Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 761 Iron Seal
After talking about Li Chengliang, Emperor Wanli began to talk about the topic.

"He Aiqing. The rebel gold seal was stolen from the cabinet's office, which almost caused a political tide in Beijing. The officials took the opportunity to attack Zhao Zhigao, the chief assistant; Zhao Zhigao's old disciples said that Zhang Jing committed the crime with the intention of framing Zhao Zhigao; Zhang Jing The trusted officials also said that Shen Yiguan committed the crime with the intention of framing Zhao Zhigao; some even said that it was the remaining members of Bobai's party who infiltrated the palace and wanted to use this golden seal to raise troops in the northwest again."

He Liudao: "Your Majesty, the last statement is nothing at all!"

Emperor Wanli smiled slyly: "So, the first two statements may be true?"

He Liu replied ambiguously: "The fake is true when it is fake, and the fake is also true when it is fake."

Emperor Wanli smiled and said: "He Aiqing, I asked you to come out of the mountain just to let you find out who is real and who is fake!"

He Liu suddenly got up and knelt down on the ground: "Report to the emperor. The gold seal theft case is complicated and involves too many important officials of the court! I haven't found any clues. Besides, I am old and faint, and my mind is no longer working. I know that it is difficult for me to undertake the important task of investigating this case. I implore the emperor to leave this case to others!"

Emperor Wanli frowned: "He Aiqing, He old man! This is not like your temperament. I have heard that Hu San, the shadow commander of Jinyiwei during the Jiajing period, had a very pertinent evaluation of you. He said, you are the most I like to get to the bottom of things. If I guess correctly, you are deliberately showing weakness to the person who stole the gold seal. You want to make the person who steals the gold seal numb and show your flaws."

He Liuyi looked up his head against etiquette, and smiled at Emperor Wanli. His two missing front teeth made his expression both kind and funny.

He Liu said with a smile: "Sage is no match for the emperor. How can the veteran's tricks escape the emperor's eyes?"

Emperor Wanli said: "Wrong! I guessed your thoughts, not because of my sageness, but because I know your monarch and ministers well. Just do as you say. Oh, the business is over, it's time to talk about family affairs. Congratulations, Aiqing, you How is your body recently?"

He Liudao: "Your Majesty is so concerned that the veteran can eat and sleep. At least until the cause of Shizhong's death is found out, the veteran will not travel westward on a crane."

Emperor Wanli smiled and said: "Yes. I see that you are energetic and will live a long life. By the way. Is it time for my imperial sister to enter Beijing again in a month?"

He Liudao: "Yes. Zhu Xiang sent a letter to my minister a while ago. She will be able to arrive in Beijing on the fifteenth day of next month."

Emperor Wanli rubbed his temples: "I am quite afraid of her coming to Beijing. Every time she goes to Beijing, she will come to Yongshou Palace, nagging and scolding me. Heh, in the whole world, I am afraid that she is the only one who dares scold me."

He Liu took the opportunity to remonstrate: "Your Majesty, although Zhu Xiang is rebellious, what she said is not unreasonable. Queen Wang is the mother of a country, and the emperor's first wife. Concubine Gong is the birth mother of the eldest son of the emperor. It seems that the emperor should not be left out in the cold." they."

Emperor Wanli smiled awkwardly: "When did I ever neglect the Queen and Concubine Gong? Last month, I went to Kunning Palace to meet the Queen."

He Liugang was about to speak, but Emperor Wanli changed the subject and said, "Princess Jinyang is already 13 years old. She is my favorite imperial niece. Although there are still three years before she and Zezhen get married and consummate their marriage, the big For the wedding, it’s better to prepare as early as possible. I will take out 2 taels of silver from the internal storage to build a mansion for the big wedding. As for the location, I will let you, a grandfather, worry about it.”

He Liudao: "I must handle this matter well."

Emperor Wanli said again: "The three princes in the court all built graves during their lifetimes. He Aiqing, have you selected your century-old auspicious place?"

He Liu cupped his hands and said: "The old minister asks the emperor for permission. After the minister dies, don't bury him. Just burn the minister's body to ashes and throw it into the sea."

Emperor Wanli looked puzzled: "Ah? Wouldn't that be a setback?"

He Liudao: "Your Majesty, that's not called defeat. It's the soul returning to the sea. My wife loved the sea the most. Oh, by the way, I have another suggestion. I have carried too many secrets in my life that cannot be made public. According to the system of three princes, after the death of a minister, the historian of the Imperial Academy should write the life of the minister as usual. The minister suggested to the emperor that after the historian wrote the life of the minister, it should not be included in the historical archives of the Imperial Academy. Get it directly from Jinyiwei Tianzizi The stall, just burn it."

Emperor Wanli felt uncomfortable after hearing He Liu's words.He said: "Okay, I will listen to He Aiqing. After a hundred years, I will scatter your ashes into the sea and burn your life in the secret room of Tianzihao."

He Liudao: "If the emperor has nothing else to do, the old minister will leave."

Emperor Wanli got up: "Wang An, take He Aiqing out of the palace."

Wang An helped He Liu out of Yongshou Palace.

The next day, Emperor Wanli issued a decree: He Liu, the left governor of the Jinyiwei, is old and dizzy, and it is not good for investigation.He ordered him not to intervene in the case of the theft of the gold seal in the future.The eunuch Wang An, the admiral of the East Factory, was instead in charge of the case.

Four more days passed.He Liu is drinking tea under the big willow tree at home to enjoy the cool.A few cicadas on the big willow tree are making a lot of noise.

Li Hanjiao and his wife have already gone to Shunde Mansion.Only He Liu and He Zezhen's grandfather and grandson were left in the family.

He Zezhen ran into the courtyard sweating profusely, sat down in front of He Liu, picked up the tea bowl and took a big sip.

He Liu asked: "Where did you go crazy last night?"

He Zezhen told the truth: "Cough. Grandpa, I made a bet with Li Dayan, the grandson of Marquis Li Wei of Wuqing, to see who can catch bastards in Yongding River. In the end, I lost and owed him five taels of gold."

He Liudao: "Oh? Since ancient times, gambling debts are also debts and cannot be owed. You don't have that much gold, do you?"

He Zezhen said: "It's okay, just owe it first. Maybe next time I bet, I will win it back."

But He Liu said: "Gambling quality is character. If it doesn't work, one yard will be worth one yard."

After finishing speaking, He Liu went back to the bedroom, took out a 20 taels of large gold locket, and walked in front of He Zezhen.

"Take this gold scorpion in the next afternoon and go to the Wanfu Gold Shop in the east of the city to melt and cut it. Five taels of gold will be sent to the eldest grandson of Marquis Wuqing. The remaining 15 taels will be brought back to me."

After He Liugang said this, a strange thought suddenly flashed in his mind: The golden seal of the rebel general weighs ten catties, 160 taels in total.If it is melted into 20 taels of big gold zizi, eight of them can be melted!
At this moment, the gate of the courtyard opened, and Hong Lang rushed into the courtyard in a hurry.

"Master Six! Something strange happened."

He Liudao: "Oh? What's so strange?"

Hong Lang replied: "Zhang Kangchen, head of the Ritual System Department of the Ministry of Etiquette and a member of the cabinet, did something last night."

He Liu asked: "What's the matter, don't be secretive, tell me quickly."

What Hong Lang said next made He Liuda overjoyed: "At four o'clock this morning, there was a faint fire in the backyard of his house. The brother we sent to monitor him felt strange, so he broke in. He found him fighting in the backyard. The cauldron is melting something."

He Liu hurriedly asked: "What are you melting? The gold seal of the traitor?"

Hong Lang's answer disappointed He Liuda: "He did melt a seal, but it was not a gold seal, but an iron seal."

He Liu frowned: "Iron seal? What is engraved on it?"

Hong Lang said: "When our brother broke in, he was half melted, and the printed writing was gone, only half of the iron lump remained."

(End of this chapter)