Rule over Ming Dynasty

A dark cloud floated across the sky, the bright sunny day just now disappeared, and the whole world became dark in an instant.

Song Cheng's voice was up and down, and he dropped another bombshell: "After a secret investigation! Kong Hongxu arranged for his concubine Liu to lure Kong Wenshi into doing something cruel, and used this as a threat. He drugged and stole the key, and asked Shi to deliver medicine to the bedside of Duke Yansheng. Kong Wenshi was morally corrupt first, and when he delivered medicine to Duke Yansheng, he died of poisoning. This is a great act of filial piety..."

"Didn't the master of the family die of illness?"

"How dare Wen Shi do such an immoral thing?"

"No, this is absolutely impossible. We, the descendants of the Kong family, would never do such a wicked thing!"

……

When the core members of the Kong family heard the accusation, they were shocked at first, but they immediately denied that the scandal came from their family.

You know, they are the descendants of saints, and their every word and action has a trace of the charm left by the saints. Although Kong Hongxu did something against the will of heaven, their Kong family as a whole is still a model of morality.

Song Cheng ignored the noisy voices below. He only needed to read out the imperial edict in public. Then he put away the imperial edict and waved his hand: "Capture him!"

This time he was ordered to leave the capital, and he had come to Shandong to carry out an imperial mission, so naturally he was accompanied by the Imperial Guards, who immediately stepped forward to arrest him.

"Wait!" Kong Chengen, as the soul figure of the older generation, immediately stepped forward to stop them.

Song Cheng looked at the white-haired old man in front of him and asked very seriously: "Are you Kong family going to disobey the order?"

"Sir Song, Xuansheng is the master of the famous religion for all ages. He has been revered by generations and has never been replaced. His descendants are treated differently from ordinary people. Now Hongxu and Wenshi are the direct descendants of the family. Even if the court wants to punish them, they must provide real evidence instead of arresting people based on hearsay!" Kong Chengen knew that sacrificing Kong Hongxu and Kong Wenshi were insignificant, but he could not let the entire Kong family bring shame, so he resolutely stood up to defend them.

"Yes, that's right!"

"We, the descendants of saints, are not pigs or dogs?"

"Don't use the same tactics against the common people against us. You can't afford to offend us!"

……

After seeing Kong Chengen stand up, a group of core disciples came out to show their support.

They seemed to have completely forgotten the dirty things they did in their daily lives. At this moment, their saintly bloodlines seemed to awaken, and they directly accused Song Cheng, the Minister of Justice on the high platform.

Song Cheng looked at the angry disciples of the Kong family below and couldn't help but frown slightly.

He also rose up step by step from the bottom of the society. Because he always adhered to his ideals, he encountered more unruly people than any other official.

But now, looking at the Kong family in front of me, I originally thought that "There are only three families in the world: my family, Zhang from Jiangxi, and Zhu from Fengyang. Zhang from Jiangxi is a Taoist family; Zhu from Fengyang is a nouveau riche family with a petty mind." was fabricated by someone with ulterior motives, but now it seems that it is not groundless.

Regarding the matter of Your Majesty sending the Empress Dowager Zhou to live in the Nan Palace, it was the Kong family who had been waving flags. Over the years, they really wanted to label the Emperor as unfilial.

Song Cheng has always pursued justice, but he also has a heart of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism: "You Kong family are obstructing the emperor's will, are you really going to rebel?"

After these words were spoken, the arrogance of the Lian family children below was obviously reduced a bit.

They relied on their saintly blood and had been local tyrants for a thousand years, so they no longer took the stingy Zhu family seriously. However, they knew that there were some lines that could not be crossed.

The emperor now is different from the previous ones. Even if the relatives of Empress Dowager Zhou said so, he would execute them and imprisoned the Empress Dowager Zhou in Nangong. No one can guarantee that the emperor will not do something crazy.

You know, Emperor Hongzhi is now in power. If he really wants to destroy the Kong family, I'm afraid all the civil and military officials in the court won't dare to say a word.

That's right. They were never afraid of a wise emperor who was reasonable and sensible, but they were afraid that Emperor Hongzhi would suddenly become unreasonable.

"Sir Song, this is such a big accusation, our Kong family cannot afford it! But if you want to take the person away, please produce evidence!" Kong Chengen relied on the fact that this was his territory and said it very toughly.

Jinyiwei Captain Lu Song stepped forward and said coldly, "Minister Song is on a mission under the order of the emperor, and we Jinyiwei are ordered to arrest people. You actually want evidence before you release them? You Kong family are really lawless!"

"You hawk dog, stop being so rude! You are just a small Jinyiwei captain, and you dare to act wildly in my Kong family's territory? Let me tell you, there are tens of thousands of Kong family members in today's ceremony. If you dare to arrest people rudely, you will be the enemy of my entire Kong family!" Kong Cheng'en hated Jinyiwei the most in his life, and he threatened them relying on his large numbers today.

Jinyiwei Captain Lu Song took a deep breath and responded: "Kong Chengen, today I am following the imperial order to arrest someone. If you dare to hinder me from doing my job, don't blame me for being rude to you..."

"Go ahead if you have the guts! If you want to catch them both, you have to step over my body first!" Kong Chengen interrupted Lu Song and smiled provocatively.

In this dispute over the position of Duke Yansheng, he stood on the side of Kong Wenshi.

Once Kong Wenshi was arrested and brought to the capital, not only would Kong Wenshi's relationship with Duke Yansheng be completely undoubted, but the entire Kong family would lose face because of Kong Wenshi and Kong Hongchu.

If the Kong family lost their reputation in the Ming Dynasty, it would be fatal to their entire Kong family. This would be far more serious than when Kong Hongxu was taken to the capital.

That's right. He not only wanted to protect Kong Wenshi, whom he strongly supported, but also wanted to protect the reputation of the entire Kong family and preserve this super family that has been passed down for thousands of years.

Lu Song took a deep breath, suddenly pulled out the embroidered spring knife from his waist, pointed it at Kong Chengen and said coldly: "In this case, then Lu will... give you a ride!"

He let out a low roar, moved his body, and rushed towards Kong Chengen.

Kong Chengen's face changed drastically when he saw this. He never expected that Lu Song would actually dare to attack him. He hurriedly stepped back a few steps and shouted loudly, "Where is the Kong family member? Stop this lunatic!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of Kong family members rushed over, holding sticks and knives.

"Die!" Lu Song thought of the time when he followed Wang Yue in Yangzhou Prefecture and they had forgotten their grudges. The embroidered spring knife in his hand did not retreat at all, but slashed towards Kong Chengen.

puff!
Kong Cheng'en's eyes were filled with fear, and he looked at the murderer in front of him in disbelief, but no sound came out of his throat, and he fell backwards.

"died?"

"He really dares?"

"Kill him and avenge my uncle!"

……

After seeing Kong Chengen die at the hands of Lu Song, a group of Kong clan members who were close to Kong Chengen couldn't believe their eyes and then fell completely crazy.

Kong Hongchu saw the opportunity and instigated his own children to take revenge. When Song Cheng, the Minister of Justice, saw that the situation was about to get out of control, he raised the imperial edict in his hand and said, "It is the emperor's will to arrest Kong Hongxu and Kong Wenshi. Anyone who dares to disobey the order will be tantamount to treason!"

After these words were spoken, the crazy descendants of the Kong family sobered up a little. After all, the last two words carried too much weight.

"How can my uncle die in vain? Kill this hawk and tell his spirit in heaven!" Kong Hongchu's eyes turned, and he wanted to find a way to survive. +
The Kong family has been divided into two factions. Originally, they had been fighting openly and secretly, but now their interests have become more consistent.

"Catch him!" Kong Chengxiao is Kong Chengen's younger brother, and he said angrily at this moment.

The Kong family has many descendants, and today is the day of sacrifice. They not only have various sticks and knives in their hands, but even bows and arrows, which are the six arts of a gentleman.

No one knew who started it, but a group of Kong family members rushed towards Lu Song.

Lu Song was surrounded by the Kong family's disciples, but he was not afraid at all, waving his embroidered spring sword: "The Kong family has rebelled, call for help!"

This time he came here on orders, and he did not bring many people with him. However, as a captain of the Jinyiwei, he was also on a mission under the emperor's order, so not only did the local officials not dare to sit idly by, but even the Governor of Shandong had to come to rescue him.

There was only the sound of metal clashing. The Jinyiwei led by Lu Song were all good fighters in the army, but there were too many children of the Kong family, and some of them kept shooting arrows at them.

boom!
Just as Lu Song was waving the Embroidered Spring Sword in his hand to defend himself, a heavy stick attacked him from behind. When Lu Song discovered it, it was too late and he was hit hard by the stick.

hum...

Lu Song's head was buzzing, blood splattered from his ears, his vision went black, and he fell heavily to the ground in the direction of the heavy stick.

"Lord Senhu!"

The accompanying Jinyiwei became anxious when they saw Lu Song being knocked to the ground.

The Minister of Justice Song Cheng saw everything and was so angry that his face turned blue.

How can the Kong family be descendants of saints? These guys brandishing swords and guns are clearly descendants of bandits. This place is simply a den of thieves for the Kong family.

Song Cheng, the Minister of Justice, looked at the rampant Kong family members below and finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Send a message to the Shandong Governor's Office that the Kong family has rebelled and lead the troops to suppress them immediately!"

"I obey your command!" the accompanying messenger immediately bowed.

what?
When the Kong family elders present saw that Song Cheng was actually going to send troops to suppress the riot, they immediately realized that the situation was out of control and hurriedly began to restrain those crazy disciples.

In fact, when they defeated Lu Song, they gradually calmed down.

No matter how arrogant they are on a daily basis, they are the emperor's personal soldiers after all, and they are here to do tasks ordered by the emperor. It seems that we have gone too far.

Of course, Kong Chengen's death ignited the anger of some of the Kong family's descendants. Even though Song Cheng had ordered the mobilization of the army, he still looked coldly at Lu Song who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead.

"Minister Song!" A Jinyiwei suddenly looked up at Song Cheng and said with great pain.

Song Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stepped forward to check Song Cheng's injuries.

"That stick just now was really beautiful!"

"Isn't it? It's a pity that the stick just now didn't kill him!"

"The Jinyiwei's martial arts are only this good. How dare they commit crimes in our Kong family's territory? They deserve to be put to death!"

……

The Kong family members hated Lu Song to the core, but now seeing him being knocked down, they not only did not feel afraid, but also expressed a feeling of regret.

"Sir Song, please withdraw your order. Is there any misunderstanding here? Captain Lu killed the elder of our clan for no reason, and the young man of our clan hit him with a stick in anger. In this matter, is it Captain Lu who is at fault for taking advantage of his power to bully others?" Kong Chengxiao stepped forward to take charge of the situation and tried to characterize the conflict.

Song Cheng looked at the other party who was trying to confuse right and wrong, and said calmly: "Bullying others by taking advantage of your power? For no reason? Captain Lu was ordered to arrest the murderer. Kong Chengen came out to stop him, which was disobeying the order. He should be killed!"

"Sir Song, everyone says you are Song Qingtian, but now it seems you are just a sycophant who cannot tell right from wrong! My uncle only asks for evidence, is there anything wrong with that?" Kong Hongchu knew that he needed the power of his family, so he stood up and argued.

Song Cheng's eyes fell on Kong Hongchu, but he said coldly: "Not to mention that the court never needs to verify the evidence before arresting people! Your concubine Liu is a witness. After opening the coffin and performing an autopsy, we can know whether Kong Hongtai was poisoned to death. Don't you think you can still escape the blame?"

what?
Kong Hongchu's mouth opened slightly and he fell to the ground.

He eventually realized that his concubine had not fled back to her parents' home, but had fallen into the hands of the imperial court, and what he had done was no longer a secret.

"Sir Song, there must be some misunderstanding! Captain Lu was injured today, and since it was caused by our Kong family members, we will definitely be responsible for treating Captain Lu!" Kong Chengxiao already knew what kind of person Kong Hongchu was, and he immediately decided to sacrifice Kong Hongchu and step forward to smooth things over.

Song Cheng's eyes were somewhat desolate, but he said calmly: "No need!"

"Sir Song, please give us a chance to make amends and don't make a big deal out of it!" Kong Chengxiao knew that injuring a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a serious matter, so he immediately requested sincerely.

Song Cheng's eyes moved away from Kong Chengxiao's face, but he looked at the Kong family members present and said, "Captain Lu is dead, I can no longer make the decision on this matter! If you Kong family members want to rebel, you can take me down, otherwise you can just wait for the court to settle the matter!"

"Huh? Dead?"

"This...how is this possible!"

"That stick just now seemed to have blown him in the head!"

……

When the Kong family members who were watching the scene heard the news of Lu Qianhu's death, they were shocked at first, but some of them seemed to realize it belatedly.

Kong Chengxiao knew that the matter was very serious, so he immediately walked towards Lu Song who was lying on the ground. Seeing that there was no blood on Lu Song's face, he reached out to his nose and immediately felt a chill.

The emperor's personal soldiers died here, at the hands of the Kong family's children, so the nature of the whole matter has changed. If the emperor's personal soldiers were passing by, it would be fine, but they were still carrying out their duties according to the emperor's order.

Seeing the situation developing out of control, Kong Chengxiao felt an unprecedented fear in his heart and said, "We are really in trouble this time!"

Shandong Governor Xu Hong was originally leading troops for a drill. After receiving Song Cheng's order, he immediately led Shandong's elite troops to surround the place. (End of this chapter)