I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 153: The Cat Marriage Envoy was Ordered to Blackmail the Nobles and Gentry ( Words)

A moment later, the door of the inspector's office was opened.

Wang Bengu walked out of the office with a bold step, looking high-spirited and full of satisfaction.

Yang Jinshui shouted angrily, "Wang Bengu, did you kidnap Wang Zhi? Hand him over!"

Wang Bengu asked arrogantly, "Wang Zhi is the biggest pirate leader. I am the imperial censor assigned to inspect Zhejiang. I arrested him, so how can I say 'kidnap' him?"

Yang Jinshui cursed, "How dare a seventh-rank official question me? I am the eunuch in charge of the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau and the Zhejiang Maritime Customs. I order you to hand over Wang Zhi immediately."

Wang Bengu smiled wryly: "Are you the eunuch in charge of the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau and the Zhejiang Maritime Customs?"

"I'm sorry. The local inspections of the Censors are under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Censorate. Even if you are the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, you have no right to give me direct orders."

"Eunuch Yang wants Wang Zhi? No problem! You can first send a document to the Imperial Household Department, and have the department negotiate with the Metropolitan Censorate. Then the left and right presidents and assistants of the Metropolitan Censorate will issue me a document to transfer the prisoner."

Yang Jinshui was furious: "Wang Bengu, I'll kill you! You are a seventh-rank official. The turtles in the Yongding River are lower than you. You want to show off to me? Come on, smash his office and get Wang Zhi out!"

The workers in the weaving bureau rolled up their sleeves.

Wang Bengu was not intimidated by the most powerful eunuch sent by the palace to Jiangnan: "Although my rank is low, I am an official appointed by the court. I am not a cuckold."

"You want to smash my office? Fine, go ahead! I haven't reported many people recently, so I'm itching to do something. If you dare to smash it, I'll report you!"

Tan Lun said, "Inspector Wang, I am the deputy envoy of the Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Department. The Provincial Surveillance Department is in charge of criminal cases in a province. I now ask you to hand over Wang Zhi in the name of the Provincial Surveillance Department."

Wang Bengu glared at Tan Lun, "Tan Zili, don't you forget that you were able to be sent out because of the recommendation of Lord Xu? And now you are mixed up with the eunuch party?"

"The Inspector General and the Censorate are not subordinate to each other. Not to mention you, a deputy envoy, even if the chief of the Censorate came, you have no right to ask me to hand over the person!"

Yang Jinshui was furious: "Wang Bengu, Wang Zhi is a guest invited by the Governor of Zhejiang! Can you arrest him just like that?"

Wang Bengu was shocked when he heard this: "Oh? Eunuch Yang is accusing the Governor of Zhejiang Hu Zongxian of colluding with the Japanese pirate leader, bringing the Japanese into Hangzhou, and selling out the country?"

"Okay, I will include Eunuch Yang's words in the memorial impeaching Hu Zongxian!"

Lin Shisan couldn't listen any more. He walked up to Wang Bengu and said, "You think that since you are a low-ranking inspector but hold a high position, no one in the entire city of Hangzhou can touch you, right?"

After saying that, Lin Shisan took out a waist badge from his sleeve and said, "Look carefully, I am Lin Shisan, a captain of the Northern Pacification Division of the Jinyiwei."

"The Northern Pacification Office has the duty to monitor all officials for illegal activities. Officials of the third rank and below can be arrested and interrogated without permission."

"I have received a tip-off that you are corrupt and accept bribes. Come on, arrest him!"

Feiyu of the Northern Pacification Office did have the power to arrest the inspector. However, if Wang Bengu was found innocent after the trial, Lin Shisan would be held responsible.

But the situation was urgent, and Lin Shisan could no longer care about so many things. He could only arrest Wang Bengu first, and then go to the government office to rescue Wang Zhi.

Sun Yue and Li Gao stepped forward and controlled Wang Bengu from the left and right.

Wang Bengu laughed loudly, "You said I, Wang Bengu, was corrupt and accepted bribes? Oh, fine. I will let you arrest me and interrogate me."

"If you wrongly accuse me, all the censors in the court will report you!"

Lin Shisan ignored Wang Bengu and shouted to the people in the inspection office: "Wang Bengu has been arrested by the Northern Pacification Office! Anyone who dares to stop me from going in to arrest him will be treated as an accomplice."

After shouting, Lin Shisan walked towards the gate of the government office.

At this moment, Wang Bengu laughed out loud: "Hahaha!"

Lin Shisan turned around and angrily scolded him, "What are you laughing at? You almost ruined the great cause of pacifying the southeast, and you are so happy?"

Wang Bengu shouted in an almost crazy tone: "Don't waste your energy! Wang Zhi has been killed by me! The biggest Japanese pirate leader in the southeast was captured and killed by me, Wang Bengu. I, Wang Bengu, am the first hero in the fight against the Japanese pirates in the southeast!"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

Lin Shisan walked up to Wang Bengu and grabbed the collar of his official robe with both hands: "Say it again, what did you do to Wang Zhi?"

Wang Bengu smiled and said, "I know you will mobilize a large army to rescue the Japanese leader today. So I will strike first and kill him!"

Lin Shisan's body trembled slightly. He knew what Wang Zhi's death meant.

The southeast, which had just been stable for less than half a year, would immediately become a mess. Without Wang Zhi's restraint, countless groups of Japanese pirates would land on the coast without restraint, burning, killing, raping and looting.

All Hu Zongxian's previous efforts would be in vain.

In a hurry, Yang Jinshui drew out a police officer's saber and said, "I'll kill you!"

Tan Lun quickly grabbed Yang Jinshui and said, "Eunuch Yang, calm down! If you kill him, you will only help him gain a reputation as a fake loyal man! You will also be implicated."

Lin Shisan led his men into the government office and saw Wang Zhi's body and head with his own eyes.

Sun Yue kicked the executioner in front of Lin Shisan.

Lin Shisan took out Beisi Feiyu's Tongyun Book and said, "Tell me, who ordered you to kill Wang Zhi?"

The executioner replied: "Inspector Wang Bengu ordered me to kill Wang Zhi."

Lin Shisan asked again: "Did Wang Zhi leave any last words before he died?"

The executioner replied: "There is a last word. He said."

Lin Shisan asked anxiously: "What did you say?"

The executioner replied: "He said, 'Killing me is fine, but it will cause suffering to the people of Liangzhe. After I die, this place will be in chaos for ten years!'"

Lin Shisan took a breath of cold air.

Li Gao brought in another clerk from the inspector's office. The clerk had in his hand a letter written by Wang Zhi a few days ago to the Emperor Jiajing. He had been carrying this letter with him.

The memorial said: "I, Wang Zhi, have been seeking profits in the business world, selling goods in Zhejiang and Min, sharing profits with others, defending the border for the country, and have never seduced bandits to invade. This is known to all gods and men in heaven and earth."

"Although the Japanese state is under the rule of one ruler, the ruler has become weak and the ministers have become strong, so the country is only a name. There are still sixty-six states in the country, each of which is stronger than the other."

"If the emperor is merciful and forgiving, and pardons my sins, I will be able to serve as a servant, and the ports of Dinghai, Zhejiang, Changtu, etc. will continue to be open to customs and pay taxes as in Guangzhong, and the tribute will not be missed."

Although Wang Zhi's "Memorial to the Emperor" seemed to be an attempt to whitewash and gild himself, it at least showed that Wang Zhi had made up his mind to surrender to the court!

We are only one step away from pacifying the Japanese invasion in the southeast, only one step away!
Wang Bengu killed Wang Zhi, and who knows how many innocent people in the southeast will be buried with Wang Zhi!
Lin Shisan rushed out of the office in anger. He rushed to Wang Bengu and punched him hard in the face, knocking out one of his teeth.

Wang Bengu spat out the tooth and said with a smile: "You dare to beat up the most meritorious official in the fight against the Japanese invaders? You are finished! Just wait!"

Even the most slick person couldn't hold back his anger at this moment. Lin Shisan, like Yang Jinshui, drew out his embroidered spring knife and was about to stab Wang Bengu: "I'll kill you!"

Tan Lun actually grabbed the blade of the Xiuchun Knife with his hand: "Lin Chuanfeng, don't be impulsive. Wang Bengu was nominally recommended by Prince Yu!"

Xu Jie and his gang were too clever. They recommended anyone under the banner of the crown prince, Prince Yu.

Tan Lun shouted again: "You killed the person recommended by Prince Yu, how will this end? We should wait until Hu Butang returns to Hangzhou and then make a long-term plan."

Lin Shisan threw away the Embroidered Spring Knife in frustration, squatted on the ground, and slapped himself twice.

Incompetent rage!
This was the most desperate and helpless moment he had ever felt since he became famous. Helpless! Helpless! Helpless!

Everyone returned to the governor's office and detained Wang Bengu in the back hall.

Zhang Bo called Lin Shisan to a secluded place and said, "Listen to me. As soon as Hu Zongxian returns to the city, you will hand Wang Bengu over to him. Leave Jiangnan immediately. This is a dangerous place."

Lin Shisan said, "Master, do you really think that Wang Bengu killed Wang Zhi to win credit? You are wrong! He must have had someone behind the killing! The people behind the killing are the wealthy and powerful families in the south of the Yangtze River who made huge profits from the smuggling trade!"

"Use all the tortures of the Jinyiwei on Wang Bengu. I'm not afraid that he won't reveal the mastermind behind this!"

Zhang Bo smiled bitterly: "How could I not know? But Tan Lun just said that Wang Bengu was nominally recommended by Prince Yu."

"If you interrogate Wang Bengu, he will try to pin the incident on Prince Yu."

"By then, after much interrogation, if they come up with 'Prince Yu doesn't want to see stability in the southeast', or 'Prince Yu is colluding with the wealthy and powerful families in the south of the Yangtze River', do you think you can still survive?"

"Listen to my advice. People say you are a famous person in Xiyuan, but that is just a compliment. You are just a small person. You don't have the ability to change the overall situation."

"Isn't Lord Chang Feng, the old manager of the Jinyiwei, powerful? He has been fighting with the wealthy and powerful families in Jiangnan for his entire life, but he was ultimately unsuccessful."

Lin Shisan was speechless.

Yes, no matter how favored he was, he was only a hundred households in the Northern Division. In Yang Jinshui's words, there were fewer turtles in the Yongding River than people like him.

Zhang Bo continued to persuade Lin Shisan: "Wang Bengu is a hot potato now. With your qualifications and abilities, you are absolutely unable to handle this matter properly."

"Listen to me. When Hu Zongxian returns to the city, you will hand Wang Bengu over to him. Return to Beijing immediately!"

When Hu Zongxian received the news that Wang Zhi had been killed, he rode a fast horse to Hangzhou city.

After Hu Zongxian returned to the Governor's Office, Lin Shisan handed Wang Bengu over to him.

Hu Zongxian and Wang Bengu talked alone for half an hour.

Afterwards, Hu Zongxian actually escorted Wang Bengu out of the Governor's Office.

Lin Shisan found Hu Zongxian and asked, "Hu, that Wang Bengu ruined the cause of resisting the Japanese invaders. Why did you let him leave the Governor's Office openly?"

Hu Zongxian sighed, "It's a done deal! Brother Lin, I tell you, within a month, the entire southeast will be in turmoil."

"It's already an established fact. What's the point of pursuing that bastard Wang Bengu? It will only stir up factional strife in the court!"

"With a powerful enemy at hand, if the imperial court is in chaos, how can we fight against the Japanese?"

"As the Governor of Zhejiang, I cannot be like a chivalrous knight who takes pleasure in revenge! I have to consider the overall situation!"

Lin Shisan said, "Are you going to let Wang Bengu continue to run around in Hangzhou? Who knows how many troubles he will cause you in the future!"

"He killed Wang Zhi and ruined the plan of recruiting people. Are we going to let him go just like that?"

Hu Zongxian asked back: "Wang Zhi has not yet been recruited. So he is still a Japanese pirate. Wang Bengu killed him for the sake of reason!"

"I am Lord Yan's man. No matter how I deal with Wang Bengu, it will stir up party strife and political strife."

"All I can do is report this matter to the emperor truthfully. The emperor will make the final decision."

Lin Shisan slammed the table fiercely and said, "Bang!" Then he stood up and left Hu Zongxian's study.

Hu Zongxian looked at Lin Shisan's receding back, tears welling up in his eyes, and he sighed: "My great cause of pacifying the Japanese!"

Lin Shisan did not listen to Zhang Bo's words. He decided to flee. He stayed in Hangzhou and wrote a secret report to Emperor Jiajing as a centurion of the Northern Pacification Division, reporting everything and sending it to the capital by express horse.

For the next half month, carrier pigeons and express horses continued to travel between Hangzhou and the capital.

Sixteen days later, Lin Shisan received an imperial edict from Yongshou Palace.

The decree said: Following the old example of the Holy Tang Dynasty, Lin Shisan was named "Cat Marriage Envoy" and ordered Lin Shisan to find a cat husband in Hangzhou.

At the end of the decree, two inexplicable sentences were added: "If the funds are insufficient, you can ask for them locally from the gentry and nobles in Jiangnan. If there is still money left, you can hand it over to the Governor-General's Office of Zhejiang as military expenses to fight against the Japanese invaders.

Lin Shisan received the imperial edict and discussed with Zhang Bo: "Zhang Bo, it seems that the emperor also knows that the mastermind behind the murder of Wang Zhi is the group of bastards in Jiangnan who read the books of sages."

"As long as the Japanese invasion is not resolved, they can continue to make money through smuggling. The emperor wants me to use the excuse of finding a cat-son-in-law to extort a lot of money from them and give it to Hu Butang as military pay."

Zhang Bo nodded: "Yes, it is a request, not a donation. The meaning is very clear."

"You can ask Li Gao to do this together."

"Behind the nobles and gentry is Xu Jie, who always uses Prince Yu as a shield. This time, you might as well push Li Gao to the front. You can also satisfy your addiction to using Prince Yu as a shield."

Lin Shisan nodded: "Great idea. I won't stop until I extort several million taels of silver from them this time!"

Zhang Bo added: "Remember, those who have accomplished great things in ancient and modern times have made finding a replacement their first priority."

"This substitute doesn't mean finding someone who looks like you to prevent assassination or something like that."

"Instead, they do evil for the Lord and do all the things that should not be done for the Lord."

"Yan Song is the emperor's stand-in. You have to use Li Gao as your stand-in this time."

Uncle Zhang is not only a drunkard and a pervert, but also an old fox.

Lin Shisan invited Li Gao to a banquet that night, and Zhang Bo and Sun Yue accompanied him.

Lin Shisan said: "Brother Li, those wealthy families in Zhejiang are all extremely wealthy. Their money is all ill-gotten gains!"

Li Gao showed off his knowledge: "It must be ill-gotten gains. Before my sister entered the palace, my father was often bullied by a scholar in the village. Not only did he not get paid for the bricklaying work he did for the scholar's family, but he also asked for a gift of money when the work was finished!"

"If you don't give me the wedding money, that damn scholar will whip me!"

"Those rich people are all dogs! Once they have money, they let their family members study, pass the imperial examinations and become officials. Once they pass the imperial examinations and become officials, they will have a backer and will unscrupulously exploit the poor people."

"Master, those dogs who beat you up deserve to die!"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Brother Li, what you said is very thorough!"

Lin Shisan and Li Gao now talk about their own things. Li Gao calls Lin Shisan "Master" and Lin Shisan calls Li Gao "Brother".

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "This time the emperor has appointed me as the Cat Marriage Envoy. I will make the decision and appoint you as the Deputy Cat Marriage Envoy."

"The Emperor said that we can ask for funds to find a son-in-law from the wealthy and powerful families in Jiangnan."

Li Gao slapped his thigh and said, "Will this extort a hundred or eighty thousand taels of silver from those bastards?"

Lin Shisan shook his head slightly: "That's too little."

Li Gao was surprised: "Then ask them for hundreds of thousands of taels."

Lin Shisan still shook his head: "It's too little. We should at least extort a few million taels from them. We can use their ill-gotten gains to do good things."

(End of this chapter)