The days when I ransacked the house in Jinyiwei

Basha rushed to the home of Zhang Zhongming, the head of the Ministry of Rites, and saw a bloody and horrifying scene.

All 13 members of Zhang Zhongming's family took poison and died! They all had blood coming out of their seven orifices! They were already emitting a corpse stench!
Half an hour later, Chang Fengliu led You Jingwu and the coroner to Zhang Zhongming's courtyard.

Chang Feng ordered the coroner: "Perform an autopsy."

The coroner carefully examined the body and said, "This family took Hedinghong. Judging from the corpse spots, they have been dead for two days."

Basha said, "That's right. I asked Zhang Zhongming's neighbors. They said that the Zhang family has been locked up for two days. The Ministry of Rites also said that Zhang Zhongming asked for leave two days ago."

After that, Basha handed Chang Feng another letter: "This is the suicide note found on Zhang Zhongming."

The general content of this so-called suicide note is as follows: If a son does not avenge his father, he is unworthy of being a son. I hired someone to kill Chang Feng's granddaughter-in-law but failed, so I only let her miscarry, which can be regarded as making the Chang family extinct and avenging my father.

I know the tricks of Jinyiwei Chang the Butcher. I can't hide this from him. Rather than being arrested and imprisoned in Jinyiwei prison and suffering torture worse than death, it is better for my whole family to commit suicide and end it quickly.

You Jingwu said: "Foster father, I don't believe this suicide note. There must be someone behind Zhang Zhongming."

Chang Feng said, "Even if there is someone, it will be difficult for us to investigate further. The whole family of Thirteen was poisoned and they did a great job in dealing with the aftermath."

You Jingwu asked, "Then should we continue investigating this matter?"

Chang Feng replied: "Investigate. Of course we will continue to investigate."

Since the Jinyiwei was established during the Hongwu period, there have been at least 800 unsolved cases that have not been investigated. As Chang Feng said, those people did a great job of dealing with the aftermath. Zhang Zhongming's entire family was killed, and no matter how hard Chang Feng and his men investigated, they could not find any clues.

After four months of agonizing, Chang Feng had to close the case, but he still made a brutal demonstration against the civil servants.

The assassin, Yu Nangbizi, was sentenced to death by slicing by a sword by the Jinyiwei, bypassing the Sanfasi. The place of slicing by a sword was opposite the residence of Yang Tinghe, the chief minister of the cabinet.

This was the first time that a criminal was tortured to death at the doorstep of the Prime Minister's home since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty's cabinet.

The assassination case was closed. Emperor Zhengde gave Chang Feng an order: "The southern expedition is almost over. You don't need to return to Yingtian. Stay in Beijing and take care of the family for me."

Days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye it was August of the fifteenth year of the Zhengde reign.

The trouble-making Emperor Zhengde staged a show. He ordered people to take Prince Ning to the parade ground of the Nanjing garrison office and remove the shackles and chains from him.

Witnessed by 30,000 soldiers of the Southern Expedition, Emperor Zhengde appeared on the scene wearing a golden helmet and golden armor, holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji custom-made by skilled craftsmen from the Nanjing Ministry of War's Imperial Household Department, and riding a red horse.

Emperor Zhengde pointed his Fang Tian Hua Ji at Prince Ning and "captured" him. Prince Ning's rebellion was officially "suppressed" by Emperor Zhengde.

Emperor Zhengde had achieved another great military feat; Wang Shouren had received a promise that "after I return to the capital, I will transfer you to be the Minister of War"; all the soldiers of the Southern Expedition Army had received rewards.

The only bad thing was the civil officials in Jiangnan. The southern expedition lasted for more than a year, and Emperor Zhengde suppressed, abused, and blackmailed the civil officials along the way. What was even more terrible was that Emperor Zhengde allowed eunuchs and military generals to take away a lot of the power of the civil officials.

Emperor Zhengde had become suspicious of Jiang Bin's loyalty. In order to deprive him of his military power, he gave him the power to lead his old subordinates to inspect Jiangnan. Jiang Bin and his gang often blackmailed civil officials and even whipped them in public, causing the civil officials to complain bitterly.

On August 13, the 15th year of the Zhengde reign, after causing chaos in the officialdom of Jiangnan, the emperor, who was regarded as a living devil in the eyes of the civil servants, finally embarked on his journey back north.

Something happened that made the civil servants even more terrified.

On his way back, Emperor Zhengde passed through Zhenjiang and stayed in Yang Yiqing's mansion for four days and four nights. Emperor Zhengde also said: "I had a pleasant chat with Mr. Yang for four days. We had a great time."

This was an obvious political signal - Emperor Zhengde was about to appoint Yang Yiqing as the chief minister of the cabinet.

Yang Yiqing was not a member of the civil service group, but a military commander. If he became the chief minister, the civil service group would lose the most important position in the court.

The group of people finally became so desperate and bold that they started to act! In a secret courtyard in Yingtian City, several people were having a secret meeting.

"According to his schedule, he will arrive at Qingjiangpu in Huai'an Prefecture in three days. Officials from the Ministry of Revenue will accompany him to inspect Changying Warehouse."

"Yeah. Are you all ready?"

"It's ready. Twenty sheep carcasses with water poisoning were placed in the pond in front of Changying Warehouse ten days in advance. The sheep carcasses have been salvaged and destroyed today. The pond is not big, and it should be full of water poisoning by now. There is no cure for water poisoning!"

The water poison that the mysterious man mentioned is what later generations called schistosomiasis!

"The most interesting thing is that even a strong and healthy adult will not develop the disease until at least three months after being infected with water poisoning. What does this have to do with the pond? What does this have to do with Jiangnan? What does this have to do with us?"

The mysterious man said that the disease would occur three months later, which means the incubation period of schistosomiasis is three months.

"Okay. Where's the boat?"

"We're ready. The keel of the boat is off by one foot. If it carries more than 300 kilograms of people or objects, it will capsize when it reaches the center of the ten-foot-deep pool of water!"

"Everything is ready, except for the east wind. It depends on whether Zhang Zhong can trick him into getting on that boat!"

On the tenth day of the ninth month in the fifteenth year of the Zhengde reign, the warehouses in Qingjiangpu, Huai'an Prefecture, were always full.

Accompanied by a group of eunuchs and officials from the Ministry of Revenue, Emperor Zhengde checked the grain stored in Changying Warehouse. Because the grain inventory differed by only 300 kilograms from the actual number, Emperor Zhengde severely punished a governor, a prefect, a doctor from the Ministry of Revenue, and a warehouse ambassador. They were all stripped of their posts and sent to the border.

After the inspection, the emperor was about to set off. Zhang Zhong smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I have learned an important thing from investigating the customs and practices."

Emperor Zhengde asked: "Oh? What's the matter?"

Zhang Zhong raised his hand and pointed to the pond outside Changying Warehouse: "The inferior rice from Changying Warehouse that was affected by moisture was poured into the pond. Therefore, the crucian carp in the pond grew fat and healthy. Many people in Qingjiangpu took small boats to fish in the pond. Three months ago, a citizen actually caught a crucian carp weighing more than ten kilograms! But because the citizen's fishing skills were not good enough, he cut the line."

Emperor Zhengde was now a top-level fishing enthusiast. Hearing this, he was shocked. His eyes lit up: "More than ten kilograms of crucian carp? I've never heard of it! I want to see it. Zhang Zhong, go prepare the boat!"

Zhang Yong, who was waiting on the side, tried to dissuade him: "Your Majesty, it is important to return to the capital. Chang Feng sent a message to this old servant, saying..."

Emperor Zhengde asked: "What did Chang Feng say?"

Zhang Yong lowered his voice and said, "Chang Feng said that the emperor was very strict with the civil officials during this southern expedition. He was afraid that some civil officials would take risks. He asked me to protect the emperor on the way back north."

Zhang Zhong said, "Eunuch Zhang, you are worrying too much, right? The people guarding Qingjiangpu today are all your men. They are all highly skilled in martial arts. The emperor is just fishing in a boat at Jishuitan, what could go wrong?"

Emperor Zhengde rolled up the sleeves of his dragon robe and said, "Today I will fish in the pond for three hours to see the big crucian carp weighing more than ten kilograms! Zhang Zhong, prepare the boat!"

Zhang Zhong slapped his head and said, "Oh! Your Majesty, the journey to Huai'an Prefecture is by land. I didn't prepare the Anfu Imperial Boat!"

Emperor Zhengde looked towards the pond and pointed: "Isn't there a small boat belonging to a commoner?"

On the south side of the pond, there is a small boat about ten and a half feet long parked.

Emperor Zhengde said, "Use that one!"

Zhang Yong was a little worried. He said, "Your Majesty, I have two disciples who are very good at swimming. Let them go aboard and help you fish."

Zhang Zhong laughed in his heart: Oh, wonderful! In a moment, the emperor gets into trouble in the pond, and the person serving him is your disciple, Zhang Yong - you can't escape the blame! (End of this chapter)