Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 511: Unwilling to be inferior to others
"Starting from the chief officer, everyone including his three clans, check their fields and houses, check their bank books, check their cellars, check their... In short, let me check everything that can be checked. This Do you still need me to teach you something?"

On the tenth day of August, while the next issue of "Da Ming Bao" was still preparing to publicize the great victory in Mobei, Wang Hui, who was in Yingtian Mansion, led more than 3,000 officials at all levels to start a grand inspection of the capital.

In the yamen of the Procuratorate of Nanjing City, Wang Hui was sitting on the main seat in his regular uniform, with the four characters "upright and bright" hanging on his head. Standing in front of him were a group of Beijing Procuratorate officials of the sixth rank and above.

Facing Wang Hui's words, a fourth-rank official from the Metropolitan Procuratorate bowed and hesitated:

"Minister, it is against the rules to rashly investigate officials and their relatives..."

"Rules?" Wang Hui's eyes dimmed, he scanned the dozens of officials in the yamen, and put his hand on the armrest beside him.

"Zhang Mengcun, are you confused?"

"Is there any mention in the Code of Officials that an official and his or her three responsibilities are all subject to the emperor's favor?"

"This... I said it." Zhang Mengcun's voice couldn't help but become a little softer.

Wang Hui simply said: "Officials are honest and self-responsible. Even if thousands of people come to investigate, what do you have to fear?"

"The Jiangnan Sixteenth Merchant Gang has monopolized the trade in Kunlun Continent and is also running many shady businesses in Jiangnan."

“If taxes don’t come in, the state treasury will have no money.”

"Minister, calm down..." Zhang Mengcun apologized quickly, but Wang Hui stood up and walked to Zhang Mengcun, walking back and forth and glancing at all the Beijing inspection officials above the sixth rank.

Wang Hui turned around and scanned them with a sinister expression. Although he didn't say anything, everyone felt what he meant.

"We will naturally live frugally and repay the court's kindness..."

Wang Hui almost belittled Zhang Mengcun to the point of being completely naked, but Zhang Mengcun did not dare to get angry because what Wang Hui said was true.

"With a salary of tens or hundreds of guan, to feel sorry for those corrupt officials who can get thousands of guan just for polishing their pens... First take a piss and see if you are worthy!"

"Don't tell me, you are living a good and comfortable life and have forgotten what the north was like thirty years ago!"

When the eunuch on duty saw this, he immediately said: "Your Majesty, Academician Xu wants to see you!"

"Xuan!" A chanting sound came from the hall. Xu Shuo immediately walked into the hall after hearing the words, and after a few breaths, he saw Zhu Gaoxu sitting on the dragon chair.

Hearing this, everyone rushed to speak: "Of course they are the official uniforms of the imperial court, and they eat food from His Majesty..."

"Okay!" Wang Hui stopped and glanced around like a tiger hunting:

"In order to be able to sit down for business, Jiangnan officials are almost bribed as soon as they come."

Just facing everyone's gaze, Wang Hui sneered: "If the treasury has no money, you won't be able to get your salary."

"At times like this, in order to avoid starving to death, we have no choice but to accept the filial piety of the people below us, and become corrupt officials from inactive officials."

"If the New Deal cannot be implemented, taxes will not be collected."

"Shit!"

They first started the investigation from the Jiangbei Prefecture in South Zhili. From the official himself to all his relatives and friends within three servers, they were strictly investigated. Whenever there was a sum of money with unknown origin, Wang Hui ordered the Jin Yiwei to hold a driving post and inspect it overnight. Until the interrogation gives the answer.

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"

"Your Majesty, today's more than 300 memorials are all about impeaching Wang Hui for abusing his power. I humbly ask Your Majesty to take back the king's decree to return to the capital for inspection!"

"In that case, tell me, if the court runs out of money and the construction site stops working, what will your relatives in the north eat?"

"We don't dare..." No one dared to bear such a big charge.

"Those self-righteous incorruptibles in the court, everyone talks about being incorruptible, but in fact their hands are much darker than you and me!"

Seeing them lower their heads, Wang Hui returned to his seat, turned his back to everyone, picked up the tea cup and took a sip, moistened his throat before calming down and said:

"Someone will bribe you this time when you investigate the case, but I want to tell you, if I find out who accepted the bribe..."

Outside the hall, hundreds of civil servants from Jiangnan were also kneeling and singing. After Xu Shuo saw this scene, he could only bravely walk to the door of the side hall with the memorial and bow to the eunuch on duty.

"Life or death only lasts for half a year. Within half a year, we can implicate as many people as we can according to the law. The imperial court's tea, salt and wine administration must be implemented. I will see results by the end of the year!"

"Only when the court has money can your salary be guaranteed and you can live the comfortable and comfortable life you have now."

"The imperial court asked you to go south this time to find out these corrupt officials. Are you hesitant to wait until the treasury can't come up with money and the officials don't even have their salaries to eat before you start investigating the case?"

"Don't you dare?" Wang replied angrily and laughed, and said directly: "If we don't investigate corrupt officials, and if officials are not properly governed, the New Deal will not be implemented."

Following his order, the entire Yingtian Mansion's Beijing police officials moved into action.

This approach naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of many officials. They collectively reported to the court, and these memorials were also reported to the cabinet.

"Tell me, whose clothes are you wearing and whose food are you eating?!"

"Since you are eating from His Majesty's food and wearing the official uniforms of the imperial court, now you are asked to help the imperial court and you are still resisting. What do you want to do? Do you want to rebel?!"

"You also have relatives working on some construction sites in the north, right? It's not just you, but also many officials who went south, right?"

Zhang Mengcun was interrupted by Wang Hui in a vulgar manner before he finished speaking. Such vulgar behavior made everyone look at him suddenly, obviously not believing that such words would come out of the mouth of a cabinet minister.

"Remember, the imperial court can only operate various projects in the north if it has money. If the imperial court has no money, do you want to see the north return to what it was more than thirty years ago?"

Wang Hui stared at them, and everyone slowly lowered their heads under his gaze.

"The treasury is out of money..." Wang Hui walked up to Zhang Mengcun and looked at him: "Tell me... what do you guys eat?"

"If the court has no money and can't issue salaries, then there will be more and more corrupt officials. The more corrupt officials there are, the less money they can receive. If they can't receive money, they can't issue salaries. This cycle of principles still applies to me. Remind you of Zhang Mengcun, who ranked first in Shandong Middle School in the 17th year of Yongle?"

In front of Wuying's side hall, Yang Pu and Yang Rong kowtowed, but there was no movement in the hall. It seemed that Zhu Gaoxu didn't want to pay attention at all.

Zhu Gaoxu took the memorial and read it calmly. When Xu Shuo saw this, he immediately said:

"Your Majesty, Wang Hui's move is indeed a bit excessive. Many officials and their relatives have been harassed. This seems inappropriate."

"What's wrong?" Zhu Gaoxu asked without raising his head. When Xu Shuo heard this, he immediately knew that the emperor supported this, so he quickly changed his tone:
"I think that the relatives of the third server can be investigated, but if we start this way and everyone follows suit in the future, it is inevitable that there will be people who want to avenge themselves..."

"Then let's wait until we show up in the future." Zhu Gaoxu continued to deal with the memorial with his head lowered, and asked at the same time:
"Have the lists and rewards for the soldiers of this Northern Expedition been drawn up?"

"Back to your majesty, we are drafting it. In addition, the emperor has already recruited the Tatars, Choros, Durbots and other tribes. But where to arrange these people, your majesty still needs to decide."

Xu Shuo responded, and Zhu Gaoxu heard the words and said: "The Tatars moved to Modong Baicheng and Oala to stay along the three cities of Hailar, Dongran, and Yanran. They also stationed soldiers and horses in the area to monitor their movements."

"Nobles from various ministries have come to the capital one after another. I have my own arrangements for the specific rewards."

Having said this, Zhu Gaoxu raised his head and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"I...is gone." Xu Shuo sighed in his heart, and then he saw Zhu Gaoxu waving his hand to signal him to leave.

He had no choice but to exit the palace. When Yang Rong and Yang Pu saw this, they knew there was nothing they could do. Apart from harassing Zhu Gaoxu every day, they could no longer do anything useful.

From Hongwu to Hongxi, except for the three years from the 30th year of Hongwu to the 33rd year of Hongwu when they were able to influence the imperial power, the rest of the time they could only be controlled by the imperial power.

If Zhu Gaoxu hadn't appeared, they shouldn't have been so aggrieved.

Since the Tang Dynasty, this group of scholars had never been suppressed like this by the emperor for a long time, so it was naturally difficult to balance their hearts.

It's just that they are unbalanced and useless. Wang Hui's Beijing inspection is still going on, and the affairs in Mobei are also being taken over by the Sixth Department.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th, Zhu Gaoxu announced the establishment of the Chief Envoy Department and the Punishment and Prosecution Department in Bohai while giving the ministers a day off.

Once this news is announced, it means that Bohai has begun to become an existence with three chief envoys. The two capitals and sixteen chief envoys have become the two capitals and seventeen chief envoys. The number of these chief envoys may also increase. More to come in the future.

However, as time passed, Wang Hui, who was far away in Yingtian, also concluded that Yingtian government officials were corrupt after nearly a month of investigation.

"There are 826 officials and 14,322 staff members in Yingtian Mansion. Among them, 279 officials were found to have accepted bribes and corruption and enriched themselves, and 3,200 staff members. One hundred and thirty-seven.”

"According to the investigation of the people below, a total of more than 986,000 gold and silver deposits were seized, more than 76,000 acres of land were acquired, 457 villas and houses, and more than 2,400 houses and courtyards. Twelve boxes of antique calligraphy, paintings and jewelry.”

"Including grain and various spices, the amount is about 2,920,843 strings..."

In the yamen of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, Zhang Mengcun reported the results of the Beijing Procuratorate to Wang Hui. Upon hearing this, Wang Hui picked up his teacup and sneered:
"There are so many corrupt officials in Yingtian Mansion, but nearly 3 million yuan of stolen money can be found in just one month. People say that Jiangnan is rich, and I don't believe it..."

"Indeed..." Zhang Mengcun's expression was quite solemn. After all, since the imperial court moved the capital, Nanjing's status has plummeted. Although it can still serve as the leader in the south of the Yangtze River, it is obviously not as good as it once was.

Even so, one Yingtian Mansion could still detect so much stolen money. It is hard to imagine how much stolen money could be found in the entire Jiangnan.

"How many officials and squires have been implicated by this group of people?"

Wang Hui took a sip of tea, and Zhang Mengcun said without hesitation after hearing this: "It probably involves more than 900 officials from various places, but some officials work in other places, not in the places authorized by this imperial edict. In addition..."

Zhang Mengcun glanced at Wang Hui, bowed cautiously and said: "These people are also checking our people privately, you see..."

"Check it, let them check it as they please!" Wang Hui sneered, with disdain on his face:

"Let them investigate and find out whether we will deal with them first or they will deal with us first!"

"But doing this will implicate many people in the temple." Zhang Mengcun didn't want to cause such a big trouble. Wang Hui raised his head in dissatisfaction when he heard this and put the teacup in his hand on the table.

"Why, you are also corrupt?" Wang Hui's eyes were like arrows, as if he would shoot Zhang Mengcun to death in the next second.

Zhang Mengcun bowed quickly: "Of course the official is not corrupt, but the official is worried that doing so will cause dissatisfaction among the people in the temple."

"If everyone is dissatisfied, then it won't matter if something happens to the lower official. But you, the cabinet minister, are the mainstay of the Ming Dynasty. You are responsible for the money bag of the Ming Dynasty. If something happens to you, then the Ming Dynasty..."

"Nothing will happen to me, and they can't move me!" Wang Hui responded decisively. At the same time, he stood up and walked to Zhang Mengcun, put his hand on his shoulder, and said close to him: "I can pretend that I didn't hear what you said just now. , be careful what you say in the future.”

"Remember, there is only one person who can carry the Ming Dynasty, and that is Your Majesty!"

"Anyone can be replaced except His Majesty, and all we have to do is help His Majesty."

"As long as His Majesty doesn't speak, nothing will happen to us."

"To please them, you will die alone and Yu Ze will be the next generation."

"But if you please His Majesty and do things for His Majesty, you can live and your descendants can be nourished. Do you understand what I mean?"

The people who went south this time were basically New Deal officials selected by Wang Hui. This was not what he wanted, but he had to do it.

Such constraints have happened more than once.

Those guys from the New Deal faction are just relying on their seniority to show off their power, but their actual ability is not even as good as Zhang Mengcun in front of them.

Once he obeys their advice regarding the Jingcha matter, his fate will definitely not be good in the future, and they will definitely not save him.

If they could really save people, so many New Dealers wouldn't have died in the Guimao case.

Thinking of this, Wang Hui looked into Zhang Mengcun's eyes: "You should know that you and I were both pushed to the stage by those old people."

"The reason why they pushed us to the front of the stage is simply because they were worried that the Qingliu people would counterattack after the Beijing-Chaobao incident, so they caught us as scapegoats."

"Zhang Mengcun, you should know very well why I, Wang Weizhong, said this to you."

"You and I are both people who have made it through elementary school, middle school, imperial examinations, and local places. We are all like dragons and phoenixes among people. But the guys above just rely on their ability to rise above us and show off their power."

"They claim to have the power of following the dragon, but look at those who really have the power of following the dragon. Which one is not an honored minister with a lord beside them?"

"Are you so willing to be paraded over your head by these old guys?"

Wang Hui looked directly at Zhang Mengcun. Zhang Mengcun hesitated when he heard the words, and his indecisive character was the reason why Wang Hui dared to tell him these dissatisfactions.

Wang Hui turned around, picked up the teacup, took a sip, moistened his throat, and then turned his back to Zhang Mengcun and continued:
"Leverage Jiang Nan's hand to clean up these dirty guys, and you and I will sit in that position together."

"I heard that Song Li, the Minister of Rites, is about to take office. Although the position of Minister of Rites is not for you and me, I will personally recommend you to Your Majesty as the Left Minister of Rites."

"I will also give you the credit for the Jingchao's achievements this time. Even if you cannot become the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, I can still promote you to at least the second rank!"

As soon as Wang Hui's words were spoken, Zhang Mengcun immediately became excited.

Although Wang Hui was just a bachelor with no power or real authority, he couldn't help but stay with the emperor every day.

If this Beijing investigation case is done well enough, it is impossible for the emperor not to reuse Wang Hui, and Wang Hui will take care of his own affairs...

"what should I do?"

Zhang Mengcun made up his mind and looked firmly at Wang Hui's back. When Wang Hui heard this, he turned his head and said in a cold tone:

"Find someone to come forward, ask him to stand in front of you, and ask him to be more aggressive. It's best to provoke the clean crowd in Jiangnan to attack."

"I will take care of the rest, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Okay!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Mengcun immediately bowed and saluted, then turned and left.

Watching him walk away, Wang Hui turned around, put his hands behind his back, and glanced at the sun at its zenith.

The sunlight was dazzling, so he blocked the strong light with his hands, squinted his eyes to look at the birds flying in the sky, then turned and walked into the yamen.

Soon, Zhang Mengcun followed Wang Hui's instructions and successfully found a point that could stimulate these clear streams...

"boom!!"

"Jinyiwei is handling the case!"

In early September, a luxurious mansion in Taihe County, Jiangxi Province was violently broken into.

For a moment, the rustling sound of armor and footsteps filled the mansion. When the servants in the mansion saw the newcomers, they were so scared that their legs went weak.

"What's so noisy!"

In a courtyard in the backyard, a man in his early twenties was breathing heavily, with a cardamom girl pressed under him.

The girl burst into tears. When the man saw this, he slapped her in the face. The girl immediately covered her cheek and curled up.

"Being favored by me is your family's blessing that has been cultivated for eight lifetimes. Damn it, you've ruined my mood!"

After the slap, the man still felt angry and was about to take action when he suddenly heard a "bang".

The sound suddenly didn't frighten him so much that he flinched back. After reacting, he immediately looked at the door angrily.

In the dark room, there were several tall figures standing with torches.

When he saw their appearance clearly, the man's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he quickly turned over and got off the bed, while the girl curled up.

"I don't know if you are..."

The man didn't hear the noise outside, but facing these people, he naturally noticed something was wrong.

"Wang Shuang, the Jinyi Guard of Fusi, North Town, was ordered by the imperial court to inspect the area. Please, Mr. Yang, please come with us..."

"Jingcha...I...I..." The man hesitated. Looking at the few people, he hurriedly stepped forward and said:
"I'm just a civilian. If you want to take care of me, I should be the county government. How can I trouble you?"

"Zhao Chun, the magistrate of Taihe County, has been brought to justice. The county magistrate cannot be dispatched temporarily, so we took over." Wang Shuang looked at the man in front of him, and a smile slowly appeared on his face:

"We have three murder cases and sixteen cases of robbing good girls here that require Young Master Yang to cooperate with us. In addition..."

Wang Shuang glanced at the expensive furniture in the bedroom, and finally turned his attention to the young man in front of him who was sweating coldly: "Master Yang, please explain the origin of this house, three villas outside the city, and thousands of acres of fertile land. "

"If I remember correctly, Ambassador Yang's salary and rewards should not be that much!"

it's over...

When Wang Shuang mentioned his father, the young man collapsed on the ground.

He is not stupid. When Jin Yiwei appeared here and mentioned his father, he knew that this group of people came for his father.

"It seems that you can't walk. In that case, let us help."

Wang Shuang gestured to his left and right, and two guards in golden clothes immediately stepped forward to pick him up and carried him out.

Feeling that this group of people was serious, the young man quickly shouted: "Let me go! My father is Yang Shiqi, the governor of Shaanxi Province. You can't do this to me. We can discuss how much it costs!"

"Let me go! Let me go..."

Yang Ji's voice became farther and farther away, and Wang Shuang plucked his ears impatiently.

After making sure they were far away, Wang Shuang lit the candlestick in the room with a torch and saw the girl huddled in the corner of the bed.

Seeing that the girl was only eleven or twelve years old, Wang Shuang immediately signaled to the person behind him: "Someone will write a confession and send this woman home after finishing."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and left with the frightened look in the girl's eyes, and the news of the Jin Yiwei's raid on Taihe County soon spread.

The news came back to the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate. Wang Hui, who was sitting in the Yamen with his eyes closed and concentrating, soon heard the sound of footsteps.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw Zhang Mengcun with a solemn face walking into the main hall.

"how……"

Wang Hui's expression was calm, but Zhang Mengcun was solemn and a little nervous.

"This Yang Ji has committed many crimes. If we really want to judge the crime, even if he does not implicate the three clans, he will still be punished by beheading."

"If he is really convicted and executed, Yang Rong and Yang Pu will not be mentioned for the time being. I am afraid that Yang Shiqi alone will fight to the death with us."

Zhang Mengcun didn't want to make too many enemies. He turned his attention to Wang Hui, but saw that Wang Hui was still calm.

"It's not what we want to do whether he's guilty or not. We'll confiscate his property and hand it over in a book. First, we'll give the people from the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple a headache."

"Okay!" Zhang Mengcun breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Hui continued to speak after seeing this:

"The Beijing inspection in Jiangbei is almost coming to an end. The results of the Beijing inspection in conjunction with Jiangbei will be sent to the capital together."

"Having the results of half of the Southern Zhili capital inspections in hand, your and my status will be as secure as Mount Tai, and His Majesty will not just sit back and let others deal with us."

"Okay, now I..." Before Zhang Mengcun could finish his words, footsteps could be heard outside the main hall.

He looked sideways and saw a figure walking towards them step by step.

The visitor was a young man in his thirties, and he was wearing a bullfighting uniform awarded by the emperor, which showed his status.

Facing this young man, Wang Hui did not dare to show off. Instead, he stood up and walked to Zhang Mengcun, covering him behind him and bowing at the same time: "Master Wang Hui, may I ask..."

"Hu Ji, the commander of the West Factory!"

Hu Jiliang revealed his identity and bowed to Wang Hui at the same time:
"I respectfully request the arrest of Yang Ji, the murderer of the Taihe County murder case!"

(End of this chapter)