, and it rotted on its own. It has been spreading for twenty years, and now it has finally been eliminated.

The nine-sided abscess doesn't look like it will last much longer and will rot. Rather than waiting for it to rot, why don't we take the initiative and squeeze out the pus!"

"Brother Shi Liang thinks the same as I do. Let's discuss it carefully and then write a letter to report the situation in detail to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Yes, we must report it to His Royal Highness. The incident happened in the Nine Frontiers. If we want to resolve it, we have to go to the court in the end."

Hu Zongxian nodded: "If we don't squeeze out all the pus, the affairs of the Nine Borders will be rotten sooner or later, rotten to the core!"

Five days later, in the East City of the capital.

In a spacious and luxurious mansion, Chen Xixue, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was listening to music with a few guests in the flower hall, nodding his head and looking relaxed and at ease.

A man ran in hurriedly, startling Chen Xixue who was immersed in art.

He turned around and saw that it was his fifth brother Chen Xiliang who was studying at the Imperial College.

Seeing his fifth brother's nervous look, Chen Xixue understood what he meant. He stood up and bowed, saying, "Listen, gentlemen. I'll be right back."

"Please do as you wish, Mr. Dong."

Chen Xixue and Chen Xiliang came to the side room, and as soon as they sat down, Chen Xiliang couldn't wait to speak.

"Brother, something terrible has happened."

Chen Xixue scolded, "What's the matter? Why are you making such a fuss? You should be calm and composed."

"Bai Liangcai was arrested."

"Bai Liangcai? The third brother's relative? The scholar who is looking after Hengyuantai for us?"

"It's him." "Who caught him?"

"Hu Zongxian."

"What!" Chen Xixue's hand holding the teacup shook, and the cup fell onto the table with a bang.

"How could he be caught by Hu Zongxian? How could he be caught by Hu Zongxian!" Chen Xixue said hatefully.

"This is also a coincidence. Third brother wrote to say that a Hengyuantai caravan was captured by a captain in the north of Baiyangkou, and there were weapons and armor inside."

"Weapons and armor! How dare you sell them!" Chen Xixue was shocked.

Chen Xiliang felt somewhat dissatisfied. If he didn't sell weapons and armor and other high-profit goods, would his family have enough money to support him to live a carefree life in the capital?

"Brother, business is difficult! If we don't sell some weapons and armor, the tribal chiefs in the north will not sell us good horses."

"It's no use saying this now, then what?"

"Bai Liangcai negotiated with the Gaoshan Guards' deputy general Lin Zhengbiao to release the man. Bai Liangcai sent someone to bribe the captain, telling him to keep his mouth shut. If he did, he would drag him into the water.

As a result, the captain didn't appreciate the favor. Bai Liangcai was worried that the news would leak out and leave a handle, so he discussed with Lin Zhengbiao and sent a military order to ask the captain to go out to patrol the border, and then secretly notify the people in the north to buy the captain's head.

As a result, Hu Zongxian got into this matter and not only arrested Bai Liangcai, but also Lin Zhengbiao. "

Chen Xixue was so angry that his beard stood up.

"You are trying to steal a chicken but end up losing the rice! Now look what happened! Hu Zongxian has got hold of him. What was he doing in the three towns of Shanxi? Don't you know?
He opened his eyes wide and looked for your faults, but you ended up finding faults yourself!"

"Brother, it's useless to say these things now, hurry up and think of a solution!" Chen Xiliang said anxiously, "Should we find the Lord of Xinzheng? We bought thousands of acres of good land for his relatives in Xinzheng, and we can't buy it for nothing."

"Stupid! You want to die if you go find Gao Xinzheng now! You don't know his temper yet! Now that you know, you will be the first to file a memorial to impeach us."

"What should we do then?" Chen Xiliang asked.

"We have to muddy the waters! Turn this into a struggle for power between the remnants of the Yan Party and our Jin Party. Only in this way will Gao Xinzheng be brought to an end. Otherwise, it won't work."

Chen Xiliang said happily: "Brother is indeed very smart."

Chen Xixue stroked his beard and said, "It's not enough for me to handle this alone. I need to find a helper."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Take my invitation and go to the residence of Zhang Ziwei, the Imperial Academy Editor, and tell him that I have something important to ask you."

Zhang Siwei?
He is also a backbone of the Shanxi Party and enjoys generous rewards from Shanxi merchants, so he should indeed contribute.

Moreover, he was very popular at that time. He first served as a co-examiner of the imperial examination in the 41st year of Jiajing, and later was elected as the editor and reviewer of the re-recording of the "Yongle Encyclopedia".

He is already a prominent figure among the nobles and a leading figure in the literati community, and he can make a contribution.

Soon, Zhang Siwei was invited.

"Brother Ziwei," Chen Xixue, as they were all old acquaintances, got straight to the point and explained the matter clearly, "What do you think we should do about this?"

Zhang Siwei stroked his beard and replied, "It's simple. If we overthrow Hu Zongxian, everything will be fine."

Chen Xixue shook his head: "Brother Ziwei, that's easy to say. Hu Zongxian is now a member of the Crown Prince Party. He has caught the Emperor's eye and will be difficult to bring down."

Zhang Siwei said confidently: "It is indeed difficult to defeat him in a head-on confrontation. It is better to use the method of removing the skin and revealing the bones."

"A method to remove the skin and reveal the bones?"

"First, find a minor figure, or something that seems unrelated to Hu Zongxian, and hold on to it, impeach him vigorously, and draw the attention of the court. Those petty censors who want to gain fame will see an opportunity and rush in.

When the small things accumulate into a big one and the government and the public are in an uproar, we will ask Lord Chen and Lord Xinzheng to take action and overthrow Hu Zongxian in one fell swoop!"

"Great idea!" Chen Xixue stroked his beard and exclaimed, "Where can I find such a thing or person?"

"An official in Beijing received a letter from a gentry in his hometown saying that in April, Lu Tong, the admiral of the Zhejiang Navy, led the Dinghai Camp to bombard the Hirado Port in the East Japan."

Chen Xixue's eyes widened in surprise, "This is provoking a border conflict! Lu Tong is Hu Zongxian's trusted general!"

He clapped his hands and said repeatedly: "Good, good! This is a God-given opportunity! We will start from here and skin Hu Zongxian to the bone!"

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(End of this chapter)