I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 712: Confused Zhu Yijun

In the signing room in the backyard of Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, the rising sun shines into the room, and grids of light and images are engraved on the water-polished floor.

Pan Yinglong and Su Feng sat behind two desks, flipping through the confession files presented by Ren Boan and the other two.

There were only the two of them in the room, and it was very quiet, with only the sound of papers being flipped through.

After half an hour, the two of them finished reading the case file alternately.

They looked at each other, not knowing where to start.

"Feng Wu, just as you expected, the big fish behind them is extraordinary." Su Feng said with a hint of relief in his tone.

If he had followed his idea in the case of Xiu Qi Guang, there would be nothing to investigate. He could have just mobilized the guards to catch all the An Liang Xing and Yan Zi Men in one fell swoop!
In the face of the iron fist of feudalism, no gang is effective.

Cangzhou martial arts master?

Haha, who isn’t a master?

No matter how skilled the opponent is, he can be knocked down with one shot!
Times are different!
Who wants to play armored and hacking games with you? Just load up your muskets and line up to shoot.

Are you a great master of martial arts?

All right, brothers, push out the 9-jin field cannon and load it with shotgun shells!

All beings are equal under the shotgun!

You are still only a martial arts grandmaster, not yet a god or immortal, and not yet qualified to enjoy the equal rocket fire from all gods.

Just as Su Feng was excitedly preparing to gather his troops and go deal with Xiu Qi Guang, he was stopped by Pan Yinglong.

Xiu Qi Guang is easy to deal with, but the mastermind behind him is the real trouble.

Pulling out the radish will bring out the mud. Before we figure out the details of the person behind Xiu Qi Guang, we act rashly and encounter them unexpectedly. How will it end?

Brother Su, for many things, it’s better to start off with a bang, but the key is how to end it?

This is the big trouble!
Su Feng was also a man who listened to advice, so he held back for the time being and let Ren Boan and Yang Guian conduct an in-depth investigation with the assistance of Shen Wanxiang.

I never expected that I could find out so much in just one night.

After reading it, Su Feng broke out in a cold sweat.

If you rush into this rashly, you will get hurt and your future career will be in jeopardy.

I felt scared but also glad that I listened to Pan Yinglong's advice.

Brother Pan is thoughtful and far-sighted, and he is worth associating with!

"Feng Wu, what do you think we should do next?"

"Brother Baicheng, the case has reached this stage. It is no longer under the control of you and me, or Shuntian Prefecture and the Pacification Bureau. We must report it to the higher authorities."

"Up? How much? The Cabinet or the Imperial Guard?"

Pan Yinglong shook his head and said, "Let's not cause trouble for Zhang Xiang and Song Dushi."

Su Feng lowered his head and smiled, "I shouldn't have troubled Prime Minister Zhang, but we are the envoy of Songdu, so I have to report it."

Pan Yinglong glanced at him, lowered his head and continued to read the documents, "That's your Jinyiwei's internal affairs, you report yours, and I report mine."

Su Feng looked at him, envy flashing in his eyes.

He definitely couldn't enter Xiyuan by himself, and his report had to be submitted through Song Gongliang, the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Pan Yinglong can hear directly from the heaven!
But it’s okay to be envious, my path and his are completely different.

Two days later, early in the morning, a carriage stopped at the Xi'an Gate of Xiyuan. A noble lady got off the carriage and came to the duty room surrounded by her maids and strong women.

Today, it was Lin Fu, the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration, who was on duty. He stood at the door early, crossed his arms and bowed, "This servant greets Madam Yangwuhou!"

"You are too polite, Eunuch Lin. Please go through with the formalities."

The noble lady was Zhen, the wife of Yangwu Marquis Xue Han, and the biological mother of Empress Xue Baoqin.

"Madam Yangwuhou, we are sorry to offend you."

After the routine search, Zhen, accompanied by two personal maids, followed by four eunuchs holding gifts, a guide in front, and more than ten followers behind, walked towards Yaohua Palace.

When I entered the palace, Concubine Zhen was there to greet me.

"Madam, the Queen asked me to wait for you here."

"Go in, go in, I want to see my Qi'er. I haven't seen her for half a month. I really miss her."

When they reached the entrance of the main hall, Xue Baoqin was standing there. She was wearing a red and colorful dress and had her hair combed into a simple bun. She stood there gracefully, with her hands subconsciously stroking her slightly round belly.

"Your Highness, Madam Zhen of Marquis Yangwu, pays respect to Her Majesty the Queen!"

Zhen stepped forward, crossed her hands and bowed, performing the etiquette between a monarch and his subject.

"No gift!"

Xue Baoqin crossed her arms and saluted, "My daughter greets you, mother."

After the ceremony between the monarch and his subjects, the etiquette of human relations should be followed. As the queen and the mother of the Ming Dynasty, she must strictly observe etiquette.

"My son!" Zhen rushed over and supported Xue Baoqin, "You must take care of yourself."

"Mother, I'm not a glass candy man that will break if touched. Mother, let's go sit in the back hall."

"Well, last time you said you wanted to eat some fruits, so I went to buy some myself. They are all the freshest, and I have selected and eaten them one by one. They are very delicious."

"Mother is interested."

"I can't help but feel that the child in your belly will be the eldest son of the Ming Dynasty!"

"What if it's a girl?"

"Nonsense, I've had this dream several times. The Bodhisattva said he sent an Arhat to the mortal world and he will be reborn in your family. I guarantee you're a child of Buddha."

"Mother, please don't say that anymore."

"I'm just talking about this between my mother and me. I know it's taboo."

The mother and daughter walked slowly towards the back hall.

Zhen was Xue Han's third wife. She was the daughter of Zhen Wenzhen, the former governor of Jiangxi and a famous scholar in Huaixi.

After she married into the Yangwu Marquis's Mansion, she gave birth to Xue Han's sixth daughter and Xue Baoqin. In the 42nd year of Jiajing, she finally gave birth to a son for Xue Han, and Marquis Xue was so happy that he held a ten-day banquet.

"Is the beggar studying hard?"

Xue Baoqin was asking about her younger brother Xue Kun, who was the same age as Zhu Yijun's younger brother Zhu Yihao, and ten years old in lunar age. His nickname was Qi Nuer, and Xue Han deliberately got a mean name so that ghosts and the god of plague would despise him when they heard his name, and he would grow up healthy without any disease or disaster.

"He is in the fourth grade at Dong'anmen Primary School. His teacher said that he is very smart, but he doesn't use his intelligence in the right way.

All of it was used to tease and bully classmates. I don’t know how many people your father had to apologize to.”

Dong'anmen Primary School was the first junior public school and also the first primary school in Shuntian Prefecture. It was located near Dong'anmen in the imperial city. The school was not big and there were not many students, only about 400 people, all of whom were children of royal family members, relatives by marriage and nobles.

Although Xue Kun was the emperor's uncle, the other students were not easy to deal with. The one who was beaten and cried was the grandson of Duke Cheng, Zhu Xizhong; the one with a black eye was the prince of Zheng; the one who was kicked and sat on the ground was the young grandson of Earl Gu'an, the nephew of Empress Dowager Chen and the cousin of Zhu Yijun.
Xue Han could only shamelessly apologize to each household, and when he came back he wanted to give his rebellious son a good beating, but he had raised his hands so high that he could touch the stars, and he just couldn't bear to bring them down.

How could Lord Xue be willing to give up this only child when he was nearly sixty years old!

"Father and mother spoil him too much." Xue Baoqin frowned. "I would send him to Yi Nian School before he grows up crooked!"

Zhen shook her head repeatedly: "Qin Nu'er is a young marquis after all, how can he go to Yi Nian School?
I know that Yi Nian School is Yi Nian Hall, which was established when the emperor was still the prince of Yu, and he attached great importance to it. But who are the students there?

Orphans in the army, and orphans sent from all over the country."

Xue Baoqin interrupted, "The new generation of noble children all study there. The emperor's uncle, Li Xuan, also graduated from there and was directly admitted to Chongyi Middle School."

Mother, go back and have a good talk with father, tell him not to spoil Qinu'er too much. A loving mother often spoils her child. Qinu'er is now the only child of the Xue family, and the responsibility of bringing glory to the family and carrying on the family line rests entirely on him.

He is now the uncle of the emperor. How many eyes are on him, how many people want to get close to him. Who knows what these people are thinking? Good, bad, with ulterior motives. Mother, people are evil, and we must be on guard. "

Zhen nodded and said, "My son, don't worry. My father and I care about Qi Nu'er and will never let anyone have any bad intentions towards him."

Seeing that her mother didn't understand what she said, Xue Baoqin felt angry and her face turned slightly red.

The two of them just walked into the main hall of the back hall. Xue Baoqin asked Zhen to sit down and she sat down on the main seat.

The maid quickly brought tea and placed it on the table beside the two of them.

The eunuch holding the gift food box placed the food on the table next to him and left one by one.

"You go down first."

"Yes!"

All the palace maids and eunuchs retreated outside the door.

"Mother, you still don't understand what I mean."

"Son, what do you mean? Just tell me directly."

"Beggar has a special status. What if someone has ulterior motives and wants to kidnap him?"

"Is the kidnapping broken?"

"He eats, drinks, gambles, and bullies people by taking advantage of his power. He bullies men and women, and commits crimes. Mother, you know that the emperor will not tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes. If Qi Nuer learns to be bad and commits a serious crime like the bastard of Duke Wei, and the case is brought before the emperor, who will the emperor offend?"

Zhen's face changed, and this time she completely understood.

Xue Baoqin's position as the empress is now very stable, but there are many people who covet her. If she can't take action inside the palace, then she will take action outside the palace, starting with Xue Baoqin's only brother.

This led him to become lawless and do whatever he wanted, causing the wrath of heaven and man. The emperor's temper might have disgusted the queen as well.

There are such things in history books.

Even if Xue Baoqin gave birth to a legitimate son, and the mother and son were bound together, their status would be further consolidated, but Zhen felt that it would be even more dangerous.

In the past, it was only the position of Queen, but now the goal is to become the Crown Prince!

The ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty was to establish the eldest son as the heir rather than the eldest son, and to establish the eldest son as the heir rather than the most capable one.

Depose Xue Baoqin! You are not the queen anymore, so the prince you give birth to is naturally not the legitimate prince. The prince born by the new queen is the legitimate prince, right? Isn't he the crown prince by logic?
Prince, the future emperor!

What a generous reward for supporting the dragon! Enough to make many people take risks!
Thinking about it this way, Xue Kun really has become his family's biggest weakness!
"My son, thanks for reminding me! Although Yi Nian School is a bit tougher, it is easier than Dong'anmen Primary School. Okay, I'll go back and discuss it with your father."

Zhen looked at the door and said carefully, "Mr. Hu, the Duke of Xuancheng County, has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital. Does the Queen know?"

"I heard about it. The emperor even issued an edict to grant medicine and give more preferential treatment."

"Mr. Hu is ill, and the position of Chief Military Officer is vacant."

Xue Baoqin's face changed, "Father wants to get involved?"

"It's not your father, it's the Marquis of Yongkang. They are unwilling to give up, so they instigated the Marquis of Zhenyuan to fight for the position, and also encouraged your father to come forward to support the Marquis of Zhenyuan."

"What is your father's attitude?"

"Your father certainly knew the intricacies of this matter and found an excuse to push it away. The Marquis of Zhenyuan also knew the seriousness of the matter and flatly refused."

Xue Baoqin breathed a sigh of relief, "Father and Uncle Gu are very clear about justice and know the importance of things. They don't have the tricks of petty people."

Zhen stood up and sat next to Xue Baoqin, leaning close to her ear and whispering, "Your father wants to ask, what does the emperor think of the nobles?"

"Why do you ask that, father?"

"Your father said that the emperor had reorganized the royal family, civil officials, and scholars one after another, and now he suddenly issued an edict to summon the Duke of Qian to the capital. He and the Marquis of Zhenyuan are a little uneasy."

Xue Baoqin thought for a moment, "My daughter didn't hear what the emperor said. Didn't the emperor punish the nobles in Nanjing before by taking advantage of the Yangzhou salt merchant case?"

"That's Nanjing, the one in Beijing hasn't moved yet!"

Xue Baoqin stared with her beautiful eyes, feeling incredible, "I didn't touch them, but I feel uneasy?"

Zhen sighed, "Your father told the Marquis of Zhenyuan that our son-in-law is more difficult to serve than Emperor Taizu."

"Nonsense. As long as we keep our fences tight and don't get involved in crimes, what's the problem?"

Zhen nodded vigorously: "My son, what you said makes sense. I will take this message out and tell them to comb through the fences of their respective homes. It is time to cut off a man's arm!"

Xue Baoqin was both angry and amused, "The emperor didn't criticize them, but they felt uncomfortable?"

"My son, you don't know that the Marquis of Zhenyuan, your father, as well as the Duke of Chengguo and the Duke of Yingguo, are all old foxes who have practiced for many years. Their noses are very sharp. If there is a slight change in the wind direction in the court, they will immediately detect it.

Besides, the Yongkang Marquis and his gang are unwilling to give up and want to take advantage of Hu Gong's illness to seek work. This will definitely cause a stir. Our son-in-law is best at going with the flow.

When the stick hits you on the head, it will really hurt!"

Xue Baoqin nodded in agreement, "Mother is absolutely right. When you go back, you must remind father and Uncle Gu and the others that since you feel that something is not right, you should check yourself first.

The emperor has said before that criticism and self-criticism are our magic weapons. The emperor has given you the magic weapon, so use it quickly! "

"My son, you speak very well, and your tone is exactly the same as my uncle's."

At this time, Zhu Yijun was meeting with Zhang Juzheng, Zhao Zhenji and Tan Lun in Ziguang Pavilion when he suddenly received an urgent report from the Western Regions.

"Your Majesty, three masters, this is an urgent report from the Southern Route Military Headquarters of the Western Expedition Army, led by Ju Yanbo, Yun Chuanzi, and the military officer Tian Le. According to the date and seal, it was sent from Qinghai to Lanzhou, and then with the seal of the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, it was sent directly to the capital at an expedited speed of 800 miles. It took a full 57 days to get there."

Zhu Yijun took the urgent report from Qi Yan and said, "So, Brother Huo sent this urgent report on the same date as the Bozhou victory report, but the journey to the Western Regions is long, so it took more than a month."

After opening the urgent report, Zhu Yijun read through it quickly and fell into deep thought.

Zhang Juzheng, Zhao Zhenji and Tan Lun all looked at him. For the first time, they saw a look of helplessness on the face of the young emperor.

"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but ask.

Zhu Yijun raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion. "The Huo brothers said in their urgent report that they went on an expedition for three months and destroyed the Yarkand Khanate."

Zhang Juzheng, Zhao Zhenji and Tan Lun exclaimed in unison.

"what?"

(End of this chapter)