Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 154 Let the Heroes Investigate the Heroes

There are too many things in this world that are difficult to delve into, and should not be delved into too deeply.

Zhang Yi got the answer he wanted: this matter would not end here.

Is this because Mr. Xiao is worried that he will have trouble reporting to the emperor?
No, Mr. Xiao is a very experienced official, so he naturally knows that it is difficult to be ignorant of many things.

Now facing so many important officials from Nanjing, if he doesn't pretend to be confused, it means that he can't pretend to be confused, and someone is forcing him not to pretend to be confused.

Everyone drank the small cup of wine with mixed feelings. After sitting down, Zhang Yixian picked up the chopsticks and pointed at the table with a smile: "We have to sleep in the open air at the headquarters. I heard that we have been busy investigating cases these past two days, so we just had a quick meal. The food from Jiangnan is delicious. Please give us your comments, Grand Minister of Justice."

On the table, there are sweet-scented glutinous rice lotus root, lotus crisps, early autumn crabs, the Wansan hoof praised by Emperor Taizu, tiger skin running fat meat, salted duck, horse fish jerky, Fengchi soup...

There are indeed many delicious foods in the south of the Yangtze River, and the chef in the residence of the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing is also extraordinary. The food looks really mouth-watering.

However, Xiao Daheng talked about his own experience.

"After I passed the imperial examination, I was first appointed to Yuci, Shanxi, and then moved to the Ministry of Revenue as a director and a doctor. I was then transferred to Shanxi as a deputy envoy and a right councilor. I was then the governor of Ningxia and Xuanfu. I returned to Beijing and was appointed as the right assistant minister of the Ministry of War. I was then the governor of Ningxia and Xuanfu, and the governor-general of Xuanda. In the 23rd year of the Wanli reign, I was appointed as the Ministry of Justice. Until now, I have never been to Jiangnan."

Xiao Daheng said meaningfully: "The food in Jiangnan is really delicious. It really opened my eyes."

"...The Grand Secretary is not used to it?" Zhang Yi was still able to continue the conversation.

"It's exquisite and beautiful, sweet and sticky, fat but not greasy, crispy and delicious. How can you not get used to it?" Xiao Daheng looked regretful. "It's just that I dare not indulge in my appetite."

"It's just a token of appreciation from my colleagues, how can it be considered as satisfying one's appetite?" Zhang Yi looked at the others, "Everyone! The Grand Chief of Police is a man who has worked hard for the country for many years in the border town. I'm afraid he mistakenly thinks that the wine from the south of the Yangtze River is not strong enough. I should persuade him to drink a few more glasses!"

When this sentence was spoken, some people took it seriously and started to compliment and advise each other.

It seemed that Mr. Xiao could not refuse the hospitality and actually drank two more glasses.

When Zhang Yi toasted him again, Xiao Daheng waved his hand and said, "I can't handle the wine anymore."

Even Xie Tingzan noticed it, so he looked at Zhang Yi who was standing next to Xiao Daheng.

Could it be that they have found him?
How could Mr. Xiao look like a man who couldn't handle the alcohol anymore?
"Brother Xiao, is it because I didn't treat you well enough?"

Zhang Yi also began to "interrogate" directly.

"No way." Xiao Daheng looked at him with clear eyes, "As I said before, the big case has not been solved yet, how dare I drink to my heart's content."

After saying that, he looked at everyone and said, "The three of us were ordered by the emperor to go south to investigate the case, and we are walking on thin ice. Although the criminals have been arrested and the instigators have been questioned, we still cannot report back. Everyone, serving as officials in the same dynasty is hard work. Think about it, Hao Jie and Geng Dingli are also powerful, and the Cheng family in Jiangyou is rich and carefree. Why would they do such a thing because of a few ships of grain? That's grain!"

Xie Tingzan was very shocked, because after hearing this, he realized that the Nanjing Minister of War and Cao Jiangdu Censor had been arrested and questioned.

What did Mr. Xiao do during the time he stayed in Jingjiang?

After questioning such an important person, the officials in Nanjing could still safely invite him to a banquet.

Now hearing Xiao Daheng's question, Xie Tingzan also turned his gaze to the ministers sitting at the same table.

He was actually just curious about what everyone would say, but he was an official from Beijing.

Although he was only a sixth-rank official, he was a young and inexperienced man. When Xie Tingzan was in Beijing, he had confronted Xiao Daheng face to face, so his gaze now naturally carried a level gaze and the inquiry of an "extra-staff censor."

The ministers in Nanjing felt uncomfortable being stared at by him, as if he was paying attention to their reactions on behalf of Mr. Xiao.

In their minds, Xie Tingzan is of course Xiao Daheng's confidant, otherwise why would Xiao Daheng bring him south.

"...The Grand Secretary of Justice didn't even ask them why they dared to do this?"

Zhang Yi spoke first to prevent others from speaking.

Of course he couldn't say that those two were just out of their minds. They were both old bastards for many years. Who would do something without any reward?
It is not clear which is more important, a few ships of grain or the future of the court officials in red robes?
The motives of the Jiangyou Cheng family are very simple, and there is no need to pay attention to their motives. They simply cannot defy the will of the mastermind.

"Geng Dingli did say so, but after the three of us discussed it together, I'm afraid Your Majesty can't believe it."

"I wonder if you could let us hear what Geng Dingli said, so that we can help the Grand Secretary to make some inquiries?"

Xiao Daheng first looked at Zhang Yi, then at Zheng Jizhi and Li Tingji.

After a while, he nodded, and then looked at the others: "Okay. Otherwise, I really don't know what to do next."

He stood up first, walked slowly, and said as he walked: "Geng Dingli said that after your majesty's ascension edict was announced to Jiangnan, the officials and gentry were in an uproar. This is because even the children in Jiangnan knew that the two dukes Shen and Wang had returned to the court, and the prime minister was also from Zhejiang. How could the court not sympathize with the heavy taxes and labor service in Jiangnan? When the ascension edict arrived, there was not a single word about exemption. They were held hostage by the high-ranking families in Jiangnan, and had no choice but to do it."

After saying this, he happened to walk to the middle of the three tables and spread his hands: "Everyone, we should find out who is the Gao surnamed Jiangnan. Speaking of the Gao surnamed Jiangnan, who will Your Majesty think of? Could it be that the three cabinet ministers are the masterminds behind the scenes? If it is just the two of them who dare to disregard the court and support Jiangnan for their own sake, isn't that a joke? But Your Majesty ascended the throne through internal abdication. You must have known about the previous storm of jealousy between the emperor and his ministers in the capital. How can we just close the case now?"

Xiao Daheng sighed in confusion, "The three of us wanted to submit a petition saying that the two of them had accepted benefits from the Jiangyou Cheng family in the past, and the Cheng family was so bold as to implicate them. But when the three judges tried Geng Dingli together, Eunuch Cheng and Futai Niu were also present! How could they change the files that have already been recorded? At this time, Eunuch Cheng and Futai Niu's secret petition is probably on the way to be submitted to the emperor for review."

Xie Tingzan watched Xiao Daheng's performance and for the first time clearly felt how powerful Xiao Daheng was.

The case had a conclusion, but it brought up a bigger problem, and it was impossible not to give a reasonable explanation.

Because although he was an imperial envoy, he was appointed by the emperor and was responsible to the emperor.

At the same time, he was also an imperial envoy who had to work hard to mediate for the stability of the court and the local areas.

I came to the banquet without preparing to make a clear distinction; I spoke frankly so that they would understand that this matter not only involved Jiangnan, but also the central government, and involved the power struggle between the emperor and the ministers in the court.

"Your Excellency, Geng Dingli is wantonly accusing others of something, and he deserves death!" Zhang Yi looked at everyone, "Who among us in Jiangnan is not loyal? He knows that he cannot escape death, but he harbors evil intentions, and wants to cause jealousy between the emperor and his subjects, and between the north and the south. This is truly an unforgivable crime!"

"Yeah!"

"This is truly an unforgivable crime!" "I really misjudged a person in the past. You can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart!"

There was a sudden echo of voices in the hall, and those who spoke were all people who had previously served as vice ministers in Nanjing or had been appointed as vice ministers in the same place.

Xiao Daheng just frowned and said: "Whether it is so or not is not important, everyone. What is important is whether Your Majesty believes it or not! Thinking back to last year, it was only because there was no internal abdication since the founding of the country that he ascended the throne. In addition, after Your Majesty abolished the mining supervisor and tax collector by grace, there was a civil uprising in Shanhaiguan..."

He told the story of last year with great earnestness.

Looking back now, coupled with the words, rhythm, and tone he used in his speech, an extremely dangerous incident was heard by everyone.

First, the emperor suddenly suffered a stroke, and he had it during the day and then again at night!

The ministers hurriedly entered the palace twice, first deciding on the crown prince that day, and then deciding on the abdication in the middle of the night.

Then the Prime Minister Zhao Zhigao ran away, and Shen and Wang were summoned back to the cabinet. The emperor implemented a series of good policies in one breath, with the intention of pacifying the world.

As a result, a civil uprising broke out in Shanhaiguan.

In fact, it is normal for the ministers to want the emperor to decide on the ceremony and rituals because there is no precedent, right? There is a time difference in the local areas, and the censors in the capital are easily excited. It is also normal for everyone to petition to dismiss the eunuchs sent abroad because of the good governance of the mining and tax collectors and the incident of the tax collectors in Shanhaiguan provoking a civil uprising, right?
But it turned out that there were both governors and military officials from border towns behind the Shanhaiguan uprising.

The result of this incident was that the successor emperor was confined to the Forbidden City for nearly a month, waiting until the two princes of Shen arrived in Beijing. Later, the Minister of Rites Yu Jiden died.

Now you taste it again, taste it carefully.

How scary!

Xie Tingzan was stunned: Xiao Daheng's eloquence is not inferior to the most popular storyteller in Beijing today.

He felt that Xiao Daheng was very dangerous. He was completely hinting that the emperor did not succeed to the throne normally and was very suspicious. There were civil and military leaders behind the Shanhaiguan uprising. Were the Japanese pirates just crazy when they robbed grain?

Whether the emperor believes it or not is the most important thing!
"Everyone, what do you think the three of us should do?" Xiao Daheng spread his hands in embarrassment again.

Zheng Jizhi and Li Tingji sighed in unison.

"...So, the words about being held hostage by the Gao family from Jiangnan are already in the file?" Zhang Yi asked slowly, word by word.

"It's a headache!" Xiao Daheng nodded.

Zhang Yi took a deep breath slowly.

Whatever the cause of the incident, it will eventually come back to the cause of the incident.

It seems that a mere big merchant family, the Nanjing Minister of War and the Caojiang Censor-in-Chief are not able to solve the problem.

There must be officials and gentry families in Jiangnan. Those officials and gentry families who were full of gold and silver coupons, exemptions from gentry duties, and amnesty paid the price for this.

But the problem is that it is extremely difficult to find such "high-profile people in Jiangnan" without implicating the officials from Nanjing present here.

At this point, Zhang Yi began to speak righteously: "Your Majesty has set an example by cutting back on expenses and borrowing from the treasury. This shows how difficult it is for the court to manage its finances and how much your Majesty worries about the country! Exemption is a favor, how can you be resentful because of the difficulties of your emperor and father? Since you dare to coerce important officials to seek grace from the emperor, then the thunderbolt from heaven is also a favor! Everyone, we are officials in Jiangnan, how can we tolerate such people who have no respect for elders, no heart for the emperor and father, and are spoiled by their favor?"

"Yeah!"

"True heart has no king or father!"

"I was really deceived in the past. I can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart!"

The newly appointed vice ministers in Nanjing looked at their colleagues with complicated eyes.

This sentence sounds so familiar, as if I have just heard it. They despise Geng Dingli.

Xiao Daheng seemed very moved and bowed deeply: "We have spoken out courageously. How to resolve this case and restore peace to Jiangnan depends entirely on you!"

Only then did he turn back to look at Zhang Yi and raise his glass: "Let's just focus on closing the case!"

Zhang Yi nodded heavily: "Focus on closing the case!"

Both of them were very satisfied and drank the cup to the full.

The banquet reached its climax.

Mr. Xiao coaxed them into working together to solve the problem of Jiangnan's exemption. This time, he might even make it an unspoken rule not to ask for exemption at every turn.

However, Zhang Yi believed that if they could find enough "Gao" people to take the blame, the crisis would be over.

Xie Ting was amazed.

However... would Your Majesty be dissatisfied with Mr. Xiao for taking advantage of his royal power to spread rumors that the Emperor is extremely suspicious, and even hinted that the Emperor's accession to the throne was not legitimate?

After the banquet, these imperial envoys heading south naturally had special accommodation.

Xie Tingzan and Xiao Daheng together.

"...Grand Minister of Justice, isn't this how the criminal law is done?" he asked.

Xiao Daheng had indeed drunk a little too much, and at this moment he just glanced at him indifferently.

"You are smart, but you are still very immature."

(End of this chapter)