Ming Dynasty 1566

Chapter 100

The quarrel started as soon as Chen Hong came in. The eunuch on duty outside the door knew that something was wrong, and someone had already gone to recover the eunuch surnamed Meng Bingbi who had just left. At this time, the eunuch surnamed Bingbi Meng was in the lead. The eunuchs rushed into the duty room behind.

The eunuch surnamed Meng Bingbi: "How can this be done! How can this be done! Eunuch Huang let go! Hurry up!"

Several eunuchs on duty rushed over in a hurry and pulled Huang Jin away with great effort.

Huang Jin was dragged by two eunuchs on duty to stand there panting.

Chen Hongwu lay on his back on the chair panting.

The eunuch surnamed Meng Bingbi went there in person: "Quickly, help up Eunuch Chen!"

Several people supported the chair together, Chen Hong's complexion was pale, and he was supported by the eunuch Meng Bingbi, gasping for breath.

The eunuch surnamed Meng Bingbi was really anxious: "Don't help Eunuch Huang out yet!"

"Don't pull me!" Huang Jinwu was angry.

The eunuch surnamed Meng Bingbi stomped his feet: "Eunuch Huang, if you don't think for yourself, you have to think for the master and the ancestors. Do you want to piss off the Long Live Lord and the ancestors? Let's go!"

Huang Jin threw away the eunuch on duty who was supporting him, naked to the waist, picked up the clothes from the chair and rushed out.

The eunuch surnamed Meng Bingbi asked Chen Hong in a low voice: "Is Eunuch Chen injured? Shall I call the imperial physician?"

Chen Hong's breathing gradually calmed down, and he had been in a daze for a long time, and suddenly said: "Order, anyone who reveals a word about today's affairs will be killed immediately."

Eunuch Meng Bingbi said: "Understood."

The opening hours of the Nine Gates of the Jingshi vary from season to season, depending on the dawn.The winter season is the latest and the summer season is the earliest.Today is the sixteenth day of the seventh month, when the first day of Yinshi dawned, and the gates of the city opened.In particular, Dongbianmen is the only waterway gate in the capital, from which all the official ships heading south from Beijing set sail. Therefore, this gate opened two quarters earlier than the other eight waterway gates, so that ships could be dispatched one after another.

According to the rules, as long as there are ships from the palace to leave, the official ships of all ministries have to step back and give way.The Beizhen Fusi is directly under the Supervisor of Rites, and he is also on the errand of the Qin case.But today, the small passenger boat of Beizhen Fusi was parked unassumingly on the shore away from the wharf. In the hazy dawn, there were neither lanterns nor flags, and the two escorts Gao Hanwen and Yunniang to Beijing Jin Yiwei also changed into casual clothes at this time, although standing on the bow of the boat, no one else knew him.

Under the weeping willows about ten feet away from the boat, there was a man standing quietly, holding a piano bag in his arms and a bundle in his hand, and he was the only one paying attention to the boat that was about to go south.This person is Gao Hanwen.

"Here we come." A brocade guard standing at the bow looked at the city gate and let out a low cry.

The two Jinyi guards hurriedly walked across the diving board and headed towards the shore.

Two small sedan chairs, carried by eight people, rushed towards the small boat with sixteen legs.

The sedan chair in front stopped, and so did the sedan chair behind.A Jin Yiwei hurried up and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair in front, and Huang Jin, who was wearing casual clothes, came out and looked around for a while: "Is there anyone who finds fault?"

That Jin Yiwei was taken aback by his question: "No, who dares to find fault with us."

Only then did Huang Jin realize that he had asked Meng Lang a bit. How did he know about the fight with Chen Hong the afternoon before? He was worried that Chen Hong would send someone to arrest Yun Niang, so he came to deliver it in person early in the morning. Of course, the two Jin Yiwei didn't know. The bottom layer.Thinking of this, Huang Jin smiled wryly: "It's fine if there is no one. This person was greeted by the ancestors, and he must be sent back to Hangzhou. Get on the boat and leave immediately."

The other Jin Yiwei walked to the sedan chair at the back and opened the curtain: "Get out of the sedan chair, we're getting on the boat."

Yun Niang came out of the sedan chair with the cloth bundle, walked up to Huang Jin and gave a deep blessing.

Huang Jin looked at the two Jinyi guards, and the two Jinyi guards walked away knowingly. At the same time, they waved to the bearers, and the bearers also walked away.

Huang Jin took out two envelopes from the sleeve of his robe, and looked at Yunniang: "One is the certificate of the supervisor of ceremonies, and no government office would dare to find fault with you if you hold it. The other is a bank note. Here it is, go back to Hangzhou and find a secluded place to live, and don't cause any more trouble."

Yunniang really didn't expect that there were such good people among the eunuchs, and it was the old ancestor and Eunuch Huang who scared everyone in the world. Tears rolled in her eyes: "Why are the ancestors and Eunuch Huang so kind to me... no worth……"

Huang Jin: "Yang Jinshui is the dearest son of our ancestors, and also my strongest handle. Let us pay for him for his sins. Don't think too much about it. There are not so many things about the court and the palace. reason."

"Hey!" A guard in Jin Yi suddenly let out a heck.

Huang Jin turned his head to look, and Yunniang also followed the prestige, both of them were startled.

Gao Hanwen was carrying a burden and was blocked five feet away by the Jinyi guard.

Gao Hanwen looked deeply at Yunniang first, but Yunniang had lowered her head, then he looked at Huang Jin again: "I'll see someone else off, please allow Mr. Huang."

Huang Jin looked at Yunniang and asked in a low voice, "Have you seen him?"

Yunniang's voice was even lower: "If Eunuch Huang is willing, let him come over."

Huang Jin waved his hand at the Jin Yiwei, who stepped aside, and Gao Hanwen walked over.

Huang Jin didn't look at him, and walked to the shore by himself.

Gao Hanwen walked up to about two feet in front of Yunniang and stopped, first put down the piano bag and then the bag, and bowed deeply to her.

Yun Niang turned her head away, the tears that were already in her eyes were streaming down.

Gao Han clasped his hands in front of his chest and lowered his head: "I am not worthy to see you off, and I don't know what to say. Let's borrow Ji Kang's words..." His throat was already choked up at this point , struggled to say the famous saying through the ages: ""Guangling San" will never die..."

After speaking, he picked up the piano bag and the bag on the ground, swallowed the tears, remained silent for a while, and calmed down his tone: "From now on, I will never play the piano again. In the bag are some piano scores I memorized and bought yesterday. You can throw them into the river if you don’t like them. It’s just that I wrote a few letters to Haizhi County and Wangzhi County. Please pass them on to them and report your safety.”

Yunniang wiped her tears behind his back, turned her head and took the piano bag and the burden with both hands: "I will pass on the letter, and let me keep the piano and music score for you..." Her eyes were deep at this point He looked deeply at Gao Hanwen.

Anyone who is proficient in the art of piano knows the saying: "Watch the return, and wave the five strings"!The strings in Gao Hanwen's heart were waved by Yun Niang's words, and he immediately trembled silently. He was still there in a daze at first, looking at her expectant gaze, finally fully understood, and subconsciously nodded deeply.

Yun Niang immediately picked up her own burden and walked straight to the passenger ship.

The two Jin Yiwei also immediately went to Huang Jin and knelt on one leg to say goodbye. Huang Jin waved his hand, and the two of them also hurried towards the passenger ship.

Huang Jin's gaze.

Gao Hanwen's gaze.

The gangway was put away, the poles were pushed up, the oars were moved, and the passenger boat slowly left the shore.

Huang Jin turned around and got into the sedan chair, and the two small sedan chairs were quickly carried to the east gate.

Only Gao Hanwen was left here, still looking at the passenger boat that was gradually rolling towards the river.

Suddenly there was a loud gunshot from the pier!
Gao Hanwen stared at it, his eyes immediately became dull.

A huge official ship set sail on the pier, with several large flags hung on the huge mast. The big flag on the mast at the bow was embroidered with "Chief Salt Transport Envoy", and one side of the mast at the stern On the big flag was embroidered "Double Procuratorate", and on the big flag in the middle of the mast was only embroidered with a huge "Yan" character!

There is still a mighty fleet behind the big ship!
A vigorous tide of overthrowing the strict government is like the calm water of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in autumn, with only a layer of ripples on the water surface. Misery and the disappointment of countless people flowed southward from the capital again.

On the Hangzhou Canal Wharf here, a fleet is also waiting to anchor.

They are all two-masted ships, with a big lantern of "Zhejiang Chief Envoy" hanging on the front mast, and a big lantern of "Military Food" hanging on the back mast!
Soldiers escorting rations stood on every ship.

On the boat close to the pier, Hai Rui tucked the corner of his robe into his belt, and the sleeves were rolled up high, and together with the boatman, he passed a thick hemp rope from the canvas covering the grain bag through the side of the cabin. The hoop was tightened tightly, and the last knot was tied.

Wang Yongji came over from the other end of the boat: "There is only so much food, let's go."

Hai Rui clapped his palms, "Heartbreaker. After ten years of Japanese invasion, I have done my best in this battle, but now I only got such a small amount of stolen money. Ten boatloads of rations are enough to feed the soldiers in front for less than ten days."

Wang Yongji can always regard the bitterness as a happy day, and smiled: "Then let the front fight slowly, and we will investigate slowly. One more day of fighting ahead, you and I will be an imperial envoy for one more day, and one more year of fighting ahead, You and I will stay in Hangzhou for an extra year. While checking the stolen money, you can visit the West Lake at the same time, this is not a good job for everyone."

Hai Rui had long been accustomed to Wang Yongji's way of joking about life, so he asked him seriously: "You said that the new decree will let us immediately search for the stolen goods that Zheng Michang and He Maocai hid in other officials' homes?" fiscal?"

Wang Yongji: "That's a lot of money, but they are all members of the Yan family and the officials in Beijing in Zhejiang. If there is such a will, Hu Butang will also win the battle, and the battle between the government and the opposition will be clear." And it won."

Hai Rui's expression became gloomy: "The strict party will not allow Hu Butang to win this battle. We will see the outcome in a day or two. It all depends on the emperor's wisdom. Let's go."

Wang Yongji shouted loudly, "Leave the boat!"

The two stepped onto the diving board one after the other and walked to the pier.

"Ship!"

"Ship!"

Calls were heard from all the ships.

The wind happened to be fair tonight, and the sails of every boat were up.Then the springboard was retracted, the penny was propped up, the grain boat left the shore, the sails were full of the wind, and sailed downstream.

There was only a small group of about twenty soldiers holding torches left on the pier, standing on both sides.Hai Rui and Wang Yongji walked up the stone steps.

Suddenly, they saw two lanterns on the top of the pier, and Zhao Zhenji and Tan Lun in casual clothes stood between the lanterns.

Hai Rui and Wang Yongji stopped at the same time and looked at each other.

On the top of the pier, Zhao Zhenji took the lantern from the soldiers beside him: "Give that lantern to Mr. Tan, and you and the soldiers below go around to guard."

Another soldier immediately handed the lantern to Tan Lun, and then shouted to the soldiers on both sides of the pier: "Retreat to the surrounding area and be alert at a distance!"

Soldiers holding torches and spears on both sides of the pier immediately turned around and ran away from the pier, and scattered around the pier.

Zhao Zhenji and Tan Lun each held a lantern and walked down the stone steps towards Hai Rui and Wang Yongji.

The four met and stopped in the middle of the stone steps of the pier, Hai Rui and Wang Yong bowed down.

Today, Zhao Zhenji's demeanor is obviously different from that of the past. There is a lot of worry in his eyes, but there is a helpless smile on the corner of his mouth: "There is no need to be too polite, I have something important to discuss with the two of you. Let's talk by the water." On the one hand, he stretched out the other hand to give way, and then took the lead to walk towards the water surface of the pier with the lantern in his hand.

Hai Rui and Wang Yongji looked at Tan Lun at the same time.

Knowing what they were going to ask, Tan Lun nodded, "Let's talk about it next."

The three shared a lantern and followed them down.

Zhao Zhenji: "Sit, please sit." He greeted himself and sat down on the stone steps in front of the water.

"Sit down." Tan Lun also sat down.

Hai Rui and Wang Yongji sat down on both sides of the stone steps behind them, looked at the backs of their heads, and watched the light from the two lanterns that they put their hands on their knees.

The two lanterns shone on the dark water, reflecting waves less than a foot in radius.

"The court's decree has been issued, and we arrived before dark." Zhao Zhenji's back view.

Wang Yongji looked at Hai Rui, and Hai Rui only stared at Zhao Zhenji.

Zhao Zhenji: "Zheng Michang and He Maocai were executed, and all their wealth was confiscated."

Another broken sentence, Hai Rui and Wang Yongji waited silently for him to continue.

Zhao Zhenji: "Zhao Zhenji, Tan Lun, Hai Rui, and Wang Yongji are still able to handle the official work with sincerity. They investigated and dealt with the huge case of ink corruption in the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau, the Zhejiang Chief Commissioner, and the Procuratorate. The conclusion will be submitted to the imperial court, and the cabinet will discuss the merits and rewards together with the Rites and Supervisors."

"What achievement? What merit award?" Hai Rui asked in a low voice, echoing across the dark river.

Wang Yongji lowered his head, and Tan Lun also sat there without moving.

This time Zhao Zhenji was also silent, and it took a long time to answer: "Good question. I have already written a memorial to apologize, but you should not be implicated. I discussed it with Tan Zili just now, and the two of us jointly signed a memorial, recommending it. Haizhi County is the magistrate of Caozhou, and Wangzhi County is the magistrate of Taizhou. The petty air is long, and the gentleman cannot be discouraged."

Tan Lun immediately answered: "If the imperial court refuses this memorial, Zhao Zhongcheng and I will resign together."

"Thank you Zhao Zhongcheng and Mr. Tan for your recommendation." Hai Rui's voice, which was almost growling just now, was now desolate, "But what else can we do for the court and for the people after we are made governors?"

Zhao Zhenji: "The most urgent thing is to raise military supplies for the war against the Japanese in front of Hu Butang. After the autumn, no matter how hard the people are, the taxes that should be collected this year, especially the silk tax of the mulberry households, will be raised. The military and the country can be understood by the common people. "

Hai Rui stood up: "If you don't seize so much stolen money, you still have to suffer the common people...Zhao Zhongcheng, Mr. Tan, Hai Rui has been disrespectful and troublesome to you as your subordinates these past few months. No more. I will never do it for the prefect of Caozhou, and I will write my resignation tonight for the magistrate of Chun’an County. Mothers and daughters, the few acres of Susukida at home should go back to plant some rice.” Then he turned and lifted his robe to Walk on the pier.

"Brother Gangfeng!" Tan Lun stood up abruptly.

Hai Rui paused.

Tan Lun handed the lantern to Wang Yongji, walked up to Hai Rui by himself, and said, "There is one more thing I haven't told you, Yan Maoqing is going south to inspect salt, and the first stop is Zhejiang. Don't you want to wait for him?" ?”

Hai Rui shook his head and looked at Tan Lun: "Brother Zili, do you think there are sharp swords in the Ming Dynasty? No matter how sharp a sword is in your hands, it is nothing more than a rusty knife. Please bear with me when you speak harshly. "He arched his robe and left again.

Tan Lun grabbed his robe sleeve: "Are you afraid of the strict party?"

Hai Rui slowly turned his head and looked at him again: "Brother Zili dare to speak. You can keep me if you want, please ask the imperial court to let me go to Jiangxi, Yan Song's hometown, Fenyi, Dangzhi County, you go to Jiangxi As an envoy, can you?"

Tan Lun was forced by his words.

Hai Rui gently took his hand away, but his voice was intentionally louder, so that Zhao Zhenji below could also hear: "I hope that Zhao Zhongcheng and Mr. Tan will not press my resignation!"

After saying this, Hai Rui didn't look back, and his tall figure disappeared on the dark pier.

Tan Lun slowly turned his head and looked at Zhao Zhenji who was still sitting there.

Zhao Zhenji also stood up slowly, followed by Wang Yongji.

Suddenly, Zhao Zhenji threw the lantern in his hand into the river: "Go home!"

(End of this chapter)